Sky Lounge Podcast

Change seems to be the mantra for aviation over the last few months! From low cost airlines adding business class & wide-body aircraft, to legacy carriers looking at ways to make more money, there is a lot happening in the industry.

What's in an airline business model anyway - the new model is "The What Works Model". And to add a little drama to all these changes, add in technology meltdowns!

But one thing remains constant - Aviation Geeks! No guest on this episode! Just Alex & David have a chat about all things aviation! Enjoy!

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Don’t you feel like royalty with that airline loyalty card! Lounge access, priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, free seat assignments, and a whole bunch of other nice to have “status” benefits!

This episode of Sky Lounge features Mark Ross-Smith, Loyalty guru  & CEO of Loyalty Status Co., the creator of StatusMatch! Like Mark said in a post “We all intuitively know that loyalty status is the most sought-after, most highly prized thing any aspiring traveller can earn.” – we covered a lot of ground talking about the psychology of loyalty, status, status matches & how airlines are adapting to a changed world!

You could be a free agent like Alex, who prefers trying out different airline products or you could be like David stuck to one airline but worried about a status downgrade – but no matter what sort of traveller you are, this is a must listen-to episode! Hope you enjoy it! 

And don’t forget to have a look at Mark’s LinkedIn profile & Loyalty Status Co

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrosssmith/

https://www.loyaltystatus.com/

https://statusmatch.com/

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Travel and fitness might seem like an unlikely pair. Think about all the trips filled with flights, time zones, different hotels, and busy days where fitness was the last thing on your mind.

And consider the hard-working aviation professionals, both on the ground and in the air, working long and odd hours—fitness often takes a back seat after such hectic schedules.

Today, it's just me, David, here without Alex. I'm joined by a very special guest, my son, Dr. Nihal Studden, a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Nihal will share some simple, easy-to-implement fitness tips for travelers, aviation professionals, and everyone in between! We hope you enjoy and benefit from the discussion!

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Rafat Ali, the CEO & Founder of SKIFT, the leading news source for travel executives, had a wide-ranging discussion with Alexandra & self on India! 

Skift (verb) - origin: Nordic languages - meaning: Shift; transformation.

We could definitely say that India is Skifting, transforming in so many ways, specially when it come to travel.

We touched on the "small" Indian weddings, love for mangoes, "juggad" when it comes to sustainability! Home to perhaps the world's largest airline in the not too distant future. And what happens when Mum comes to your conference for the very first time!

Hope you enjoy the discussion as much as we did!

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Alexandra & self, discuss aviation news “worthy” events in February. The shortest month of the year but a very hectic month!  Love was in the air with Valentine’s Day & what better than travel to keep romance alive. And then you had silent airport discos! Airports can be such fun places.

Bots have a mind of their own, as Air Canada discovered. People continue to travel, as the passenger numbers from Dubai Airports highlighted – and when people travel, their bags do too! Airlines have realized that bags are worth billions in extra fees - $33.3 billion to be exact!

We end with a recap of Air India’s safety video – but the fire alarm blaring on David’s side of the podcast was not as musical as Air India’s video 😊

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Gosh, how times flies! It’s the end of January already & here we are with the very first episode of Season 2 of the Sky Lounge podcast!

Alexandra & David catch up on trending aviation news ranging from the recent aircraft scares to Alexandra’s trip on BeOnd; David talks about his experience in the sparkling new Etihad lounge, Abu Dhabi’s Terminal A;

Then you have Air India’s very first A350 - very posh! Finally, it’s time to look forward to the rest of 2024 & maybe a glimpse of David’s attempt at writing his book - “The Things We Leave Behind.”

And before we forget “Happy New Year”

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Alexandra & David close the final episode of Season 1 of the Sky Lounge podcast with a look back at the year in aviation. They discuss & rank a number of key airline metrics based on their experiences in 2023. There are plenty of fun ones too - Bananas & Snickers!

As they wrap up this year and reflect on the amazing journey they have had, they take this opportunity to thank all the listeners of Sky Lounge and look forward to Season 2 in 2024!

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Alexandra reverses roles & becomes the interviewee in this episode as she talks about her recent experiences on JetBlue. She had a "mint"ful journey, in particular on their inaugural flight from Amsterdam!

JetBlue is an interesting airline - it's onboard product is more akin to a full service one; and then you have them pioneering the use of narrow body aircraft for trans-Atlantic routes!

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In this episode, we'll dive into the world of customer experience, with Vimal Kumar Rai. Whether you're a frequent flyer or an occasional traveler, what are some of the things that make your journey truly an experience to remember? Or is one of those trips that you sooner forget!

"Airlines have the opportunity to create lasting impressions and build brand loyalty through exceptional customer experiences."

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