March 28, 2025

TravelStories Episode 55: Airline Products We Wish Would Make a Return Flight

51 minutes

Episode 55: Show Notes

From COVID to cutbacks, there were a lot of reasons why airlines let go of some of their more luxurious offerings. Today, we dig into the airline products that no longer exist and reflect on the standout examples we loved, missed, or otherwise knew about. Join us as we take a trip down memory lane and discuss everything from exceptional service to the most comfortable sleep we’ve had up in the air! We describe our top first class experiences with Thai and Lufthansa, noteworthy changes at Doha, Qatar’s international airports, and our most memorable trips using JetSmarter, the Uber for private jets. You’ll also hear about our unique experience with Etihad Airways, the true premium cabin experience we both missed out on, our favorite economy products that no longer exist, and the amenity kits we prize above all others. Discover the joy of a massage at the Thai Royal First Lounge in Bangkok, the most exceptional ground services we’ve come across, and what services we miss the most!

Key Points From This Episode:

[00:37] Today’s topic: Past airline products that we loved, missed, or knew about.

[01:32] Why airlines have let go of some of their more luxurious offerings.

[02:06] What the Thai First Class and Bangkok Lounge experience used to be like.

[06:34] A breakdown of the Thai First Class spa massage offerings.

[09:14] Transport and escort perks in the heyday of Thai First Class.

[11:45] Flying Lufthansa First Class and their unique wide-body experience.

[16:51] The best ground service we had with Lufthansa (and why they should bring it back).

[20:05] Takeaways from Hamad International Airport and how it has changed.

[25:47] Past experiences with JetSmarter and the current jet-sharing economy.

[33:39] The story of our unique travel experiences with Etihad First.

[36:42] How we missed out on the true premium cabin experience with TAM Airways, now LATAM Airlines.

[41:30] Our favorite economy products that no longer exist.

[45:19] The amenity kits we love most, especially from Rimowa.

Quotes:

“We're talking about Thai Airways’ first class lounge, offering a full spa-caliber massage. – You have this oasis among air world, where for an hour you were just in the lap of luxury like no other.” — @tmount [06:48]

“The overall experience [at Hamad International], I thought, was really exclusive, almost more exclusive than the current experience. But I think the current experience is more luxurious.” — @tmount [23:16]

“JetSmarter was all about ‘How do we monetize all these dead legs, all these private aviation flights that they do just to position these planes to where they actually need to be.” — @TktweetsKim [27:04]

“I'm still going to go give LATAM another shot. And if they announce a new business class product, I will be right in line to fly them again.” — @tmount [41:02]

“If I was having to fly over the Atlantic in economy, I would not mind doing it on an A380 in Air France economy.” — @TktweetsKim [43:48]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

TravelStories Episode 53: Aspirational Flying with Han Chicago

TAM 777-300ER First Class Sao Paulo To New York

Thomas Kim on X

Trevor Mountcastle on X

...more

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By Sam Simon and Robert Dwyer

4.4

5050 ratings