• Podcast

DLD 481: A dash of regulatory oversight

• May 2, 2024
• Tagged as: 787, A350, American Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Avant, Avelo, Beond, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, DOT, Dubai, Ethiopian Airlines, ife, in-flight entertainment, IndiGo, inflight entertainment, jetblue, personalization, podcast, regulators, routes, Southwest Airlines, Thales, union, United Airlines

Regulators are forcing airlines to do good things for passengers, which is refreshing. Plus maybe a new Dubai airport a decade from now, and lots more.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 474: A shock to the system

• March 14, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, Air Europa, airbnb, Batik Air, Boeing, China Southern, Department of Justice, DOJ, electric cars, EVs, IAG, LAS, Las Vegas, MCO, merger, NTSB, Orlando, regulators, rental cars, routes, TSA, United Airlines

Hopefully not too shocking, of course. But maybe enough to keep you awake, unlike those pilots…

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 473: Huh, so now what?

• March 7, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX 10, A321neo, Aeromexico, Airbus, American Airlines, Antitrust Immunity, ATI, AUS, Austin, Australia, awards, Boeing, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, E175, Embraer, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Hawaiian Airlines, IFC, IFEC, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, inflight connectivity, JV, Mexico, New Pacific Airways, points, Qantas, regulators, rewards, routes, SpaceX, Starlink, strike, Turkish Airlines, union, United Airlines

American has a bunch more planes on order, while JetBlue and Spirit officially call it quits. Plus lots more…

• 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 405: Chunneling some feelings

• October 13, 2022
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, 737 MAX 10, 737 MAX 7, 787, A330-900, A330neo, AirBaltic, AirTags, blockchain, Calgary, certification, Dreamliner, Eurostar, FAA, Flyr Norwegian, inaugural, Lufthansa, NFTs, regulators, Trip Report, union, Virgin Atlantic, WestJet, YYC

Halfway through a long trip and still suffering from jetlag, but there’s news to consider and punditry to ponder, so here we go…

• Podcast

DLD 396: So much revenue, but what about profit?

• August 11, 2022
• Tagged as: A220, A350, A350 XWB, Aeroflot, AirBaltic, Airbus, American Airlines, AMS, Amsterdam, British Airways, DCA, Department of Transportation, DOT, Frontier, Heathrow, ITA Airlines, jetblue, KLM, LHR, London, lounge, lounges, merger, Qatar Airways, refunds, regulators, Spirit Airlines, Swiss, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Washington DC, wetlease

Airlines raked in revenue in Q2, but not all of them reported a profit. And that raises a lot of bigger picture questions.

• Podcast

DLD 291: The Cheese Soup test

• May 14, 2020
• Tagged as: Avianca, bankruptcy, COVID-19, Department of Transportation, DOT, elite status, Emirates, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Iran, LifeMiles, lifetime, Mahan Air, Premium Economy, refunds, regulators, United Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia

We’re deep in the throes of learning what requirements will exist for passengers to prove they’re healthy and resume travel. This week’s episode has a very unlikely candidate for one such test.