Dots, Lines & Destinations

We're deep in the throes of learning what requirements will exist for passengers to prove they're healthy and resume travel. This week's episode has a very unlikely candidate for one such test.

On a more serious note, some of this week's topics include:

* Should United (or other airlines) grant lifetime status credit for award trips* Did Mahan Air break a bunch of rules and cause increased COVID spread in Iran* Avianca filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection because somehow it is a US company running a Colombian airline* Will the new normal for travel require getting to the airport 4 hours early?* Emirates is delaying the rollout of its Premium Economy product* United (and other US carriers) got smacked by the DOT on changing its refund policy

And, as always, plenty more. Enjoy!

Before you listen to this episode go check out the photos here. It is a stellar collection of images from around the USA of planes parked. Truly stunning, in every sense of the word.

Now that we've got that out of the way, a few topics consider for this week's show:

* Airport as a drive-in movie theatre* WizzAir still planning AUH operation/expansion - Budapest and Bucharest from June 2020 and with Cluj-Napoca, Katowice and Sofia from September 2020* Air France will be limited on selling some short-haul flights as the French government puts conditions on its bailout funding* Air Canada will retire 79 older planes; United is less committed to its fleet retirement plans, but it is talking a little about moving things around, including a return to the SIN-HKG route in the near-term* The Qantas ultra-ultra-long-haul plans are on hold as Project Sunrise is suspended. We talk about that and other very long flights and the economics of such* Virgin Atlantic is bailing on Gatwick and shedding 3,000 jobs, as well as grounding its 747 fleet immediately* IATA says there's no need for the seat blocking if passengers wear masks. But airlines are still marketing that idea anyways, including Frontier charging $39 for the block* United Airlines is selling pins and shirts from the "United Together" campaign, with proceeds supporting the company's We Care Employee Relief Fund.* A listener question about flying old planes in Iran* New Zealand and Australia defining a "travel bubble" safe zone

Also, big thanks to the Producer for rejoining us this week. We'll try to include Rolo more often assuming schedules permit.

Is it time for airports to join the consolidation game? We talk a lot about airlines and mergers (and bankruptcies these days) but airports might also benefit from joining forces. As airlines fight today to quickly shed less profitable markets the discussion is perhaps more poignant than ever.

Also in this episode:

* Masks are coming and on some airlines you might not be able to avoid it* Delta Air Lines is manufacturing COVID transport pods for the US military* The Embraer/Boeing deal is dead* None of the Virgin brand airlines are doing particularly well* So many fun new routes from Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and JetBlue to try to address the CARES Act requirements, but we won't be flying any of them* Are the airlines really blocking seats on board? Or is that just marketing hype? For American Airlines it seems to be more the latter.* Air Sinai is one of the coolest airlines you've probably never heard of* United Airlines is changing some of the rules for the MileagePlus program, including removing more award charts. That's probably bad news, but also an opportunity, perhaps, for some travelers to reconsider their loyalties* The new Berlin airport might finally really open this year

And, as always, lots more. Enjoy the show!

Maybe we should've used this title and topic last week around Easter, but hopping islands is fun and we didn't want to not share a new island hopper opportunity potentially launching later this year. Fortunately for Stephan, no isolated military base islands are involved in this one.

Also in this episode:

* American Airlines raised bag fees this week for one segment of its market, which is stupid in many ways* Air Canada suspends transborder flights for a month* Hello Kitty flights from EVA are suspended (but expected to return eventually)* Will we see yin/yang seating on board in economy class? One seat manufacturer is proposing it as an option for airlines to consider.* Delta Air Lines is rumored to be considering a deal that would see it return leased 717s to Boeing in exchange for buying new 737 MAX frames

We also take a reader question in this episode. Eoin will (theoretically) be visiting New York City later this year from Ireland and wants to make a domestic trip as part of the adventure. He's looking for quality transcon premium products and some AvGeek fun. We've got a few idea about how he can head to Seattle for planes and more, including a couple extra segments to increase the coolness factor.

Finally, Seth is going to be in a couple online things over the coming week, including this week's AvTalk podcast from FlightRadar24 and the FlightPlan webinar series from Inmarsat and APEX. Should be some good stuff in there.

Enjoy the show!

When will it be safe to commit to big travel expenses? When will it be safe to travel? And do we really know the answer to those questions??

Lots to ponder on that topic as major Summer trips are approaching and people are asking us these very things. The answers are not great, but we have a few ideas.

