Layovers - Air Travel podcast

Vinod returns to share a three-week family journey through Tokyo, Sapporo, and Osaka, plus more in between — and the choices along the way: fly or ride the Shinkansen, explore the airport or head into the city, and which flight is worth taking just for the aircraft.

Paul and Vinod compare Air Canada, ANA, JAL, and Zipair, swapping stories about standout service, a 24-year-old JAL 767-300, and everything that make Japanese travel memorable.

From observation decks to QR-codes galore, embarkation cards to that boarding group process never tried anywhere else, from beef consommé to an unheard of seating experience, the little surprises are everywhere - often delightful, sometimes puzzling, but Japan always turns a trip into a transport adventure.

We mentioned:
Airline Atlas, order your personalized route map today
That ANA stub from 1964

Check our new website and happy flying!

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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you podcast.

Hakan Yilmaz is an airline management and operations consultant, and a longtime listener to the show.

He returns to the podcast to share everything relevant in aviation today, what he sees through his work and travels.

Notably, we discuss the trend of the enhancement (and increase) of the premium part of the flying experience, as opposed to an apparent worsening of flying in economy, including what is the perceived value of premium versus the actual value (including the hiccups of seat certification).
We also debate whether low cost airlines' glory years are behind them (Ryanair being the exception), whether AI is more than a buzzword for airlines (besides those pesky chat bots), how narrow bodies are creating new opportunities for medium to long haul travel (is United the de facto third Japanese carrier?! Will they ever have a Pokemon livery then??), and what is the future global outlook for air travel.

Does Finnair have the best business seat there is? Can Kirby make United an Emirates? Other good questions we touch on (plus quoting Sir Tim Clark, the Emirates Almighty, is often a good idea).

Hakan can be found on Twitter:
https://x.com/LAflyr

The Lufthansa book we mention:
https://www.amazon.com/Lufthansa-First-Years-Hartmut-Berghoff/dp/3791393898

The seat map site that is taking over the world:
https://www.aerolopa.com

Hakan appeared in episodes 124 in 2023, and 140 in 2024. 
Like Bond, he will return. 

Happy flying!
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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you podcast.

Christian Nolle is a maker, designer, photographer, whose work focuses on aviation culture, the stories behind route maps, and the historical impact of flying on what ties us all together and makes us dream. He is the editor of Direction of Travel.

We discuss everything, from his obsession with Heathrow (he was testing T5 before the opening!), his collection of route maps, his beautiful print magazine, old logos and liveries, photographing air travel (we both love it), his various exploratory projects into what flying means, and why we love this all so much — we reminisce, and also look forward (even admiring Ryanair's design!).

From old timetables, freezing a network into time, to the soft power airlines held for their respective countries (Pan Am and Aeroflot!), to the promise dreamt up by looking at a big miniature aircraft at the window of an airline travel agency, it's a episode full of wonder — you'll hear (or see) that Paul could not stop his enthusiasm, from discussing his discovery of the three abandoned Olympic Airways aircraft at Ellinikon (the old Athens airport), to making Christian reveal his latest project (one you'll all love, and why the release of this episode has been delayed by a week, he needed to finish it!).

Christian can be found here:
Direction of Travel: https://directionoftravel.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/directionoftravel/

The project we discussed in episode 150, and today:
Tickets to Everywhere: https://tickets.directionoftravel.com

The new project Christian revealed during the episode (IT IS AMAZING):
Airline Atlas: https://airlineatlas.com

Also mentioned:
Old airline time tables: https://timetableimages.com/

Happy flying!
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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you podcast.

Varig, VASP, Panair, the names are long gone, but they put Brazil on the map for us, alongside iconic cinema imagery and a legendary national football team that captured every kid's imagination.

Grab a caipirinha (and some black licorice) as we chart how the jet age shaped our vision of the country, before diving into our actual experiences flying in and out of SDU (that final!), GIG, CGH, GRU, POA, SSA, and IGU.

From Paulistano football derbies and missing luggage to drunken airport runs, domestic workhorses, rustic 737s, the Concorde, or 7AM beef, it's all in there.

Enjoy the World Cup, the heat, and Happy Flying!

(We had a recording issue, you won’t notice it on the audio, but there are a handful of video cuts made to correct the sync, barely noticeable!).
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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you podcast.

Two sagas of snow and ice: going to Dubai via Helsinki, in that unconventional (revolutionary?) cocoon seat by Finnair, and to Kelowna (YLW) with the appropriately named Air North — snowy take offs, blueberry juice and de-icing drama (no blueberry juice was used to de-ice, but an in-flight magazine was taken).

Would you fly to Dubai now? Where we stand (that jet fuel price), and where to stand in Dubai to plane spot (Paul did not say it: the metro station is called Abu Baker Al Siddique Metro Station 2).

Starlink everywhere, what it means for in-flight calls, TikTok challenges, and our general quiet in an airplane (oh boy). 

Boarding lane clogging, and the boarding zone police (main syndrome character much?).  

We both want to fly that ITA 321 business class, have you? 

More questions, and stories, on this episode which you can now watch on video on Apple Podcasts (bragging rights: we were one of the first ones to get video on Apple, all episodes from 150 are there now).

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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you podcast.

Vinod's Olympics adventure: Flagship lounge, Flagship upgrade, Flagship Wifi (err), Flagship chicken, Flagship plane (well…), all the hopes and expectations of American Airlines Flagship were placed into that trip. And that Black Card! That vintage boarding pass!

