Dots, Lines & Destinations » Podcast

Is Iceland really that popular in Texas? More premium routes and no more A380s are also part of the discussions. And be sure to listen for the poll/contest at the end! * The A380 saga with Emirates continues to reveal interesting details * Why is Iceland the most popular new destination from Dallas-Fort Worth? * Delta is starting to market more domestic routes under the DeltaOne brand and changing upgrade rules, arguably for the better. * Why is a German bus company starting operations in California? * Added bonus: Discussion of halal, kashrut and a court case in Germany    

What happens when Emirates and Singapore Airlines try to one-up each other with their first class suites products? Arguably passengers win, though we're somewhat skeptical of the value of that victory. Also in this week's show: * The FlyingBlue program is going revenue-based for both earning and redemption in 2018. We all know why, but WHY?? * United Airlines is no longer an operator of the 747. The company ran its final service with the 747-400 after 47 years flying various versions of the aircraft. It was a helluva party. * Emirates went shopping at the Dubai Air Show, though it wasn't for the planes many expected. * World Airways is making a comeback, hoping to restart the brand with a new long-haul LCC focus that is definitely different. But will it work? * Smog can cause lots of problems but this may be the first time United Airlines has ever cancelled flights because of it. * Seth is in Chengdu, China this week and has some interesting observations on the relative price and quality of hotels there * Finally, if you're interested in talking more about travel, loyalty, casinos and other ridiculous fun in person check out ZorkFest in Atlantic City on 2 December 2017. Seth is one of the people presenting and some registration discounts are still available.  

Multiple aircraft types were retired from fleets over the weekend. From the 747 all the way down to the Fokker and Avro change is afoot. But lots of new stuff launched, too, so it is not all bad. Also in this episode: * Singapore's new T4 opened this week * Denver's new terminal plans * United's new award charts are now in effect * Southwest's concerts in flight

There are tons of incredible things to see on a visit to Japan. Seth appears set to do roughly zero of them next week. Instead he's flying around on a handful of Japanese LCCs. And he tries to explain why. Also in this episode: * Is the 767 returning to service as a passenger plane? Boeing is rumored to be bringing it back around 2020, likely for United Airlines. * A bunch of airlines are shuffling ops at LaGuardia to operate more efficiently during the construction. That's good and bad news, depending on which airline and lounges you're a fan of. * SFO has a ton of cool art in the airport. Always. * Air Berlin is suing Etihad for stupid reasons

We accidentally recorded two different episode 163s this week so y'all get bonus content. Stephan and Fozz tried to go to Taiwan a couple weeks ago. The many different ways that trip fell apart is impressive. Also: * RR's engines on the 787s aren't so great these days. Virgin Atlantic and Delta Air Lines have a creative solution for some aircraft fixes. * CSeries is now part of Airbus, so that's an interesting twist to the whole tariffs thing * Aloha, Southwest Airlines! Hawaii is finally coming to the company's route map so how will that play out?

Airbus has a new(ish) plane starting test flights this week. The A330neo took flight for the first time over Toulouse this morning and, while many bits are similar to how the A330ceo works it is also a spectacularly new plane in far more than just the engines. So we're talking a decent amount about that in this episode. https://twitter.com/WandrMe/status/920924157864566790 We've also got two special guests on this week, Jason and Jeremy, who spent some time last week chasing down old and new planes across Europe just for fun. Because why not spend a day visiting multiple countries and airports and exploring??  

Hey, DLD listeners: We need your help, far more than just putting up with our regular ramblings (of which there are plenty in this episode).   Lack of power and water are only two of the problems many in Puerto Rico still face a month after Hurricane Maria trashed the island. Getting supplies in is not easy but there are some ways to help with direct support of the area. Operation Puerto Rico Care-Lift is one and Seth is directly involved, running the logistics of the operation for a few weeks. Can you help out, too? * The Bombardier CSeries takes another 80% tariff. What's next? * An Air France 380 made an emergency landing in Canada after losing an engine. That was inconvenient for a few hundred passengers. The logistics of getting it back to Paris are interesting, too. * Airbus is losing customers for its A330neo line, right as the aircraft is scheduled for its first flight. * Turkey no longer wants Americans to visit. So much so that it will not issue visas anymore. Why? Well, turnabout is fair play, as they say. * Alaska Airlines is now trialing a preorder service for first class meals. Is it really so easy and why don't more airlines do it? Because passengers mostly love it.

