‘Tis the season for all sorts of things, including some interesting operational messes.
DLD 566: Slid(er)ing into the Holidays
- December 25, 2025
- Tagged as: Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, ANC, Anchorage, bankruptcy, Basic Economy, Brightline, Delta Air Lines, elite status, Emirates, frequent flier, frequent flyer, JSX, Korean Air, PDX, Portland, routes, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Turkish Airlines, United Airlines, Viva, Volaris
Snacks and routes and retirements and mergers and more!
DLD 555: The Earl of Global Services
- October 9, 2025
- Tagged as: 777X, American Airlines, Antitrust Immunity, bankruptcy, British Airways, codeshare, Delta Air Lines, elite status, Global Services, ITA Airlines, joint venture, Lufthansa, Play, Porter Air, regional jets, routes, special guest, Spirit Airlines, TATL, Transatlantic, United Airlines
A major milestone crossed, so what’s next? Plus one airline calls it quits and another is making major moves in that direction, while others are expanding and refreshing.
DLD 552: Fuming mad!
- September 18, 2025
- Tagged as: Aegean Airlines, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Antitrust Immunity, Avelo, Boeing, Breeze Airways, codeshare, Delta Air Lines, E195-E2, Embraer, India, IndiGo, jetblue, joint venture, Korean Airlines, Lufthansa Group, Mexico, Mexico City, premium cabin, Premium Economy, routes, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines
Unwinding joint operations is not easy, but it must happen thanks to a DOT ruling. Plus fumes in the cabin, a hilariously low fine and some questionable funding in play.
DLD 551: Shaking things up
- September 11, 2025
- Tagged as: 737 MAX 10, 787-9, AENA, Air France, Alaska Airlines, Austrian Airlines, awards, bankruptcy, Boeing, British Airways, Capital One, credit cards, Department of Transportation, DOT, Dreamliner, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Frontier, GoWild, HOP!, Horizon Air, Iceland, Icelandair, IFC, IFEC, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, inflight connectivity, inflight wifi, jetblue, KEF, Kuiper, LATAM, podcast, Qatar Airways, rewards, Ryanair, Singapore Air, Southwest Airlines, Spain, Spirit Airlines, Starlink, Tel Aviv, TLV, United Airlines, WestJet
Routes and partnerships slashed in some areas, while others focus on innovation. Plus Spanish airports fight back against Ryanair and lots more.
DLD 550: Chapter 22 – A New Hope
- September 4, 2025
- Tagged as: 737 MAX 10, 777-9, 777X, 787-10, A320neo, A321neo, A321XLR, A350, Airbus, Alaska Airlines, Allegris, bankruptcy, Boeing, Brussels Airlines, BUR, Burbank, business class, Condor, Edelweiss, Finnair, Florida, jetblue, Korean Air, Lufthansa, premium cabin, Qantas, Saint Martin, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, SXM
Spirit Airlines is back in bankruptcy court, once again planning a restructuring in hopes of finding profitability. Plus more orders, 787 progress, and some aviation idiocy in Florida.
It is new. It is shiny. Of course Atmos dominated this week’s show. Fortunately, we also got some other bits in.
DLD 544: The Last Mile
- July 24, 2025
- Tagged as: Abu Dhabi, Aegean Airlines, AI, AirAsia, American Airlines, artificial intelligence, Avelo, Breeze, Breeze Airways, Bus, Condor, Contour Air, Delta Air Lines, DHS, EAS, Emirates, Essential Air Service, Fetcherr, first class, frequent flier, frequent flyer, GulfAir, immigration, JFK Airport, JSX, lounges, loyalty, MIA, Miami, premium cabin, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines, visas, WAF25, WizzAir, World Aviation Festival
Can multi-modal transportation ever really take off in the USA? Plus mini-lounges, lots of plane orders, and more Macon.
DLD 541: Planes, Politics, Partnerships, and PDX
- July 3, 2025
- Tagged as: ATL, Atlanta, Cape Air, Cebu Pacific, elite status, Emirates, flyadeal, flyDubai, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Iberia, Iran, jetblue, PDX, PlusPoints, Porter Air, Portland, Qatar, routes, Spirit Airlines, UAE, United Airlines
Partnerships come and go, as do new routes and competition. Plus, what makes an airport better than others?
Usually we’re talking about lawsuits, not actively involved in them. Plus, seating shifts and ATC and maybe another airline financial collapse.
