Dots, Lines & Destinations » Podcast

Another airline disappears, but we're still here. You can decide if that's a good trade or not. Also in this episode: * aha! Is gone* Regional pilots pay scale insanity* Qantas to add AKL-JFK in June 2023* JetBlue A321LR delays mean no hot meals for some London passengers* Play adding Dulles in April 2023* Denver concessions employee travel budget * Nigeria released cash to foreign airlines, but not all of it. * Frontier new hub/crew base at PHX* Finnair pushing traffic via DOH starting in November with daily flights fromARN/CPH/HEL. For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * Dublin's got a new runway* AS Stranding People in Barrow Due to runway construction and “radar” issues. And half runways in Alaska.* PAE-ANC coming in November And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

So much news from American Airlines this week we might have to rebrand the show. But lots of other goodies, too. Also in this episode: * The future of American’s A321T interiors?* American (theoretically) buys into the Boom hype* American is also (really) buying Air Whiskey and bringing its 60 CRJs in-house (and away from United)* A canceled route, terrible rebooking, and horrible service* Ethiopian 737 pilots allegedly fell asleep during a flight* 737 MAX wing production slowdown, on top of last week’s mention of engine swaps* Faroe fish cargo carrier* Singapore’s new T5 plan* Wizz is not restarting Russia flights after all For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * SAN-LAX is back on UA* A Hertz mini-rant* 27000 and the Reagan library* Emirates cabin upgrades by the numbers And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Scavenging for spare parts, profitable routes, or just good travel ideas? We've got it all in this week's show. Also in this episode: * Europe: * Schiphol is set to pay out a massive amount of money in pax comp * Customer support backlogs are still a mess for some; Eurostar closed its phone lines for a month to clear existing cases. * Heathrow extending 100k pax/day cap * Asia: * Sydney is the latest airport to see massive lines and understaffed check-in/security* Malaysia Airlines taking 20 A330neo from 2024-2028 * Asia is still closed so Northern Pacific is going to try Mexico routes instead* Delta bringing HND service online from LAX, HNL * Tailwind launching DC-ish service on a seaplane * Russia is cannibalizing planes for spare parts* So is Boeing, moving engines from completed but parked MAXen to new builds more likely to deliver * Delta allowed to cut flights at LGA/JFK/DCA without losing slots; blames very high sick rates * JetBlue moving more Mint planes to LAX (plus another TATL market), and a bunch of route suspensions/cancellations extended. For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * Allegiant is not amused by the Sun Country EAS award * AraJet (Dominican upstart) is selling tix. Seems like it is actually going to launch.* Uber killing loyalty program * Emirates F unlimited caviar * Akasa founder sudden death And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Airlines raked in revenue in Q2, but not all of them reported a profit. And that raises a lot of bigger picture questions. Also in this episode: * This week in Europe’s aero mess * British Airways won’t sell short-haul seats ex-Heathrow through the first week of August in hopes of accommodating displaced passengers.* Schiphol caps through October * Airbus terminates remaining Qatari A350 orders * New proposed DOT rules on refunds for schedule changes * The Italian government wants better bids for a stake in ITA For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * New AA Lounge design (DCA first) * Swiss to wet lease Air Baltic A220s And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

More leisure travelers than expected, plus some gardening tips. Oh, and lots of airline news, too. Also in this episode: * The Spirit merger drama is over. And just beginning.* AA300 NTSB report* 787s return finally approved (timing unclear for actual restart of* deliveries)* No MAX 7 this year* BA doesn't expect 777X until 2026* AirTags don’t always work* Launch dates for Virgin Atlantic A330neo (and should Seth do it?)* Iberia putting doors on it's A350 biz seats late 2023 For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * New routes from Delta and Air France* KrisFlyer gives back Stephan’s miles* Aeroplan award chart changes, and expiry of points extended again And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Despite being one of the slowest major air shows for new order announcements in years, Farnborough 2022 offered plenty of news. Also in this episode: * Far too much time spent talking about LaGuardia* Railroad tracks expanding in the heat, and runways melting, too.* Delta Air Lines' 737 MAX 10 order * EasyJet's A32neo order * Porter expands E2 order * LATAM A321s and XLRs * Boom still doesn’t have an engine, but it needs twice as many * Lots of eVTOL stuff * Airbus putting an open fan engine on the 380 for testing, Hydrogen stuff, too * AA, UA, AS earnings * UA/AC JV happening again * Branding via salt & pepper shakers For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * Seth’s AA Transcon J trip report (and follow on to last week’s version from Michael) * Alaska Airlines gave away billions of points And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Flight status. Travel history. Connection updates. And lots more. That's the promise from Flighty, and we've got founder Ryan Jones on this week's show to talk about it. As part of that, we're giving away a few free years of access to the paid version, so let us know (either in a comment or on Twitter) if you're interested. Also in this episode: * Project Sunrise is for real, as Qantas formally orders the A350-1000 aircraft that will eventually fly from Sydney to London and New York City nonstop.* Norse Atlantic formally launches its first transatlantic routes* Tailwind wants to fly seaplanes to Washington, DC. And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Hard to believe we're still saying this, but please stop being an asshole on airplanes. Or anywhere else, really. But definitely not on airplanes. Also in this episode: * 777X now not likely certified until late 2024, airline delivery in 2025.* NPR article doesn’t understand that China Airlines isn’t a Chinese airline* SCASD Grant applications* Breeze planning transcon flights at HPN* Recaro seatbacks* Golden knights scared the US Capitol Police pretty good* AA long-haul fleet shuffle triggered by BA needs For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * Punch out* Kirby pissed at Spirit Airlines/JetBlue at Newark* A flight simulator in the United App And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