Sorry for the delay this week; had some technical challenges that finally got resolved. The good news is that we kept adding content into the list of stories to discuss. Enjoy! Among this week's story: * Monarch is finally really out of business, with some interesting anecdotes around the process * Air Berlin is killing everything long-haul; EasyJet and Lufthansa are circling to pick up the pieces * American Airlines is never going to lose money again according to CEO Doug Parker * Qatar Airways is investing in an Italian airline. Because that always goes so well. * China Airlines is set to fly between Ontario, California and Taipei in Spring 2018 * Cal Air/Elite Airways is flying between Las Vegas and Carlsbad, CA * Emirates and flyDubai are (finally) getting closer to each other, with codeshare operations starting later this month * Turkish booked a big order for 787s; we're trying to figure out where they'll all fly * Catalonia wants to be independent and Spain is (not surprisingly) opposed to the idea. And Seth is on the way there in a couple weeks. Oops.    

Lots of routes dropping in the coming months, thanks to crew shortages, shifting travel demand and maybe even fleet challenges. Another "mistake" fare scuttled and some talk about cabin density and how that translates to profits, too. Enjoy the show! * Horizon Cuts – again – due to pilot shortages * Was the Air NZ cheap business class fare a mistake? And what recourse to consumers have these days? * Seating density matters on board, both for customer comfort and for airline profits. Some thoughts about which airlines behave in which ways and what that means for revenues * Air Canada is sending some of its first 737MAX aircraft across the Atlantic and the seating product is a mixed bag, depending on which cabin you're in * Delta drops service to Guam (GUM), hence this week's post title https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpBJih02aYU

This week's guest, Coleman Collins, is doing his best to make travel just a little bit healthier. But don't worry; it is not an annoying "go to the gym more" spiel. There's a lot more to it than that and plenty of opportunities to treat yourself better along the way. We've also got the usual smattering of "normal" topics, including: * A pretty rough review of Delta One in the 777s * United is adding service between Houston & Sydney * A few Frank Lloyd Wright houses are available on AirBnb. Coleman stayed in one last weekend and shares some very positive reviews of the experience.

Topics in this week's show: * Seth flies Norwegian across the Atlantic * Is Norwegian running out of cash? * UA A350 order changes, grows again * Drop in PRASM predictions across many airlines * Basic Economy is rolling back a little on United  

Pittsburgh will soon let non-passengers through its TSA checkpoints to go to the Airmall or hang out with friends at the gate. Does that mean longer lines for regular passengers to? In the air, Qantas wants to fly nonstop between London and Sydney, a travel time of over 20 hours en route. That's a VERY long line in the sky. How tolerable would it be, especially in coach? Why sell tickets with airlines that aren't partners? A listener asks so we answer. Southwest took delivery of its first 737 MAX 8; service launches on 1 October 2017. Allegiant wants to run a hotel to help fill its flights to Florida. Brilliant or debacle?      

This week's episode is coming in a little late but, much like the Milk Run flights through Alaska, the important part is that it happens, not necessarily that it is on time. The Alaska Airlines milk run flights connect a bunch of small cities on the peninsula between Anchorage and Seattle. For the truly dedicated AvGeek crowd the Milk Run flights are a great way to pick up dots and lines and explore some parts of Alaska that don't see too many visitors. Also, some conversation about Kwajalein from 3 years ago, if you're interested. Also in this episode: * United Airlines just opened a new special restaurant in Newark called "Classified" for invite-only meals. It is fancy and pricey and draws the ire of many because it is a United operation at an airport. * More conversations about the LCCs across the Atlantic Ocean and how the legacy US carriers are getting crushed.  

Cynthia and Jon are back on the show this week as special guests to talk about Georgia (the country, not the state), Azerbaijan, and all sort of other fun bits. Nudity, massages and a bonus bit about Taipei and Andorra round out the show. Some of the promised links from the conversation: * The Independent UK guide to first-timer's Tbilisi: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/tbilisi-what-to-do-georgia-direct-flights-gatwick-georgian-airways-khinkali-soviet-memorabilia-a7745881.html * The Independent UK guide to first-timer's Baku: http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/asia/things-to-do-baku-azerbaijan-eurovision-song-contest-best-zaha-hadid-carpet-museum-cheap-holidays-a7729781.html * At Conde Nast Traveler: http://www.cntraveler.com/story/republic-of-georgia-welcomes-tourist-with-the-ultimate-airport-surprise Also, Jon saves lots of notes on 4SQ but I cannot figure out how to use that interface. Good luck.  

Regional operators and even smaller "normal" airlines in the US are facing challenges on multiple fronts. Chapter 11 and fights over international trade policy are just part of the resulting fun. * Smaller U.S. airlines caution against changing Open Skies deals with UAE, Qatar * United Airlines regional carrier CommutAir is dumping smaller, slower planes * London's 'secret' underground mail railway opens to public * The NFL's Patriots are set to fly their own planes to games starting this year. * Regional prop operator PenAir is having troubles. Chapter 11 reorg and slashing two hubs are part of the fallout. * Tracking "spy planes" with data * Boeing Uses a 787 to Draw a 787 Dreamliner During ETOPS Test Lots more in the episode as well. Enjoy!