Top news this week is the new Qantas First Class and Business Class seats, set to fly in 2025 when Project Sunrise takes flight. And we’ve got John Walton back with us to dig deep into the details. Alas, we’re all a bit meh on this one.

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A few “whoopsies” at terminals this week left many a traveler affected.

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And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

We’re joined this week by special guest Ed Pizza of Miles to Go and Pizza In Motion to talk about changing allegiances and the rest of the latest news.

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Competing university mascots at an inaugural flight? Sure, why not. It is Delaware, after all.

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New wing designs, and new engines hanging from them, could change the way we fly. Or at least make it more efficient.

Also in this episode:

• CommuteAir pwned
• DCA is a connecting airport now
• Croatia Airlines takes the A220
• Lufthansa Group formally asks to be allowed to negotiate for ITA (and is the only bidder)
• New Boeing/NASA demonstrator of single-aisle design with a funky wing
• A4A wants waiver extended on slots at HND and China
• Southwest strike authorization vote & “gratitude pay” for pilots
• Delta AIP becomes a TA
• Ethiopian to add Atlanta service via Dublin
• Delta LAX-AKL, ATL-NCE, JFK-CDG 3x
• Envoy exiting E45 ops for American Eagle.

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• ZeroAvia flew a hydrogen plane for 10 minutes
• AA106 pilots say they didn’t know how seriously they screwed up until landing in London.
• Avelo v Breeze revisited

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

A rough week in aviation for safety incidents. But we’re also trying to find some positive news…

Also in this episode:

• Yeti Airlines crash in Nepal
• FAA Outage
• Airbus bows out of Boeing safety panel
• US State Department has done a terrible job issuing passports with the X gender marker
• A bunch of Delta Air Lines-related stuff:
  • A330 lands short at AMS
  • CDG-SLC diverts to MAD
  • Loss of engine at SNA
  • Loss of auto pilot and flight controls (back in July 2022)
  • More lounge access cuts
• Near Miss at JFK with American 106 (777) and a Delta 737
• MAX is back in China. For real this time.
• New EWR Terminal A open, and it is already a mess

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Northern Pacific wants to fly to Kansas
• FedEx retired its last DC-10s

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Refreshing cabins is a nice touch, but why does it take so long?? Also, how long will it take Southwest to pay out all the comp it owes.

Also in this episode:

• Southwest’s mess will cost $725-825 million, so far
• Delta announces free wifi
• Emirates A380 retrofit returns to service
• EK/UA codeshare
• Emotional Support Boa
• United growth in Houston / New Routes
• An Etihad Travel Bank credit query
• Hawaiian adds two 787s
• Mexican Government Buying Mexicana

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• A340-600s coming back for Lufthansa
• Air Canada dropping Doha.
• China reopening, and with it some chaos of testing rules
• Kids in First Class
• Pilot training challenges

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Diversions galore, and a meltdown, too. It was a rough end for many in 2022, but 2023 is starting strong.

Also in this episode:

• Boeing gets its MAX exemption
• Russia buying 10 77Ws
• More on United and Mesa
• US travel meltdown over Christmas, and Southwest’s extended version
• Amazon freighter capacity overload
• ITA now probably headed to Lufty

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• All the diversions
• Chasing status in the new year

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Nothing but the best for our listeners as we wrap up the 2022 season.

Also in this episode:

• Delta dumping all 50-seaters by Summer 2023
• AA dumps Mesa as a regional operator
• Boom finally has an engine partner–ish.
• AAdvantage program changes
• Listener Question
• Air India might grow its fleet
• First C919 delivery happened
• Stephan’s trip home from India

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• A321XLR flight
• Virgin Australia to Japan on a 737 MAX
• Qatar bribery scandal threatens EU Open Skies

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Just a couple hundred (more) new planes coming to United through the end of the decade. Nothing to get excited about here.

Also in this episode:

• Swiss A350s in 2025
• Etihad A380s coming back
• Air Canada and Emirates frequent flyer redemption reciprocity is now live
• JetBlue has a new Mosaic program
• Air India is getting new interiors
• Porter announces some E195-E2 interior details and initial routes
• JSX finally online, with the first SpaceX-equipped plane in service

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Emirates is bringing back CTOs
• AirAsia adds Cambodia
• Pan Am 103 arrest
• Air Greenland now an A330-800 operator
• REAL ID delayed another two years
• Air Canada to JFK

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!