Dots, Lines & Destinations » Podcast

Strikes happen. In aviation the impact can be dramatic, but usually it gets figured out well enough. British Airways managed to throw that playbook out the window this week, however. Also in this week's show: * Air Belgium is back with some questionable route choices* United's Summer 2020 plans depend heavily on the new High J 763* Is there demand for flights from the CONUS to New Zealand's South Island?* Planning for a two month trip through South Asia is complicated and exciting, and can always use more help And, as always, plenty more. Enjoy!

Yes, it is an annoying word. But it just might be a better way to travel. With a couple different trips to Prague recently the team is ready to debate its value. Also in this episode: * Delta's pilots are not happy with the new JV arrangements and are insisting that they be given more flights.* United might be bringing back screens to the domestic fleet.* Hawaii is getting some more action from Southwest and Hawaiian and we're really not sure how the market can support all that traffic.* Midwest Express is set to fly again for some reason.* What's really going on with Cathay and Hong Kong? We don't know either, but we have some thoughts. And, as always, plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Why visit Nova Scotia? Lots and lots of reasons, it turns out. We've got Ed from Pizza in Motion on the show this week to chat with Seth about the many things to see and do in (and near) a small portion of the province. From UNESCO World Heritage Site Lunenburg to the heart of Halifax, the southern portion of Nova Scotia offers a lot of Fun experiences. Some specifics mentioned in the episode are: * Peggy's Cove* The Swiss Flight 111 memorial (near Peggy's Cove)* Beach Pea Kitchen (Lunenburg)* Fisherman's Cove (near Halifax)* Evans' Fresh Seafood (near Halifax) Beyond the Canadia bits, we also touch on: * Denver's construction project being delayed and finding a new contractor* Norwegian cutting its smaller TATL routes thanks to the MAX being grounded

Airport runway repairs are always an exercise in logistics. But it is a whole lot easier if you can just shut down operations for a couple months without losing the flights. That's what is happening in Milan this summer. Also in this show: * The protests in Hong Kong continue, spreading to the airport as well. Fozz was just there and has some thoughts about the experience.* American Airlines is adding some elite-ish benefits to its corporate contracts* Dulles will get new service from Swiss and Cabo Verde Airlines next year* Hubs and Joint Ventures and all sorts of interesting conversations in that context. Like the new SkyTeam(ish) JV getting approval and Delta finally confirming that it will, in fact, close its Narita operations completely and drop Singapore as a destination on its route map.* The 737 MAX is still grounded. We're placing bets on new certification dates. Enjoy the show!

United Airlines took an equity stake in biometric identity company CLEAR, with plans to expand the number of airports where the service is available and increase enrollment by giving top elites free access. Also in this episode: * A new Chinese airline is now flying the ARJ21, a frankenplane from COMAC (and McDonnell-Douglas)* The TWA Hotel in NYC is now charging for access to its pool deck, upsetting some plane spotters* Air Antwerp is bringing the Fokker 50 back to operate from its eponymous airport. Formerly of VLM, perhaps the KLM/CityJet ownership can make it work better this time around.* Southwest Airlines is leaving Newark, blaming the MAX grounding among other things. Could it also be that United is pushing them out.* Do you tip at hotels? Should you? How much? Does it depend on services used/rendered?* Allegiant has "Extra" legroom on some planes, now adding a free drink, too. Worth the upcharge?* WOW Air's assets maybe have a new owner and the stories about her are insane. And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

What does it take to get antitrust immunity approved? For Qantas and American Airlines the answer is a new administration in charge of the government and three extra years of time. But it should be worth it for the pair as their US-Australasia deal takes flight later this year. We've got a shout-out in this episode to the crew running Extreme Hotel Deals and their new premium subscription option. Some impressive stuff being delivered regularly from them. Discount code: mailinglist gets a year of access for $39.50. Also in this episode: * United Airlines has a new layout coming to its 787s and it is a mix of good and bad news for passengers* Will the Bangkok metro area see a third airport in the next decade?* British Airways did an awesome fly-by performance with a 747 in retro colors plus the Red Arrows at RIAT over the weekend* Some Cairo services suspended based on security uncertainty* JAL's first A350s are running on domestic routes and they look pretty darn for a domestic/short-haul config* A tangential rant about lounges and particularly the Incheon T2 options And lots, lots more.

A new type enters the fleet as Delta Air Lines is firing on all cylinders in its operations. Things look pretty good for the company, though Stephan still has some concerns about the facilities in the NYC area. Also in this episode: * Pakistani air space reopened to commercial traffic after months of closure and the "why" part of this crazy story remains unclear.* ANA's new first class and business class cabins are swanky and worth trying to fly in. But the roll-out process is less than ideal in several ways.* A trip report of sorts from flights to Seoul and on to Jeju in Korea.* WOW or WAB?!? What's happening with the remnants of Iceland's bankrupt pink airline? And, as always, lots of fun digressions and other bits. Enjoy the show!

What happens when a company screws up? Often very little. Regulators in Europe might be changing that, however, with a significant penalty announced against British Airways parent IAG as a result of the personal data stolen from the company last year. About time or taking it too far?? Also in this episode: * Amtrak is close to breaking even on operations thanks to major changes implemented by CEO Richard Anderson. And that has a lot of people upset.* Delta Air Lines is overhauling its economy class meal service for long haul flights with lots of good news and one very pointed potential problem* British Airways (details) and Virgin Atlantic both have schedules for their new A350 operations, though some are more certain than others.* Norwegian is cutting some long-haul routes to the USA* American (and someone else) might be launching service to Zagreb soonish* Flynas cancelled a 737 MAX order in favor of the A320neo but the reasoning is far more nuanced than what most pundits are pushing* Denver has a beer crawl option for your next layover* What's good in Bhutan? Plus lots, lots more!

