‘Tis the season for all sorts of things, including some interesting operational messes.
DLD 548: From Addis to ZorkFest
- August 21, 2025
- Tagged as: 737 MAX, A320, A320neo, ADD, Addis Ababa, Aeromexico, Air Canada, Air India, Airbus, Antitrust Immunity, ATI, Boeing, Delta Air Lines, Ethiopian Airlines, first class, joint venture, MEX, Mexicana, Mexico, Mexico City, premium cabin, Southwest Airlines, special guest, strike, TQO, Trip Report, Tulum, union
Strikes and travel tales and routes, oh my! With special guest Michael Trager from TravelZork.
DLD 542: Terrible Decisions
- July 10, 2025
- Tagged as: 787, 787-9, Air France, Alaska Airlines, Antarctica, British Airways, Dreamliner, E195-E2, Embraer, ife, in-flight entertainment, inflight entertainment, KLM, Mexicana, SAS, Saudia, Streaming IFE, union, WestJet
A pilot ends up in jail, another wannabe who probably should. Plus a couple big orders and delivery milestones.
DLD 536: Island Time
- May 29, 2025
- Tagged as: 737 MAX, Alaska Airlines, Boeing, Charlotte, CLT, Etihad, EWR, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, frequent flier, frequent flyer, Newark, Phoenix, PHX, points, Starlux, Trip Report, union, United Airlines, Upgrade, upgrades
Picking up a soon-to-be-disappearing line almost translates into a disappearing bag. Plus new routes, more planes, and a fewer flights at Newark.
Doing our best to prove that there’s no such thing as a quiet airport lounge anymore, and part of the problem, too.
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.
DLD 493: Is your crowd on strike?
- July 25, 2024
- Tagged as: A321XLR, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, certification, China, CRJ550, Dallas, DCA, Delta Air Lines, Department of Transportation, DFW, DOT, EU261, Farnborough, FIA2024, Fiji Airlines, Greenland, London, regulators, SkyWest, Southwest Airlines, union, Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Australia
What a mess for airlines and more as millions of Windows-based computers were knocked offline last Thursday night.
DLD 489: Well and truly screwed
- June 28, 2024
- Tagged as: A220, Aer Lingus, AirBaltic, Alaska Airlines, Amazon, American Airlines, ancillary fees, Archer, Basic Economy, Boeing, Boom Supersonic, cargo, codeshare, Department of Transportation, DOT, engines, eVTOL, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Global Airlines, GTF, Iberia, jetblue, JSX, Mexico, OKC, Oklahoma City, Pratt & Whitney, regulators, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country, union, Volaris, WestJet
The US DOT seems keen to rewrite the rules – or at least how they’re enforced – in a way that’s liable to significantly impact the US market.
DLD 487: Unreasonable expectations
- June 13, 2024
- Tagged as: Air India, Air Traffic Control, American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China, DFW, E2, Embraer, Emirates, FAA, Federal Aviation Administration, Fiji Airlines, JFK Airport, LaGuardia, merger, Mexicana, N90, New York City, Newark, Oneworld, Starlux, strike, union, Vistara
Mostly by us, but also perhaps from an airline or two…
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…
