We screwed up posting this one so the audio file wasn’t present originally. Should be fixed as of Sunday morning.

Should you subscribe to an airline’s recurring payment offerings? Probably not. But we’re going to talk about it a bit.

Also in this episode:

• Alaska Airlines subscriptions
• Which is bigger long-haul route news, Delta to Cape Town or the new British Airways daytime flight from Newark to London. Or one of Delta’s new Hawaii trips?
• Breeze adds a Hartford base (and Seth was on a couple Breeze inaugurals this week), while Avelo expands beyond Florida at New Haven
• A380 Auction by Airbus
• United now charges a premium on at least some o/w awards

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Cathay cuts continue – only 3 flights to LHR, 4 to SYD and none to NYC in March 2022, compared to 100ish pre-pandemic
• American Airlines makes further long-haul cuts thanks to 787 delivery delays

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

We almost forgot to talk about the Spirit Airlines/Frontier merger on this week’s show because so much other crazy stuff happened since it was announced. Fortunately we managed to not quite screw that up.

Also in this episode:

• New premium seats coming to Finnair
• New certification challenges for Boeing
• New US routes from Condor
• New old carpet coming to Portland
• New limits for flying over Ukraine

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• A bizarre back and forth over jobs for a few flight attendants at United
• The potential for rocket flights rather than just regular planes.

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Sure, we’re not really traveling long-haul for leisure right now. But some people are. We had long time friend of the show Han on to talk about a couple recent trips.

Long-haul, premium cabin travel is often about the experience on board and in the lounges as much as (or more than) it is about just getting to the destination. How did Air France La Premiere and British Airways Club World stack up? Plus, another trip with ANA in first class to round out the globe trotting.

In more newsy topics:

• Qatar Airways confirmed the 777XF order, as well as a bundle of 737 MAXen, helping to make up for the canceled Airbus single-aisle order we talked about in last week’s show.
• UA might sell off a small stake in MileagePlus
• Mesa’s latest investment in a new aircraft type, but it isn’t really a plane.
• Delta lobbying for a national no-fly list
• Play adds SWF as its 3rd US market

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• TATL Flight Tracks below FL330 are gone as of 1 March

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

With a blizzard bearing down we’re reliving prior diversions and other cold weather travel tales, all the way to Antarctica.

Also in this episode:

• Fozz travel travails
• SkyBot Cam
• Greece/Cyprus/Turkey airport drama
• BA leaving T7 at JFK in December
• Boom Factory in GSO
• Qatar Airways still in the news, with a major pilot fatigue story, and the assumed 777X freighter order (which should be official by the time the episode is live)–
• Boeing writing off more existing product lines while investing in a completely new segment
• Kalitta’a 767s gone

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• 737 MAX in Antarctica
• Stolen FMS computer in Lagos
• British Airways loses a door in CPT

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

We’re talking more about Northern Pacific, with a shout out to Ep 369 where we did first impressions. But that’s not the main insanity referenced in this weeks show.

Also in this episode:

• 5G continues to be a mess (int’l cxls, regional aircraft still maybe not approved)
• Airbus tells Akbar to piss off
• EASA and Boeing battling over controls
• Seth got lased landing at ONT
• FedEx & lasers
• Alaska adding 737s to Everett
• UAE grounds all drones and light aircraft
• Ethiopian returns the MAX to service.

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• AA turned a 777 around over the Atlantic because a woman wouldn’t wear a mask, UA to TLV, too
• Alitalia is coming back

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Northern Pacific threw one hell of a party for the unveiling of its new livery. Seth was there and met up with Brett Snyder from Cranky Flier for a quick chat about the plane, the plan, and what might come next.

Enjoy the show!

We shouldn’t be here right now. We should all be there. But we aren’t. And we don’t even really know where “there” is. A most interesting predicament.

Also in this episode:

• Revisiting the TWA hotel
• Hong Kong Bans Transit Passengers
• Finnair cuts ops 20%, Virgin Australia 25%, DL regionals 25%
• United delays Bangalore again, now to October
• Delta makes some routes less-than-daily at Seattle
• Boom’s XB-1 has engines running now
• Boeing 777X program head retiring

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• West Coast ground stop after North Korean missile launch
• Emirates Incidents

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Slightly bizarre to have the lead topic for an aviation podcast to be a subway story, but we’ve never really been a normal group. Plus, we’ve got Jason on to talk about that and many other airplane-related bits.

Also in this episode:

• Allegiant picks the 737 MAX in a big way
• Canadian influencers maybe stuck in Cancun
• 5G & altimeter update
• FR (Ryanair) leaving FRA(nkfurt)
• ITA (Alitalia successor) investment suitors (LH Group v DL/AF/KL)
• Betty White, Sidney Poitier, Bob Saget, and an aviation angle

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• Air India/GDS funds seizure
• Former PeopleExpress President going to jail for wire/tax fraud

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

A new year, and we’re ready to go with fresh hot takes on all the latest aviation news.

Also in this episode:

• Christmas/New Years schedule troubles
• Etihad fleet update: sold 4 A380s, keeping 6 for now. All A320s to go to Air Arabia Abu Dhabi
• Irkut MC-21-300 now certified by Russia
• 737 MAX is back in Indonesia
• P&W 777s Airworthiness Directive is out

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, with more schedule issues and a rant or two.

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Lots of news in the Transatlantic market this week, with high hopes for Summer 2022.

Also in this episode:

• C-Band 5G in Japan doesn’t seem to be a problem for Radio Altimeters
• A350 paint issues still an issue, and now lawsuits are in play
• Lufthansa adding St. Louis, among other new routes and will be well paid to do so
• British Airways and Finnair adding US markets
• PLAY (BWI/BOS)
• Icelandair (RDU) and a new livery
• Qantas picks Airbus (and the strange XLR reference); adding Rome this summer via Perth
• KLM/Transavia also pick Airbus
• IAG/Air Europa fell apart
• AZ Cardinals bought a former DL 777
• United adds free messaging on WiFi
• Air Baltic adds a Finland base
• Underwear as a mask guy
• Fauci says masks on planes may be here to stay

For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including:

• JetBlue Mosaic+
• Final A380 and final A320ceo both delivered in the same week

And plenty more. Enjoy the show!