Dots, Lines & Destinations

As award charts disappear is loyalty following them out the door? United Airlines will drop its award

charts later this year for flights operated by the carrier and there's a whole

lot of discussion about what's good and bad there. Including an interesting take on the "Excursionist Perk."

Also in this episode:

* Boeing cut its

737 MAX production rate as the investigation into recent crashes continues. Work

on fixing the software mistakes is ongoing as well. * Virgin Atlantic unveiled its new A350 cabin and

Fozz thinks Delta might've

had something to say about its design.* A listener asked us about travel insurance. We had very bad answers. Don't

be like us. Also, we're going to work on getting better answers soon.* An Austrian

Airlines plane was robbed on the runway at Tirana International Airport on

Tuesday afternoon in a scene reminiscent of the Brussels Heist of 2013 and, to a lesser extent, the Lufthansa

Heist of 1978. 

Enjoy the show!

We're back in Hamburg for the 2019 edition of Aircraft Interiors Expo,

talking about the new and fun developments in the industry and what passengers

can look forward to flying with in the coming years.

Seth was joined by frequent

guest Jason to talk

through the fun stuff from the show. Among the cool bits:

* A 28" pitched seat that wasn't particularly horrid* A return of the lower berth modules* Elements: A successor to the phenomenally popular Super Diamond seat from

Collins Aerospace* RAVE Ultra, now with bluetooth for everyone* New antennae that should improve the on board wifi

experience…eventually* Lots of fun with new moving maps options* USB charging in the ceiling* Funky lighting with LEDs

A pair of airlines under massive financial pressures faced different

investment outcomes this week. Still, the long term prospects for WOW Air and

Jet Airways both remain unclear.

Also in this episode:

* Will the Amsterdam – Brussels route see flights banned? And could integrated rail service help address connecting issues?? Maybe even a hyperloop play involved.* Jet Airways finally had its founder step aside, helping pave the way for a fresh round of capital to be invested. But with so many planes grounded – including the international fleet – the outlook is bleak.* WOW Air's future is even more tenuous. Multiple investors have walked away and odds of finding the additional $41mm needed to keep flying seem low.* Kansas City is getting a much needed new airport terminal, with the groundbreaking held this week. Yes, it is expensive. Seth makes the argument that it is a smart investment. * Does the grounding of the 737 MAX spell the beginning of a decline for the commercial aviation world? A recent piece in The Air Current argues yes. We're less convinced.* Oh, and a British Airways flight went to the wrong airport.

Is it the why or the how that's more impressive here? Putting together a 53-day itinerary to cover more than 40 pro sports events across North America is not easy. But Rich O'Malley pulled it off as part of the push to make One Lucky Fan happen. And he's on our show this week talking about that travel experience and how things changed in the past 25ish years as he sought out a home game at every pro stadium in the NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB.

The book comes out on June 4, 2019 and is available now for pre-order. It is a fun read, mixing the crazy of trying to match up schedules across multiple sports with the mundane of laundry on the road. And plenty of insight into the cities and sports vibe that are engrained in the fabric of America.

New airport terminals are relatively rare. Terminals that are truly new, not just upgrades of existing facilities are even harder to find. And a new terminal that instantly bring 24 daily flights to an area that previously had zero are like unicorns. This week we found that unicorn.

https://twitter.com/WandrMe/status/1102633449741926401

Paine Field is not a new airport but the commercial passenger terminal opened this week and it is all sorts of swanky. This week's episode is focused entirely on the new terminal and service, and also features a somewhat different format than usual. We joined up with Ed from Pizza In Motion and the Miles To Go Podcast to record a joint episode because we were on the trip together and both really wanted the content.  And there really wasn't any value in doing the same thing twice.

https://twitter.com/pizzainmotion/status/1102723448630116352

Remember that Norwegian 737 that diverted to Shiraz, Iran a couple months ago

with an engine issue? She's finally back after the embargo restrictions were

relaxed enough to get a replacement installed.