Does the British Airways return compete with that? Yes (that shortbread biscuit does a lot of heavy lifting).

Milan finally gets the airport it deserves, with a tasteful redesign.

Flighty introduces Airport Intelligence (Paul had to bight his tongue for so long on that one). Get that on the biggest TV you can buy.

Dallas DFW, where you can cosplay as crew and confuse everyone (what's a jump seat?).

And yes, we are entering the era of "Bring Your Jet Fuel".

Plus many questions, such as:
How do you expect to be recognize for your loyalty?
Do you leave your stuff unattended in the lounge?
Where do you put your trash when aboard?
Would you like to get cleaning on demand in an aircraft? (Lufthansa does, but not in the way you might expect).

Mentioned in the show -
Flighty Airport Intelligence: https://flighty.com/airports
Stardrift Starlink search: https://stardrift.ai/starlink

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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you podcast.

Ever wondered what it’s like to fly 17+ hours straight? Matt Drinkwater comes to share his experience with Qantas on the near-Kangaroo route to Perth (we talk the past and present of that route), and more, onto Brisbane.
Matt and Paul share a deep bond with Japan, and discuss the beauty, and quirkiness, of flying within Japan, from small airports, to the smell of Kansai International (yes, airports have a smell!).
Qsuite to Bali, it doesn't get much better than this (especially with that chocolate ganache).
There's a certain allure in epic journeys, a remnant of our forefathers' explorations, this also requires you to get lost, something that Japan or China still offer (don't resist, do let go).
Do you research the food you'll have on-board? Matt does (that salt and pepper squid at the Heathrow Qantas lounge!).
Can one love British Airways in 2026? Matt does, and makes a great case why it stays relevant, in spite of its IT woes (but, do you smash into people at Heathrow?!).
When technology meets emotion (Star Wars, anyone?), and when it doesn't (that gimmicky hologram… IYKYK).
The same goes with crew uniforms, and Matt works in fashion (also, American Airlines, please watch Forks, the episode of The Bear).
The global tensions, jet fuel woes, and the inflation of air travel fares in the very near future (a sensitive topic …and book that trip now!).

Follow Matt on his instagram: @matthewdrinkwater
Learn more about his work
(Matt, let go, and learn to love The Last Jedi!)

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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and anywhere you listen to your podcasts.

The road that Lufthansa took to get to their new business class seemed somewhat long and convoluted, Paul is finally able to tell you if it was worth the wait (choosing a seat on Allegris might be as long and convoluted a process though).
And hey, there are no less than 5 outside cameras on their 350!
How to strike gold after gold at JFK Terminal 1 and be faster than fast-track.
Vinod finally gets the satisfaction of flying aboard an Air Canada A330, do the nuances of in-flight service and crew dynamics hit him then?
We opine on a few anniversary liveries, there's one we love ("DEADLY"), there's one we're not sure about.
Ever wanted a flight tracker on your desk? Jetclock is a pretty cool one.
What Vinod prioritizes when he chooses a seat in business class (which he kinda goes against when he chooses a seat in premium economy!)
Tasting thousands of wine for an airline? Where do we apply?
Air Canada, please introduce those lesley stowe raincoast crisps on-board (and for the love of God. someone import them to the UK, says Paul!)

We mentioned: JetClock
(The link Paul promised is here, but the live ATC feeds sadly do not seem to work anymore: https://listentothe.cloud/ )

See you in the next one, happy flying!
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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and anywhere you listen to your podcasts.

Flighty has changed how we experience air travel.
The flight tracking app, which obsessively focuses on the user experience and data accuracy, has been mentioned in nearly all our episodes since Paul got on the beta in early 2019, and we're so pleased to welcome Ryan Jones, the Founder CEO of Flighty, for an entertaining chat on everything Flighty, and more.

Ryan shares the journey of creating this epic app, the importance of design, the challenges of data acquisition, the commitment to providing real-time information  and how the three founders prioritize new innovative features.
We learn who uses Flighty the most (can you guess?) and the role of the community in shaping the app's development and future directions for Flighty (Ryan loves feedback!).

We realize how intricate it is to track a flight, and the challenges of providing timely information and flight statuses (and what to surface when, during our flying journeys). Not everything is equal, some territories are better than others, some airports or airlines better than others (there's one that doesn't seem to care).

And yes, Paul asks Ryan about his favorite airport, and he tells us which one he hates hahaha (Paul and Ryan find a commonality in hating carpets!), and his plan to change the IATA code for Austin.

We had tremendous fun talking to Ryan, and the two hours flew by.
Thank you, Ryan, and your two co-founders, for creating such a beautifully designed experience.

You should try Flighty:
https://flighty.com

Flighty on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/flighty/
Flighty on X: https://x.com/Flighty
Flighty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flightyapp/
Flighty on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flightyapp/
Flighty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flighty/

This episode is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5DttBKTF-g
Happy flying!
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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and anywhere you listen to your podcasts.

Alex finally boards a Qatar Airways flight, and finds how to get a premium economy seat in this airline that doesn't have premium economy (not through that ethernet port though). Paul completely changes his mind about United, a true Christmas miracle (and a possible playbook for BA), what an incredible crew. Farewell to SeatGuru, nothing truly replaces you (AeroLOPA is the nearest). When your boarding pass gets denied at Hanoi airport, and you unwillingly discover the bowels of Hanoi airport (a gripping tale by Alex!). And more.

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all. See you in 2026!

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A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn

The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website

Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and anywhere you listen to your podcasts.