Dots, Lines & Destinations

Daytime flights from the east coast of North America to London can be a great way to help recover from jetlag. But starting on the west coast can make them a mess. Fozz and Stephan both did that last week and agree that it isn't a great idea.

Also in this episode:

* United gets some new colors

* A stolen Q400 ends in tragedy

* Terminal dumps in Germany seem to keep happening

* They found a way to get some use out of the new Berlin airport given that it doesn't work for planes

* Maybe brand equity in international markets really does matter

* And, because it is the summer and travel sometimes sucks, plenty of IROPs discussion

 

This week we welcome special guest Linnea Hartsuyker (TW, IG) to the show to talk about her upcoming novel, The Sea Queen. Set in Viking-era Norway, The Sea Queen is the second book in The Golden Wolf Saga trilogy, telling tales of Harold's rise to power as the first king of Norway as seen through some of the associated characters surrounding him. The book's release is on 14 August 2018 so grab a pre-order copy now and settle in to hear some behind-the-scenes stories about how recent travel helped shape some of the details in the book.

The conversation with Linnea is the bulk of the episode, but we did squeeze in a couple other topics at the end:

* Is the TSA really considering dropping security screening on smaller planes at smaller airports? Probably not, but the idea made it far enough in the process to be written down and discussed within the agency. And, yes, it is probably stupid. But not for the security reasons most are bringing up.

* Munich suffered a security breach recently resulting in a full terminal dump. That was not an inexpensive incident.

Also, Linnea mentioned a Siberia travelogue as one of her favorites. This is it:

Aimia runs the loyalty programs for several airlines. A couple of them no longer want to be in that relationship and the process to untangle that web is interesting, to say the least. The Air Canada/Aeroplan buyout offer is still on the table while Aeromexico's offer was rejected outright.

Also in this week's show:

* Rehashing an older tale of the guy who scammed McDonald's Monopoly game for years. And his quest for Delta Gold Medallion status.

* The TSA "Quiet Skies" program is all sorts of sketchy

* American is deferring A321neo deliveries, slowing its growth

* An Air Canada 787 made a wrong turn at Narita, causing a 5 hour delay for itself and a runway closure and scores of other delays/cancels for other airlines

* A few more details on the new Marriott program are out

* Delta is confirming new routes guaranteed to have the DeltaOne suites and Premium Select premium economy seating. Less well publicized is the associated downgrade for Comfort+ passengers that comes with the shift.

https://twitter.com/crankyflier/status/1024040455900606464

 

Is American Airlines ready to cut back further on O'Hare's global connections? Given the shifting loads and capacity for the carrier that could be possible. Fozz appears to have some strong feelings on this one.

Also in this show:

* Turkish Airlines had its own executive outrage incident. But rather than firing the guy for being a jackass the company's top brass are being rewarded with a dedicated team of flight attendants.

* Aeroplan is losing Air Canada as its key airline partner in a couple years. It might start a charter operation to make up for the loss.

* Alitalia is getting the boot from its transatlantic joint venture with SkyTeam partners Delta Air Lines, KLM and Air France. But that's okay because the government might be willing to nationalize it again to keep it running.

* Uber drivers in Miami are scamming riders with fake vomit, ringing up huge revenues as the appeal process is stupid.

* Fozz was recently in Tokyo and has some thoughts about Haneda, Tsukiji and other bits.

 

Lots of trimming happening in this week's episode, including United Airlines writing off $105mm on its Brazilian route/slot portfolio thanks to open skies coming into effect. The airline still made a tidy profit in Q2 '18, though.

Also taking cuts:

* Tehran is seeing flights trimmed by Air France (Joon), KLM and British Airways. Turns out the rooftop bar appeal isn't a thing. Or maybe the US sanctions not really being dropped is a problem.

* Dubai will see cuts in 2019 owing to runway repair work. If only the new DWC airport ever saw useful service levels.

* Southwest is trimming nuts from its inflight snack offerings, too; it is the end of an era.

* Gogo's stock price took a lot of trimming recently owing to questions about the company's long-term viability.

Not taking a trim?

* How about Delta Air Lines sticking with 9-abreast in economy on its 777s, a nice move for passengers, even if that is a small part of the carrier's long-haul fleet.

* And Norwegian announced that it finally scored a strong quarterly profit. Or maybe that was just a well written press release that obfuscates reality.

Bienvenue a Toulouse! We're in France this week to see the reveal of the brand new Airbus A220, formerly known as the CSeries. With the joint venture/purchase of the product complete Airbus is putting its stamp on the former Bombardier product and there's a lot to consider.

Seth is hosting this week and joined by Ben Bearup (TW, IG) talking all things A220. How does the new plane fit in the product line? How is management structured? How will things evolve from here? It is a quick episode (we had to hurry as we already missed one bus back to the hotel!) but jam-packed with good analysis and some fun anecdotes, too. Enjoy!

Hi there! It looks like you're trying to record a milestone podcast. Would you like some help with that? Maybe we should've answered yes on that one. We're joined by Ed Pizza from Miles To Go this week to celebrate our 200th episode with the usual fun and inanity. C'mon in!

Things started off a little rough but once we got going there were a few interesting topics this week, including:

* Potential Amtrak cuts

* The Iberia 90K Avios promo

* China fighting with airlines around the globe over the naming of Taiwan

* Can TAP build a successful layover program in Lisbon?

* Catering challenges at Incheon

* And, because it is Ed, some quality donut talk

Manmade islands are all the rage in the Gulf region, but this one is a political chasm, not a luxury residence play. Plus Norwegian shifts some service and Stroopwafels are taking a break at United.

* More discussion about the PSA issues for American Airlines because there are still issues

* Are more American Asia routes at O'Hare under pressure?

* Chelsea Kitchens wants to unionize

* No more Stroopwafels on UA but pre-mixed Old Fashioneds

* United's IAH-SYD route is suffering

* Norwegian to fly TPA-LGW/Dropping SEA

* The Iberia 90k Avios promo was either amazing or crazy. Probably both.

* DL might miss earnings

* Saudi Arabia is proposing to create a canal, cutting Qatar off from land.

 

Does it feel like this trio of topics come up too often? Maybe if they weren't always doing silly things we'd venture out more. But not this week. Because American, United and Rolls-Royce continue to dig themselves into holes. Ouch.

The Rolls-Royce 787 engine issues continue to spread, and we're not really sure that good options exist to get alternates into place.

American Airlines had a pretty crappy week thanks to an IT issue with regional carrier PSA.

* And also problems with crew hotels.

* And forgetting to return some leased aircraft on time.

* And paying off the government to avoid trial on fare collusion.

* And Fozz really doesn't believe that EXP is all that useful anymore, either.

Culture challenges at United Airlines are also significant. But on the cool side there is now a helicopter option with United to connect between Newark and New York City.

Oh, and the Instagram "influencers" blight is very real. We're talking about it again.

Getting "stuck" on a 10-abreast 777 is about the worst thing ever, right? Then again, maybe not. We're joined this week by Michael Trager of TravelZork and talking about how some travelers actually prefer the tighter space on board.

Also part of the conversation:

* Seth admonishes Michael for his pyjama habits

* Delayed flights, delayed luggage and the mysteries of reroutes

* A mild stalker-ish experience on the streets around Heathrow (in a good way!)

* Some British Airways love, especially around the new(ish) Boston lounge

* The sexiness of flying upstairs, even if it is in economy class