• 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

DLD 507: Lounge Life

• October 31, 2024
• Tagged as: Air Canada, AirBaltic, American Airlines, Boeing, business class, Dulles, first class, flyDubai, Greenland, IAD, Nepal, premium cabin, Premium Economy, Qatar Airways, SAS, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, strike, union

Doing our best to prove that there’s no such thing as a quiet airport lounge anymore, and part of the problem, too.

• 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 504: Reading the fine print

• October 10, 2024
• Tagged as: A321XLR, Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air China, Australia, bankruptcy, Boeing, Cathay Pacific, Chase, China, co-brand, cobrand, credit card, credit cards, Delta Air Lines, Emirates, FAA, Japan, Lebanon, lounge, lounges, Qatar Airways, regulators, Spirit Airlines, strike, United Airlines

Details matter, and a few of this week’s topics dig in to that fine print.

• Podcast

DLD 501: Star signs and labor challenges

• September 19, 2024
• Tagged as: 737 MAX 10, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 8200, Aegean Airlines, Air Canada, Allegient Air, American Airlines, Boeing, IFC, IFEC, in-flight connectivity, in-flight internet, inflight connectivity, inflight wifi, Real ID, Rex, Riyadh Air, San Antonio, SAT, Southwest Airlines, SpaceX, Spirit Airlines, Starlink, strike, Sun Country, TSA, union, United Airlines, Virgin Australia, Volotea

One strike averted, another underway. And plenty of challenges remain for the aviation industry overall.

• Podcast

DLD 495: Shifting borders in air world

• August 8, 2024
• Tagged as: A321LR, A321XLR, Air Europa, Air New Zealand, Air Traffic Control, Airbus, Allegient Air, amtrak, ANR, Antwerp, ATC, Australia, Azul, British Airways, emissions, EWR, IAG, International Airline Group, jetblue, Korean Air, lawsuit, Newark, PDX, Porter Air, Portland, Rex, routes, security, Spirit Airlines, TATL, Transatlantic, TUI

Fiorello would be happy, perhaps, to see Newark no longer managed by New York ATC. But will it help?

• 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
• Trip Reports

DLD 480: Defer, deflect, but don’t drown

• April 25, 2024
• Tagged as: A320neo, A321LR, A321neo, Aegean Airlines, Airbus, Allegient Air, American Airlines, business class, Cape Town, Capital One, CPT, credit card, credit cards, Dubai, economy class, flat beds, Norse Atlantic, Polaris, Polaris Plus, premium cabin, Provo, PVU, Spirit Airlines, United Airlines

Aircraft orders shifting, service types are switching, and one major airport is underwater in this week’s show.