The lack of appeal, perhaps, is the most interesting part. But the CDC mask mandate for travel is gone, thanks to a court ruling in Florida. The TSA backed down a few hours later. Also in this episode: * AvGeek.Travel launch* Turkish Airlines* Norse Atlantic leasing planes to Air Europa* Finnair leasing planes to Eurowings Discover* Air Baltic leasing planes to everyone it can For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * Condor's new livery* AA's new 787 layout And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

Who is to blame? And does it matter when you finally admit that? Plenty of challenges in the industry these days and more flight cancellations are coming. Also in this episode: * Alaska Airlines admits massive disruption wasn’t the pilots’ fault, along with some interesting numbers about growth plans and fuel prices.* American Airlines gets Landline bus service, too* What would a JetBlue-Spirit Airlines merger look like and why is it even a consideration?* New gates proposed for Dulles and Denver For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * Rumors about Delta in SEA/PDX* Bamboo Founder stock screwup* Hawaii’s pilot congressman And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

No squirrels were harmed in the making of this episode. And we cannot explain why that is even remotely relevant. But here we are anyways. Also in this episode: * The new airport outside Mexico City is not ready for primetime. Possibly not* even ready for late night.* Does Seattle need a new airport?* Pilot lies about experience and gets caught* Alaska Airlines pilots picketing* Are these Delta SkyMiles enhancements - gasp - actually useful??* New Air New Zealand Business Class seat coming later this year* Delta’s first A321neo routes announced For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * A surprisingly fun conversation about which status to chase* Debate over which is the best *A hub to connect at in Europe, and why And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

At some point "Plus" has to not be the default naming of whatever new thing a company comes up with, right? Alas, this is not that week. Also in this episode: * China Eastern flight MU5735 crash* Air New Zealand to NYC in September* Qantas adding DFW-MEL in December* Air Canada buys the A321XLR* Alaska Airlines retiring the A320 family faster and also the Q400s* Southwest Airlines launches Wanna Get Away Plus fare* United Airlines delaying IAD-BER start + no EWR-PRG this summer For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * Rossiya’s new Sochi SSJ Super hub (Note: We called it Aeroflot’s in the episode; the SSJs recently transferred to Rossiya to further reduce exposure, and Pobeda is grounding 738s, not SSJs, for parts)* MAX 10 not likely to meet EoY certification timeline And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

A good award search tool is something of a holy grail in the miles & points space. Point.Me is pretty darn close, if not entirely there. We've got Point.Me co-founder Tiffany Funk on this week's show to talk about the new site and how it makes rewards better for everyone, but especially for your mother. Also in this episode: * Lots more about Russia* United challenges Delta for some Cape Town access For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * Fresh food is returning to some US domestic flights finally, as is liquor.* WestJet wants to buy Sunwing And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

A bit of a challenge this week to get past the very real suffering of war and have a conversation about what it means in the context of aviation. But we're trying. Also in this episode: * Qatar Airways switching to Avios* No more E500s for American Airlines* Eastern fails its ETOPS exam For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * Some airline schedule challenges, and the annoyances they bring And plenty more. Enjoy the show!

With a blizzard bearing down we're reliving prior diversions and other cold weather travel tales, all the way to Antarctica. Also in this episode: * Fozz travel travails* SkyBot Cam* Greece/Cyprus/Turkey airport drama* BA leaving T7 at JFK in December* Boom Factory in GSO* Qatar Airways still in the news, with a major pilot fatigue story, and the assumed 777X freighter order (which should be official by the time the episode is live)–* Boeing writing off more existing product lines while investing in a completely new segment* Kalitta'a 767s gone For our Patreon subscribers we have bonus content, including: * 737 MAX in Antarctica* Stolen FMS computer in Lagos* British Airways loses a door in CPT And plenty more. Enjoy the show!