This episode had more that it's fair share of focus on low cost airlines. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has packed up and left, Spirit has filed for bankruptcy… again, and we share a few stories from our own recent trips on budget carriers. Of course, you can’t talk low-cost without mentioning their favorite workhorses—the Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s and woo hoo, we may have a new market #1 soon!

Alex also tells us about her not-so-smooth experience trying to use the United Airlines app from outside the U.S., and David comes back buzzing with passion and connections from the ICAO NGAP conference in Durban.

To round it all off, we chat about airlines, brand value, and why airlines rank so low in global brand rankings!

Here's a quick quizzer for you - I made a factual mistake in the PODCAST. Can you point out what it is?

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Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost family and friends in the recent Air India AI171 accident in India.

In this episode, Alex and David had plenty to catch up on—especially with David just back from his U.S. travels. He was absolutely raving about the United Airlines app, calling it “H-appy” with good reason! Meanwhile, Alex couldn’t get over Air France and their delicious ground-based food experiment.

They also dove into the latest Boeing and Airbus forecasts—yes, there are lots of planes on the horizon. Plus, the recent IATA conference delivered some fascinating insights and statistics.

https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-speeches/2025-06-02-01/

Enjoy the episode!

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In this episode, Alexandra shares her recent trip to the U.S. aboard Air France—complete with a whole row to herself and a glass of champagne! Meanwhile, David is gearing up for his own long journey—fingers crossed for some empty rows on his flight too.

We also dive into the retro charm of the TWA Hotel, the complexities of airport security, and more. Tune in and enjoy the journey!

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We talk about Alex’s “almost” India experience and why she had to go to Indigo’s Plan B! David’s trip to Kazakhstan just seemed to “Wizz” by ! Oh, and we touched on Alex’s current airline crush!

This airline for this episode was “F” – one of the world’s oldest airlines – and they do have a unique seat (hint). We also had a quick shout out to the world’s most profitable airline – you guessed it right.

David was excited about Disney coming to Abu Dhabi – and planes in Disney livery! But he will need to wait! We ended with Lounges – that’s what the Sky Lounge podcast is all about! Nice relaxing discussions in a relaxed comfy lounge! What would Ian Kay say about that?

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Travel demand remains strong, but could tariffs be the turbulence ahead for aviation growth? Let’s not dwell too long on that—because we’re also celebrating a terrific birthday for the airline that starts with “E”! Can you guess which one? Tune in to the episode to find out!

In this week’s episode, Alexandra and David dive into a mix of quirky and serious aviation updates:

• ·From Finnair’s non-reclining business class AirLounge seat (yes, really!),
• To reimagining Eurowings catering carts with built-in coffee machines as… champagne & wine fountains?
• And of course, April 1st wouldn’t be complete without a few clever fake headlines and light-hearted fun.

On the topic of tariff turbulence, we also explore Roger Hall’s insights on turbulence of the airline kind.

Check out the article here:https://www.xflashsystems.com/alerting-monitoring/turbulence-det-route-plus/

Plus, a sweet cargo story! Mangoes & Apples! Andrew Tan reported on Air India Cargo’s fruity endeavor with over 3,000 varieties of mangoes, along with the airline’s recent integration of Apple AirTags for baggage tracking (and maybe mango tracking too?)

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Alexandra got the opportunity to try out some first-class luxury without even leaving the ground! While David got to relive old memories with a trip to Amsterdam – and the weather was just perfect!

They then jumped into various topics from loyalty to Aviation & AI – ending with the airline of the episode – “D”.

Guess the airline name – It’s a big one!  Nope, we know what you are thinking – it’s not Delta!  You have 3 guesses!

(Hint: They have more than 300 dedicated aircraft & serve over 500 airports globally.)

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It’s already the middle of February! And in this episode of THE SKY LOUNGE podcast, Alex & David talked about a relatively small and unknown airline starting with the letter B! The airline “B” has a very unique product that not many other airlines can lay claim to! But do you need to say a prayer before you take that flight with them?

We discussed the evolution of loyalty programs, airline & product transformation and buzzwords! Oh! We also touched on “flying the stripes”

If you are looking for a podcast with a fun & relaxing but informative take on the aviation industry, THE SKY LOUNGE podcast is the one for you!

LINKS

We also spoke about the LADIES BEYOND FLYING group on LinkedIn! A very passionate group committed to making a change in aviation! Do follow them! Here's the link https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12451302/

Ann Cederhall - White Papers & Buzz words

https://tinyurl.com/2sppu992

Mikko Turtiainen - Trust The Stripes! And Fly Them As Well! 

https://tinyurl.com/yty34zxm

We are also proud to have made it to the Top 100 Aviation Podcasts by Feedspot! Thank you listeners & fellow avgeeks!

Here is the link of the list https://podcast.feedspot.com/aviation_podcasts/

Enjoy! And have a great rest of February!

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Happy New Year! Yes, we know that it is almost the end of January 2025 but is a good reminder how quickly the new year tends to come and go!

In our very first episode of 2025, Alex & self-have tried a slightly different format, where we take some of our LINKEDIN posts and talk a little bit more about them. Alex’s posts tend to be more practical & product focused; Mine tend to be more wishy-washy furtury 😉!

We talked about Ryanair & their liquid wishlist limits of 2 on the ground; What If IKEA had an airline? How airlines number their flights; when all you need is your face to travel; Front of the plane or do you prefer the back? 

And we have a very interesting discussion on an airline very close to Alex’s heart, starting with A (Suspense)!

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Alex & David take a look back at 2024! It's been a year full of stars, good memories & lot of travel!, but it has been a year with it's share of sadness as well!

Champagne in economy, free agents versus loyalty - How will 2025 be for the industry?

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Welcome to season 2 of The Sky Lounge podcast with Alex & David. The new season starts with a slightly different format with the both of us talking about avgeeky things! This episode has a lot on airline food, a subject that always tends to bring up a lot of emotion!

Blame it on the sugar rush thanks to all the Diwali & Halloween sweets! We hope you enjoy the discussion!

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