Also in this week's show:

* Planes are flying higher and climbing faster because they’re so much lighter without the pax on board* New Autopilot rules for 737 MAX* Doubletree Cookie Recipe released to the public* AA status extended w/ MMer twist* Route exceptions and which shouldn’t come back* Should some airlines not be bailed out??* Back-to-front boarding on Delta* LOT pulls out of a deal to buy Condor

And, as always, plenty more. Enjoy!

What will the future of airline route networks look like? We dig deep into the past with special guest Ned Russell as we look to the future.

This week's conversation is focused on the future of route networks, based on Ned's recent TPG article. There's some lively discussion among us and debate about whether coastal or central hubs are likely to recover first.

Plus:

* easyJet’s founder and main shareholder is PISSED. His letters to the board are super fun to read, though.* Marriott is facing another data breach and there are no real penalties so why really worry about such things?* Alaska Airlines goes for limited milk run play, launching some routes that have all of us giddy, even knowing we won't fly any of them.* Many airlines extended status for a year, including United, Delta, Air Canada and Alaska Airlines. They all are doing it slightly different from each other, with some bringing more compelling plays to the table.

Plus, it wouldn't be a proper work from home episode if we didn't get an update on a toddler's progress in learning to walk.

And, as always, lots more. Enjoy the show!

We don't want to talk only about the industry collapsing under the weight of COVID19-related cuts, but we're also faced with the fact that dominates the news these days.

Fortunately, we received some input from listeners about other things to include, like mass transit systems around the world.

And, if you've ever listened to us before, you know that mention of limiting operations or even closing LaGuardia is 100% certain to get Fozz riled up.

We do typically try for more coherent show notes, but this is all we're gonna get to this week. Hopefully the audio makes up for it. And I'm not really sure anyone ever reads this anyways.

For a (generally) up-to-date listing of airlines and their operational levels check out this spreadsheet maintained by PaxEx.Aero and other industry experts.

We talk a lot about planes and travel on the show and perhaps a little less about the people we meet along the way than we should. Today's episode is different.

Yes, we're still talking about planes and airlines and the collapsing global economy. But we also have a far more important topic: Mental health. Indeed, with so much seemingly awful happening around us perhaps this is the best time to talk about such things and remember that there is much more going on than just our travels or our jobs.

Will always helped his friends in need which is why we chose NAMI.  For the 1 in 5 or nearly 60 million people living with mental illness, NAMI means more than hope. They provide real-time education and support, advocate at the national level, and raise awareness to ensure better lives for all of us.

We have each other to look out for and celebrate. And we're trying to do a little more of that on this week's show. So enjoy the stories we have about a recently lost friend and please consider making a donation today to help support this organization. The DLD team is making one and others are matching funds raised so your help goes further than you might imagine.

Thanks to Ed for joining us and for spearheading this conversation.

Also, while there aren't a ton of links for the show, we did mention an airline cancellation tracking spreadsheet. It is here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1cRgtHZ4sRPj4BdcJa2y09SKaG8SRrLLtntHSegfmmoU/edit#gid=1072793355.

And Seth probably got the description of an "ATC-Zero" event wrong, but the overall points made in the conversation are relatively accurate. 

We're trying to not just talk about the novel coronavirus all day, every day. But lately the challenges it creates have dominated the aviation industry. So we're talking about it again. But some other stuff, too.

Among the topics discussed:

* Massive cuts in the industry around the globe* A380s grounded by Lufthansa, Qantas and Korean Air (lots of Qantas cuts, TBH)* Changes to the flight volumes in China: https://discover.cirium.com/discover/ideas/covid19/project* Will business travel come back and what will it look like when it does?* Flybe is gone, though probably not entirely related to COVID-19* Which other carriers are likely at risk of failure?

We did manage to get away from the cuts to talk about London, trains, the UK Brexiting EASA and a few other things, too.

Enjoy the show!

What does it mean when airlines behave unfairly towards customers? And why should we all be worried that they're about to be a lot more deceptive? Listen in to find out.

Also in this week's show:

* Plenty more discussion about the COVID19 outbreak route cuts, and concerns about slot allocations as a result* The Heathrow 3rd runway is off again as lawsuits scuttled the plans. But maybe Boris will get his airport out in the Thames Estuary?* Delta Air Lines is the new corporate sponsor for the US Olympic Team, taking that role from United after a few decades* Vietnam's Bamboo Airways wants to fly to Munich as it expands a footprint into Europe

Plenty of other rambles as well, though we mostly stayed focused this week. Enjoy the show!