Earnings season is back, with billions burned and little in the way of optimism for the industry. But traffic continues to increase and route networks adjust, with airlines trying to capture whatever bits of the market they can.
Booking inaugural routes is almost as fun as flying them, right?? Plus A321Ts parked, AirAsia Japan dying and United’s November growth plans.
DLD 311: Farewell to the 580s
- October 1, 2020
- Tagged as: 737 MAX, 737MAX, airbnb, business class, co-brand, cobrand, Convair 580, COVID-19, COVID19, credit card, credit cards, Delta Air Lines, elite status, Emirates, Europe, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Korean Airlines, New Zealand, PC-24, Pilatus, podcast, premium cabin, routes, singapore airlines, transcon, United Airlines
No, that’s not a typo. We’re mourning the loss of the Convair 580s from commercial service, now slated for next year, among many other things in this week’s episode.
The infamous Cranky Flier joins us this week to talk route planning, biz travel’s collapse, and some fun with airport ratings.
DLD 308: Put a title here
- September 10, 2020
- Tagged as: 787, Basic Economy, BER, Berlin, Delta Air Lines, fees, routes, United Airlines, Virgin Australia
Joint ventures are failing but does that mean the underlying businesses are screwed? And some serious long-haul route expansion coming, in theory, in the next 9ish months. Plus BER in trouble and the 787’s tail is a mess.
We’re not flying for real so the new MS Flight Sim might be a useful replacement. Plus, regionals shutting down, destinations dropped and a union squeeze.
DLD 298: Mixed awards, mixed messages
- July 2, 2020
- Tagged as: Air Canada, Air China, award, awards, bankruptcy, cash & points, China, China Eastern, China Southern, jetblue, LIAT, Pakistan, podcast, refunds, reward, rewards, routes, TSA
When an airline says it is concerned about passenger safety and then increases the number of seats sold that can be hard to reconcile. But at least they’re leaving it members of their cabin crew to keep posting anti-mask FUD on social media, right??
As borders start to reopen the requirements for entry to some countries can be onerous. Or completely reasonable. But the inconsistencies make it really challenging for travelers to plan.
What happens when people take to Twitter seeking justice and then transition that into real-life doxxing? And what about when it is a case of mistaken identity? A couple recent incidents in the travel space remind us that this is stupid and bad in many ways.
DLD 293: Turn around or a turnaround??
- May 28, 2020
- Tagged as: Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Air Transat, BER, Berlin, Cape Town, COVID-19, COVID19, CPT, Delta Air Lines, Eurowings, Hertz, India, JNB, lounge, lounges, Lufthansa, merger, podcast, rental cars, routes, SXF, TATL, Tegel, Transatlantic, TXL
An airport closes, possibly forever. Another was already closed when the plane showed up. And airlines are still planning their financial turnarounds as demand starts to creep higher.
