• Podcast

DLD 512: Branching out

• December 5, 2024
• Tagged as: A350, A350 XWB, A350-900, A380, Aer Lingus, Alaska Airlines, Asiana, Atlanta, British Airways, Bus, charter, Delta Air Lines, DFA, Eastern Airlines, EasyJet, elite status, Emirates, Etihad, ETOPS, Europe, Eva, first class, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Frontier, Heathrow, Korea, Korean Air, LHR, merger, Norse Atlantic, Orly, Paris, premium cabin, regulators, slots, Spirit Airlines, T'way, United Kingdom, Virgin Atlantic, visas

It was Thanksgiving week in the US, so we shifted our gaze to Europe and the Middle East, with plenty of news being made.

• Podcast

DLD 510: Riddled with trouble

• November 21, 2024
• Tagged as: A321XLR, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Bermudair, engines, first class, Iberia, premium cabin, Rolls Royce, slots, Spirit Airlines

Wayward bullets are bad. Ditto for rodents on planes and a handful of now infamous travelers.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 506: P(l)aying premium

• October 24, 2024
• Tagged as: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Avianca, bankruptcy, Boston, business class, Cathay Pacific, China, DCA, first class, Hainan Airlines, hyatt, Korean Airlines, MileagePlan, Norse Atlantic, Play, premium cabin, routes, Russia, SkyTeam, slots, Spirit Airlines, train

Lots of chatter this week about premium products, and which airlines are having success with them or not.

• Podcast

DLD 492: Whoopsie!

• July 18, 2024
• Tagged as: 777X, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Archer, Breeze Airways, certification, DCA, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, DOT, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Portland, Portsmouth, PSM, PWM, Riyadh Air, slots, Southwest Airlines, SSJ100, Washington DC, ZeroAvia

It could’ve been a lot worse, for sure. But now we have some initial details about the Southwest flight that took off from a closed runway two weeks ago.

• Podcast
• Trip Reports

DLD 491: More bad news for Boeing, but maybe it is good?

• July 11, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, 737 NG, Air Greenland, Atlantic Airways, Boeing, business class, Canada, Canadian North, DCA, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, Greenland, inaugural, jetblue, KLM, lie-flat beds, Mint, Norse Atlantic, PDX, Portland, regulators, routes, slots, suite, TATL, Transatlantic, Washington DC, ZipAir

A trio of Boeing stories top the show this week. And somehow pleading guilty to a crime might end up being good for the company?

• 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
• Trip Reports

DLD 484: Board games

• May 23, 2024
• Tagged as: 787, ancillary, ancillary fees, Austrian Airlines, Boeing, Breeze Airways, bundles, China, DCA, FAA, fares, Federal Aviation Administration, first class, Frontier, Lisbon, O'Hare, ORD, Philippines Airlines, Qantas, regulators, Shanghai, slots, United Airlines

Why do executives have so much trouble making tough decisions? Or are they just blind to the challenges?

• Podcast

DLD 483: Change is coming

• May 16, 2024
• Tagged as: Alaska Airlines, artificial intelligence, Avelo, CRJ550, Delta Air Lines, Department of Justice, Department of Transportation, DOT, ITA Airlines, jetblue, LaGuardia, LGA, Lufthansa Group, Phoenix, regulators, routes, San Juan, SJU, slots, Trip Report, United Airlines, Zoom Airlines

Is change good? Is it bad? Should you get a refund? Or fly the new routes? Come join us for these conversations and more…

• 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 468: More MAX than you can shake a stick at

• February 1, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX, 737 MAX 10, 737 MAX 7, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 9, A321neo, Air Europa, American Airlines, Breeze Airways, Dulles, Haneda, Hawaiian Airlines, IAD, IAG, ITA Airlines, lawsuit, Lufthansa Group, merger, Ryanair, slots, Tulsa, United Airlines

The MAX continues to dominate news cycles, but there’s lots more out there also worth talking about.