Also in this episode:

* Expedia and United are fighting over fare display and fees and who really

wins other than the lawyers??* OTA Kiwi will help

passengers out when booking throw away tickets. Maybe. In some form or

another. Oh, and it might not tell them that's what they're booking. * Haneda opened up a dozen new slots for US carriers. The

airlines wanted 19. Who and where and what are going on there?* Southwest Airlines is

seeing an unusually high number of flights delayed or canceled due to

maintenance issues. Management is, unsurprisingly, not happy about the

situation. Is it a work action or a real problem??* American Airlines added some luxury options for passengers in the terminals,

upping its Five Star service to include a Flagship Dining option. Real luxury or just a way to grab better ancillary revenue than

selling checked bags??

And, as always, plenty more inside. Enjoy the show!

What's in store this week?? Perhaps it is a surprise for everyone. Owing to

some excitement in the recording and editing process we're all about to find out

together!

Among the topics we think are included:

* British Airways is celebrating a

big birthday* An Air New

Zealand plane was not allowed to land in China* SFO has a new viewing deck* Cathay

Pacific continues to face pilot union challenges* Air Canada also oversells flights and someone just discovered that this may be

a thing and is EXCITED!* The A380 is officially dead after many efforts to revive the

line

Enjoy the show!

We're big fans of all things travel so when a couple of friends launched a

new destination guide site we were interested. Welcome to the Statesider, a new take on US

travel.

Born from the goal of helping explore more within the United States and

discovering the "foreign" available so very close to home, the Statesider is an

email newsletter/website combination that highlights destinations within the

United States. This episode we chat with the founders, Pam and Andy to get a feel for

just what the new concept is all about.

That the interview happened while Seth was sitting in the lounge prior to a(nother) trip to

Europe created an interesting dynamic for the conversation. Can we find new and

different and unique and special experiences without spending 10 or 20 or 30

hours en route? Just how different are we, despite being very much from the same

country?

https://vimeo.com/254059194

And it is not just list telling you where to go and why. Indeed, the

Statesider is pretty much anything but lists. Stories like The Bikes of

Wrath – a modern take on the Steinbeck classic – or just hanging out in the

Mississippi Delta, waiting for the Blues to reassert its power, are the fabric

of the site. And it is really, really interesting stuff.

Give the episode a listen then go sign up for the newsletter and give the_statesider a

follow on Twitter. And maybe travel a little more inside the USA.

Access to Tokyo's Haneda Airport is a big deal for airlines. The US military just helped everyone out with some changes to the

way that airspace is managed (and surprised the heck out of Seth along the way). Slots for US

airlines remain a sensitive topic for further negotiation.

Also in this episode:

*

Is the Emirates A380 order dead again? Or can the carrier come up with an engine deal to save it?* Speaking of engines, ANA suffered a double

engine out, but at least the plane was on the ground.* Rolls Royce is moving some of its engine design and engineering out of the UK

to avoid Brexit issues.* Routehappy made a nice

play in the codeshare space, clearing things up a little.* Qatar Airways wants some A321LRs and we're not really sure why.* Southwest is progressing on its plans for Hawaii service, operating its first flight to the islands (for certification

purposes, not with passengers) this week. * JetBlue appears to have a better plan for getting into London than buying slots at Heathrow

or Gatwick. And it just might work.

Enjoy the show!

The US government shutdown finally took its toll on a pair of inaugurals, and

a few others are giving up, too.

Among the topics we've got this week:

* Delta Air Lines pushed its A220 inaugural back a week, hoping that the

FAA certification pulls through in that time.* Alaska Airlines also had to

delay its service inaugural out of Paine Field north of

Seattle.* British Airways is finally giving up on its hopes of buying Norwegian and selling the ~5%

stake it took.* Seth flew on WOW Air and

the carrier didn't go bankrupt during the trip, which is a win.* United Airlines had a 777

stuck in Canada while en route to Hong Kong and it was pretty frustrating for

everyone involved.* Brexit uncertainty is causing all sorts of problems, including a catering company stockpiling some sundries.