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!

Singapore Airlines is out spending cash like it is 2019 again, so that seems to be good news for other airlines.

Also in this episode:

• Air India/Vistara merger
• SQ/TG expanded partnership
• SkyClub Lounge Access changes
• Delta has new Pilot contract to ratify
• United is opening new pilot bases
• United might order more 787s
• Air France F awards becoming even less likely
• More new routes from Norse
• MAX certification extension compromise proposed

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Airbus Innovation Summit
• JetBlue’s Cyber Monday sale fail
• Avelo’s interesting new CC offer
• British Airways finally at T8, bye bye T7

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Long flights, jet lag, and do pilots need to sleep on a trip, too?

Also in this episode:

• World Cup shuttles DOH-DWC
• FlyAtlantic launching in 2024
• LATAM adds Sao Paulo – Los Angeles
• AA pilots handing out cards for disrupted flights (but are there really any??)
• New round of single-pilot ops talk (and an interesting Twitter thread on the topic)
• China Southern headed to OW?

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Frontier no longer offers customer service via phones
• easyJet pitching empty nesters for FA roles
• Boeing freighter cert issues in Canada
• Alaska Airlines Q400 impending retirement

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

How many million milers is too many? Plus a crazy crash and new transatlantic routes on the horizon.

Also in this episode:

• Crash in Lima
• 70 new MMers/day at Delta
• Alaska Airlines new lounge access rules
• British Airways to CVG
• JetBlue to Paris
• Frontier AYCF pass
• Qantas still has over a billion in flight credits outstanding
• Flair has to cancel Lethbridge-Tuscon route for an incredible supply chain issue

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Checking in on Avelo v Breeze

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Maybe we’re supposed to say something in advance when the publishing schedule changes. Oopsie.

Also in this episode:

• A boxcutter incident
• LHR security shitshow
• United now gives status credit for reward flights
• Star Alliance/HSBC Credit Card is now live
• Basketball uniforms can have an aviation angle, too
• A380s coming and going
• Air Show China
• Initial slot allocations for Summer 2023 – JetBlue at Heathrow and lots more
• Man in limbo for years in Paris airport has died — in his airport
• The value of J class and airlines generally sucking
• Flyr’s funding flop
• Canada-India expanded bilateral

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Korean putting beds up front on the A321neo fleet
• Canada Jetlines continues its strange expansion plans
• British Airways and Uber partnership
• Dulles finally gets its train, while Fort Lauderdale loses out

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

The semi-annual IATA seasonal schedule change happened last weekend, and it brings some fun and interesting new routes and slot opportunities to the industry.

Also in this episode:

• Is the market primed for an all-biz comeback
• Iberia ran out of business class seats
• Starlux gets its first A350, including dimmable windows for the first time on an Airbus
• Spirit’s getting new seats. Again.
• CommuteAir going to 175s
• Cap One lounges
• More planes for Alaska Airlines, Air Canada, IAG, and others
• Norwegian establishing a base in Riga

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Cabotage in Mexico
• Canada’s Beaver heritage problem
• Eastern Airlines looks to China. Again.
• VS/LATAM codeshare via the USA to Colombia/Peru

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

What happens when you dupe consumers for decades with the confusing names between classes of service then make a change to a tiny part of the fleet? Fun times, indeed.

Also in this episode:

• KE631 crash in Cebu
• Hawaiian Airlines will fly cargo for Amazon
• United Airlines finished Polaris rollout on 787s
• We knew American Airlines plans to kill off long-haul first class as of a few weeks ago, but somehow it became an issue again this week.
• Delta Air Lines, British Airways, and Southwest Airlines are all changing elite qualifying rules for next year.
• Maybe MAXen flying in China soon? China Southern is getting some into service condition while others might be getting sold elsewhere
• EU-ASEAN open skies

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Northern Pacific Pivots (again)
• A not so seamless partnership
• Bluetooth Audio on Airplanes

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

New cabins, new partners, and new fuels are just a few of the major investments airlines announced that we’re talking about in this week’s episode.

Also in this episode:

• Lufthansa’s Allegris cabin concept, including a swanky F suite
• Delta/Joby exclusive partnership
• Singapore Airlines maybe investing in Air India
• IndiGo wet-lease of Turkish 77Ws
• Heathrow landing fees encourage new planes, like Aer Lingus saving ~GBP1300/trip with the NEO
• JetBlue TrueBlue deval coming

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• American Airlines investing in Universal Hydrogen
• United’s new summer 2023 routes
• MAX extension didn’t make it into the NDAA
• British Airways move to T8 at JFK is coming soon

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Halfway through a long trip and still suffering from jetlag, but there’s news to consider and punditry to ponder, so here we go…

Also in this episode:

• WestJet consolidates 787s to Calgary
• Pilots speaking up about the MAX cert issues, both for and against an extension for Boeing
• FAA finally moves on flight attendant rest rules, and it might not matter much?
• Lufthansa gets silly about AirTags, or maybe not
• Flyr also struggling with winter demand

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• A meh Eurostar experience
• Virgin Atlantic‘s A330neo is delayed, as is the inaugural
• airBaltic NFT loyalty finally launches

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!