• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 513: We Try Harder(ish)

• December 12, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, 757-200, A321LR, A321XLR, Air Canada, Allegris, American Airlines, ancillary, ancillary fees, Avis, Basic Economy, Boeing, business class, Citi, co-brand, cobrand, credit card, credit cards, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, DOJ, DOT, first class, Frontier, Icelandair, Lufthansa, premium cabin, privacy, rental cars, routes, Swiss, TAP Air Portugal, Tulum

Is it finally time for some passenger rights in the USA? And why does air travel feel more unbundled than ever, in every class of travel?

• Podcast

DLD 509: Worth the EXPOsure?

• November 14, 2024
• Tagged as: Air France, American Airlines, BNA, British Airways, business class, Cancun, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, dining, DOT, fines, FlightPath3D, HNL, Honolulu, Lufthansa, MAN, Manchester, MCO, moving map, Nashville, Orlando, premium cabin, Riyadh Air, routes, Virgin Atlantic

Trade shows and fines and AI and aircraft orders and lots, lots more…

• Podcast

DLD 490: The search for more fees

• July 4, 2024
• Tagged as: American Airlines, ancillary, ancillary fees, Breeze Airways, credit card, credit cards, Delta Air Lines, fees, Islip, ISP, JFK, JFK Airport, lounges, Lufthansa, Lufthansa Group, moving map, New York City, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines

Airlines love ancillary fees. But is there a point at which shifting charges out of the base fare will finally be too much?

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 485: Getting there eventually

• May 30, 2024
• Tagged as: A321neo, A380, Airbus, American Airlines, ancillary, ancillary fees, Breeze Airways, British Airways, codeshare, CRJ550, DCA, Delta Air Lines, EWR, flyadeal, jetblue, lounges, Lufthansa, Newark, O'Hare, ORD, Providence, PVD, Saudia, singapore airlines, slots, Spirit Airlines, TATL, Transatlantic, Trip Report, Washington DC

Maybe taking five flights rather than just two, and adding an extra overnight en route, was a mistake.

• Podcast

DLD 482: Plane problems

• May 9, 2024
• Tagged as: 777 Partners, 777X, A220, A321XLR, A350, A380, Aer Lingus, Bermudair, Boeing, Bonza, Breeze Airways, Emirates, Frontera, Frontier, Global Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, regulators, Southern Airways, Spirit Airlines, union, United Airlines, WestJet

Who will be the first to fly the A321XLR? And when will the 777X ever fly? At least now we have some A350 confirmed flight times and an A380 on the move…

• Podcast

DLD 479: A deviation

• April 18, 2024
• Tagged as: 777, 787, A319, Allegris, Boeing, Breeze Airways, business class, Iran, Lufthansa, Polaris, Polaris Plus, premium cabin, routes, SAS, Scott Kirby, Spirit Airlines, Star Alliance, union, United Airlines

Often times the shortest distance between two airports is defined by politics more than geography. Last weekend that was more the case than usual.

• Podcast

DLD 471: It still doesn’t make sense

• February 22, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, 737-200, A380, Air Canada, Air Serbia, Air Traffic Control, Alaska Airlines, Allegient Air, artificial intelligence, Barbados, Canada, Delta Air Lines, ETOPS, Global Airlines, Hawaii, Hawaiian Airlines, jetblue, Lufthansa, merger, Nolinor, Qantas, regulators, routes, Spirit Airlines, Thai Airways, United Airlines

Revisiting a couple stories from the past few weeks, and they still don’t make much sense. Plus lots of new news, too.

• Podcast

DLD 470: Out of service

• February 15, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, A321neo, American Airlines, Chicago, China, Copa Airlines, Cuba, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Frontier, Heathrow, Houston, IAH, India, IndiGo, Korean Airlines, LCCs, lounges, Lufthansa, MCO, Orlando, Philadelphia, PHL, points, Qatar Airways, Raleigh-Durham, RDU, regulators, SAS, slots, ULCC, United Airlines, wetlease

What’s the silliest reason you’ve ever heard of for planes to be removed from service? We might have a new top contender for that title.

• Podcast

DLD 448: ¿Cual Aeropuerto?

• September 7, 2023
• Tagged as: A380, ancillary fees, bankruptcy, China Southern, Corendon, Cuba, Delta Air Lines, El Al, elite status, Ethiopian Airlines, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Haneda, HND, jetblue, Lufthansa, Mexicana, Mexico, Mexico City, Monarch, Oneworld, PDX, Portland, Qantas, Qatar Airways, routes, Tokyo, Virgin Australia

Picking an airport in Mexico might be a bit more challenging later this year. Plus flying whales and more Tokyo.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 430: A long ride home

• April 27, 2023
• Tagged as: A380, American Airlines, ANA, Avelo, awards, Breeze Airways, British Airways, Bus, business class, dining, FLL, Fort Lauderdale, Lufthansa, mistake fare, Munich, podcast, points, Premium Economy, Qantas, rewards, routes, Silver Airways, Trip Report

It is all fun and games until a rules change hits home. Then the rage rises to the surface.