We've known for years now that Berlin's Brandenburg Airport is a mess. It is one of our favorite topics. And this week the BBC has a great story out reminding us that's still the case, along with some of the back story for how it got to be so bad. Also in this episode: * Does anyone care about the travel experience on a now-defunct airline? Seth flew Joon just before its ultimate demise and found it unsurprisingly Air France-ish.* The Paris Air Show had lots of stories about the A321XLR and one big story about the 737 MAX.* Additional bugs were also found for the MAX, extending its grounding. And questions are being raised over the outsourcing of its software work.* Chase and United are fighting over their credit card offerings* American really is giving up on its Chicago-China flights* Turkish melted a window out of a brand new 787, likely screwing with the type's introduction to service for the carrier* Austria's railroads might get some fancy new trains in a few years* Disney might have its own airline* South African Airways is getting some new planes

Two airports announced plans for major renovations in recent days,each topping five billion dollars. But the work in Phoenix involves building out bus gates. Because that will be loads of fun in the summer. Also in this week's show: * An Air Canada passenger found herself on the carrier's no-fly list after buying fraudulent tickets * Qantas is launching service to Chicago and San Francisco from Brisbane * An update on Project Sunrise * More MAX cancellations * United's Travel Club officially dies * A 747 shows up on a tiny Caribbean island * LOT got swindled out of $700,000 in a particularly embarrassing scam And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

What goes into the design of an airport? How do architects bridge the gap between here and there? We've got a special guest talking about architecture and design choices on this week's show. St. Martin-based architect Damien Richardson joins us on this week's show, recorded on location at the Caribavia Caribbean Aviation conference in St. Martin. We chat about how airports are designed and built to blend the roles between airside and landside operations, especially in international environments and with business aviation. Bringing local elements into the design is one facet, of course, but it is more than just that. We also talk about some favorite bigger airport designs and even the future of travel where airports are no longer really a thing to worry about. Enjoy the show!

What do you do with an extra night in Seoul? How about a quick trip to Jeju City for dinner?? Thanks to IATA and Korean Air the show is recording in Korea this week. Seth is joined by occasional guest Jason to talk about a few different inflight products, ranging from long-haul business class on Korean to short-haul LCC operations on a 777-200. It was quite an adventure! https://twitter.com/WandrMe/status/1134239797072093189 Plus, we still had some free time in town so we also got seats in the "Exciting Zone" for a local baseball game. It was very exciting. https://twitter.com/AirlineFlyer/status/1134393303162597376 Enjoy the show!

Air New Zealand will continue to expand its 787 fleet, adding the –10 starting in a few years. But the carrier chose a new engine provider in hopes of better reliability for the new planes. Also in this episode: * An airport manager indicted for fraud* UK eGates open for more passengers* The new TWA Hotel had some trouble with its food court in week one* AA and its mechanics appear headed to war* Delta has uniform troubles, including a lawsuit* Airbus still insists the A380 was a successful product, likely to help protect its balance sheet* Boeing will drop the Embraer name from its commercial aircraft joint venture, but maybe not from the planes

Call it a PR stunt if you must, but the record for fastest US transcon flight fell last week, and the airports involved are an interesting pair. Flights from Santa Monica are becoming increasingly rare, especially as the city does things like shorten the runway as it tries to shut the facility completely. Still, it is an impressive record, especially considering the congested airspace around NYC that was involved. That congested airspace also included JFK arrivals and some Long Island residents are unhappy about the major airport they have just 10 miles away. Also in this episode: * The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey appears to have violated some laws with regard to funneling landing fees away from operations at Newark Airport. Also, some interesting commentary about how the airlines' lobbying group is misrepresenting some details around passenger facility charges (PFCs) and where the money comes from and goes to.* Another impressive BizAv flight was a nonstop on the Bombardier Global 7500 from London City to Los Angeles.* Hyatt and American Airlines have a new partnership that might be useful for some challenge-related games* US carriers were allocated a dozen new slots at Tokyo's Haneda Airport for Summer 2020 operations, with Delta and United winning big* JFK Airport finally has an on-property hotel. The TWA Hotel at T5 – housed in the old TWA terminal – is now open. Lots of little kinks to still work out to get to full operations but it is there. Also, some questions around how long that will last.* Should Machu Picchu have an airport nearby? Construction is starting and a lot of people are pretty pissed.* US residents in Austria have a new and unlikely (or maybe not so unlikely) place they can turn for help: McDonald's. Some follow-up from last week's conversation about the Delta/Union sparring and plenty of other bits in this week's show, too. Enjoy!

Delta's flight attendants are pursuing union representation again. Not surprisingly, management is opposed to the idea. The visuals on how management is fighting it, however, are slightly surprising. That also plays into a discussion around what it takes to be a strong leader, for airlines or otherwise. So many seem to be doing it poorly today, though Wall Street doesn't mind as much as the employees and passengers do. Also in this episode: * El Al & Alaska are teaming up as partners in their loyalty programs* The blogosphere is agog at Turkish Airlines getting downgraded by SkyTrax* At least one Hyatt hotel has discovered a sneaky way to avoid making too many rooms available for reward bookings* Norwegian is trimming its TATL route network this winter* Gate assignments at the new Berlin Airport. Yes, really.* Delta Air Lines is talking about expanding its free wifi program to full browsing sessions, not just messaging. Trials are underway. The carrier also is making it easier for lapsed elite status to be recovered for some passengers. A fun new livery and random other bits round out the show. Enjoy!