Dots, Lines & Destinations

Where have all the cool planes gone? If you frequently find yourself wondering about that JetTip.net might help with some answers, at least in the US and Canada. And we've got founder Nick Benson on this week's show to talk about that and lots of other fun stuff.

Also in this episode:

* COVID vaccines are flying (and driving) across the USA

* Aeromexico is ready to bring the MAX back into service next week

* There's a couple A340-200s available at auction starting for just 80,000 euro each

* Millions of frequent flyer miles stolen

* Aeroplan is launching a US credit card with Chase

* A contest to win a free JetTip.net subscription

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Tracking the presidential campaign fleets

* A ridiculous cargo payload

* More change fees disappearing on Delta and United

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Is it a race to be first, or just normal business to get the planes back into the sky? Just one of many questions surrounding the 737 MAX return to service now that the grounding has been lifted in the USA.

And to help dig deeper into the issue we've brought in Chris Sloan of Airchive to talk about the MAX. He was on the American Airlines media tour last week to see the aircraft in action and talk to the maintenance crews in Tulsa helping to bring it back to service levels.

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Drone photography: awesome or awful?* Sim time

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Header image: An American Airlines 737MAX at the Tulsa maintenance center (via Chris Sloan/TheAirchive.net)

It was a travel bubble that burst before the first flight ever departed. After much buildup the Hong Hong-Singapore bubble never took off, though it still could eventually.

Also in this episode:

* AA drops more change fees (and United seems inclined to follow)* JetBlue plans to split is London operations to start* Aer Lingus picks up antitrust immunity for transatlantic flights and adds a hub in Manchester for the 2021 summer season* Delta and WestJet are walking away from their planned trans-border JV because the DOT was going to require divestiture of 8 LaGuardia slot pairs* Reciprocal upgrades coming between American Airlines and Alaska Airlines for the west coast alliance* An Emirates flight to Auckland in September likely resulted in a handful of in-flight COVID transmissions

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Which bubbles might work with testing, and how involved must that testing be??

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

How do you build a new airline loyalty program? We've got a couple guests this week from Aeroplan to talk about how their team pulled it all together.

Mark Nasr and Scott O'Leary are travel junkies, too. So letting them design the new Aeroplan loyalty program for Air Canada was bound to yield slightly different results than anything else on the market. But that's probably a good thing in the end.

Not a lot in the way of show notes, other than Scott's incredible FlightMemory page.

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Some extra inside information, like their favorite sweet spots on the new award charts

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

How do you host a massive casino opening party in Las Vegas in the midst of a pandemic? It definitely isn't easy, but it can be done.

The timing is certainly challenging for Circa, opening as the first new build casino/hotel in Las Vegas in years. But the company is pushing forward with the plans and the festivities were pretty incredible. We've got Michael Traeger back on the show to talk about his experiences there as well as some other Vegas news like:

* How people are skipping the mask rules* Slowing down the bourbon pace* Flying in British Airways First Class these days

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Heading out to the Grand Canyon for a very pandemic-appropriate experience.

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

The whale tail statue that caught a runaway train in Rotterdam is ridiculous and incredible, almost to the point of disbelief.

Also in this episode:

* United Airlines updated its mobile app for good reasons, but also with some side effects* Southwest Airlines announced routes for O'Hare and Colorado Springs, mostly to its hubs* SAA won't die, with another round of government funding on the horizon* The JAL 777s are on the way out, as are ANA's. And Delta's are gone, too. Is there a future for these planes as cargo haulers or with another airline?* BER finally opened. For real. With planes and passengers and everything.* The Airbus factory in Mobile has tours on November 14th * A slimmed down Rouge returns to service, but everything didn't go perfectly* KLM's government funded rescue package is at risk

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* A UK airline scored financial support from the government, a virtually unheard of accomplishment

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Yes, you should subscribe to this show in your favorite podcast app. But probably not to the "deal" the Miles and More program just launched for bonus points earning while flying. Like most such schemes, it rarely will prove valuable to consumers.

Also in this episode:

* Singapore Airlines is coming back to NYC nonstop. And this time really to New York City.* Cathay Dragon is dead, long live Cathay Pacific* Spirit Airlines is relaunching its FreeSpirit frequent flyer program* Delta Air Lines and WestJet received tentative approval from the US DOT for their proposed JV/ATI, with a few strings attached* American Airlines doesn't want to carry certain motorized wheelchairs any more, which sucks for the passengers and might not be legal* An awesome Delta A220-300 photo

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* What are United's planes really worth, and why is it okay that some are scrap-worthy?

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

It is earnings season again, and this time around we're talking through the billions and billions of dollars burned by Delta and United to start.

Also in this episode:

* Fleet changes cost money, but are the values being allocated fair?* New routes from United into the Caribbean and Central America* American Airlines is giving up on 2021 already, at least with respect to elite status in the loyalty program* Is the 737 MAX really ready to fly again?* Eastern Airlines has its eye on Bolivia and Argentina* Some fun with Euro notes

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Drama in the South China Sea, as the disputed Pratas Islands take center stage

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

We're about more than just airplanes, especially these days. But don't worry too much; air travel still dominates the conversation this week.

Among the topics in this episode:

* Southwest Airlines adds new service across town from its Midway and Hobby hubs, joining MIA as it further pushes into legacy hub operations* Alitalia might have finally died(ish), but not really* The Vatican invested in Hertz and barely escaped without losses* Alaska Airlines firms its plans to join Oneworld on 31 March 2021* IATA says you're more likely to be struck by lightning than to catch COVID on a plane

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* Alaska Airlines' conversion from stored credit to points: Was it worth it?

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Inaugurals are always fun, right? So why not go book a few, just in case they actually operate!

Also in this episode:

* Did Thai Airways really make more money selling food than flying? Like a lot more??* United Airlines trying to expand service into LatAm again in November, plus nonstop SFO-PVG* American Airlines parking many A321T frames* AirAsia Japan is dead…again* Seth is on the road this week and has some thoughts

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

* More details on a few inaugural routes that are pricing nicely for both award and revenue bookings

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!