Dots, Lines & Destinations

Hard to believe we're still saying this, but please stop being an asshole on airplanes. Or anywhere else, really. But definitely not on airplanes.

Also in this episode:

* 777X now not likely certified until late 2024, airline delivery in 2025.* NPR article doesn’t understand that China Airlines isn’t a Chinese airline* SCASD Grant applications* Breeze planning transcon flights at HPN* Recaro seatbacks* Golden knights scared the US Capitol Police pretty good* AA long-haul fleet shuffle triggered by BA needs

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Punch out* Kirby pissed at Spirit Airlines/JetBlue at Newark* A flight simulator in the United App

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

The lack of appeal, perhaps, is the most interesting part. But the CDC mask mandate for travel is gone, thanks to a court ruling in Florida. The TSA backed down a few hours later.

Also in this episode:

* AvGeek.Travel launch* Turkish Airlines* Norse Atlantic leasing planes to Air Europa* Finnair leasing planes to Eurowings Discover* Air Baltic leasing planes to everyone it can

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Condor's new livery* AA's new 787 layout

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Who is to blame? And does it matter when you finally admit that? Plenty of challenges in the industry these days and more flight cancellations are coming.

Also in this episode:

* Alaska Airlines admits massive disruption wasn’t the pilots’ fault, along with some interesting numbers about growth plans and fuel prices.* American Airlines gets Landline bus service, too* What would a JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger look like and why is it even a consideration?* New gates proposed for Dulles and Denver

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Rumors about Delta in SEA/PDX* Bamboo Founder stock screwup* Hawaii’s pilot congressman

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

No squirrels were harmed in the making of this episode. And we cannot explain why that is even remotely relevant. But here we are anyways.

Also in this episode:

* The new airport outside Mexico City is not ready for primetime. Possibly not* even ready for late night.* Does Seattle need a new airport?* Pilot lies about experience and gets caught* Alaska Airlines pilots picketing* Are these Delta SkyMiles enhancements - gasp - actually useful??* New Air New Zealand Business Class seat coming later this year* Delta’s first A321neo routes announced

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* A surprisingly fun conversation about which status to chase* Debate over which is the best *A hub to connect at in Europe, and why

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

At some point "Plus" has to not be the default naming of whatever new thing a company comes up with, right? Alas, this is not that week.

Also in this episode:

* China Eastern flight MU5735 crash* Air New Zealand to NYC in September* Qantas adding DFW-MEL in December* Air Canada buys the A321XLR* Alaska Airlines retiring the A320 family faster and also the Q400s* Southwest Airlines launches Wanna Get Away Plus fare* United Airlines delaying IAD-BER start + no EWR-PRG this summer

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Rossiya’s new Sochi SSJ Super hub (Note: We called it Aeroflot’s in the episode; the SSJs recently transferred to Rossiya to further reduce exposure, and Pobeda is grounding 738s, not SSJs, for parts)* MAX 10 not likely to meet EoY certification timeline

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Did aviation news related to the war in Ukraine drive this week's show? Of course it did. But that's not the only topic of conversation.

Also in this episode:

* On the Russia front.

* Aeroflot slashed international service, but private airlines are playing a little differently.

* The US government picked 100 jets to declare illegally exported to Russia

* Cargo operations are affected, too

* Finnair and Korean Air, among others, are rerouting planes to skip Russian airspace, and having a little fun with it

* The first new 737 MAX in years made its way to China, another indication that the market there might finally resume MAX flights* Delta is rumored to be ready to buy the MAX 10* Mask rules are changing, though airlines are having trouble keeping up in some cases* SkyWest wants to cut a bunch of EAS markets, blaming a lack of pilots, but will the DOT let that happen?* Norse Atlantic is taking a rolling delay, even before it begins operations* Seth rented a Tesla and mostly enjoyed the experience

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Safety in South Africa* A new ULCC in the Dominican Republic* Flying to Iceland without going to Keflavik

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

A good award search tool is something of a holy grail in the miles & points space. Point.Me is pretty darn close, if not entirely there.

We've got Point.Me co-founder Tiffany Funk on this week's show to talk about the new site and how it makes rewards better for everyone, but especially for your mother.

Also in this episode:

* Lots more about Russia* United challenges Delta for some Cape Town access

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Fresh food is returning to some US domestic flights finally, as is liquor.* WestJet wants to buy Sunwing

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

A bit of a challenge this week to get past the very real suffering of war and have a conversation about what it means in the context of aviation. But we're trying.

Also in this episode:

* Qatar Airways switching to Avios* No more E500s for American Airlines* Eastern fails its ETOPS exam

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Some airline schedule challenges, and the annoyances they bring

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

We screwed up posting this one so the audio file wasn't present originally. Should be fixed as of Sunday morning.

Should you subscribe to an airline's recurring payment offerings? Probably not. But we're going to talk about it a bit.

Also in this episode:

* Alaska Airlines subscriptions* Which is bigger long-haul route news, Delta to Cape Town or the new British Airways daytime flight from Newark to London. Or one of Delta’s new Hawaii trips?* Breeze adds a Hartford base (and Seth was on a couple Breeze inaugurals this week), while Avelo expands beyond Florida at New Haven* A380 Auction by Airbus* United now charges a premium on at least some o/w awards

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Cathay cuts continue - only 3 flights to LHR, 4 to SYD and none to NYC in March 2022, compared to 100ish pre-pandemic* American Airlines makes further long-haul cuts thanks to 787 delivery delays

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

We almost forgot to talk about the Spirit Airlines/Frontier merger on this week's show because so much other crazy stuff happened since it was announced. Fortunately we managed to not quite screw that up.

Also in this episode:

* New premium seats coming to Finnair* New certification challenges for Boeing* New US routes from Condor* New old carpet coming to Portland* New limits for flying over Ukraine

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* A bizarre back and forth over jobs for a few flight attendants at United* The potential for rocket flights rather than just regular planes.

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!