The Air Travel podcast — an aviation and travel show, top #1 in 50+ countries.
Created by Paul Papadimitriou and Alex Hunter.
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The Air Travel podcast — an aviation and travel show, top #1 in 50+ countries.
Created by Paul Papadimitriou and Alex Hunter.
Copyright: © All rights reserved
JAL takes Paul on a wonderful flight to Haneda in their new 350-1000 business class (that amenity kit too!). The new HND approach is everything (but HND T3 isn't). The aircraft guide for kids, by Vinod (and how wonderful are those Delta pilots!). An airborne Wifi setup that is so long, it will get you sober. An ode to the 757, they really don't make planes like those anymore (but Delta does a great job refreshing them). Want to invite 8 people to the lounge? Be an Ultimate baller (if you have one of those super exclusive statuses, get in touch!). The battle of the Guanacaste Airport carts (and the battle of gate PA announcements). Even ATL looks nice in a golden hour. JAL Euphony, or the only valid excuse to listen to content without headphones! That time when Paul got to drink whisky in the cockpit with a disheveled Fidel Castro (well, not exactly, but close enough).
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Here's the trick on how to forget you don't have a window seat: spend an entire flight doing speed tests on Starlink. Another trick? How to actually get a mobile boarding pass on BA's ever-buggy app. When business becomes first, or the final trick to access the Al Safwa First Class lounge in Doha. KLM gives you a timeline of service on the IFE, and a LOT of (good) food. CDG T1 is the Circle of Doom, but there are views on the 11th floor if you can find it. Heathrow shuts down after a fire, earning its "operational challenges" nickname. The UK has introduced the electronic travel authorization (ETA), no questions asked. The bonus of not having doors in business class: the gossip, here whether a pilot should be allowed to drink champagne or not. The rather surreal experience of airport hotels, and the reset of coming back to commuter airports.
Check-ins, touchdowns, unexpected connections, with turbulent weather and turbulent IT — Happy Flying!
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What is it like to travel with a kid on long-haul journeys to Asia, from Singapore, to KL, to Taipei and more (and the secret bathrooms, which one would you choose?). AF001, the Air France fragrance (only the French!). Should KLM talk to Korean about the new livery? (And where is the red? LH kept a Pantone code at least). The runways hidden in plain sight (we have one in Singapore, one in Switzerland). CDG T1 (again) shortcomings — compare that to the magic of Singapore Changi and the big bathtub plug at Jewel (Changi, where no one can hear your child scream!). Is Air Canada better than JAL?! (not everything coming out of Japan has unicorn status, you know). What is premium economy (a slightly better economy, or a business class minus, no airline seem to agree). When should service happen on long-haul flights? (Bad timing is everything). What on Earth is going on at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (there's a lot of dust on that Aerotrain).
We mentioned our friends at Plane Talking UK, here's how to listen/watch them
Happy flying!
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A decade on the air and in the air, thank you all for your loyalty (we don't offer Tier Points).
Loyalty is what we start with, as British Airways shakes the world of revenue based loyalty with a rather abrupt shift (meh it was coming, says Alex, whilst Paul defends BA), but what program should we now put our miles in?!
Alex flies to peak pollution Delhi with Virgin Atlantic, to meet his brothers (and his Attache brother, Greg). He then goes to New York via Helsinki with Finnair, an airline that wants you to believe a 330 is a 350, but that he'd fly again and again.
IFE privacy and self-consciousness, that's a thing (is it for you all you too?)
Paul finally narrates the pinnacle of air travel, the best First Class in the world (no contest!), 12 hours in supreme zero-gravity comfort aboard the Emirates 777 First (he touches all the buttons, creates a night club in the sky in one cabin, a hotel in another).
Is the middle seat the best option? You might need binoculars to believe it.
Again, thank you all for tuning in every time we release a show (including the crazy ones binge-listening to the entire catalogue of episodes!).
Happy flying until our next episode (When? Like at airports, patience is a virtue haha)
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A European flying tour from North America, a symphony of alcohol (with two specific colors), a flight sim in an airport (well, nearly), the Paris Olympics from the inside (Paul is jealous), the alternative timeline of CDG T1 and Concorde (we want to switch to it!), an appreciation for Ryanair (nope, we're not in another timeline). getting sea sick whilst taxiing (included in your expensive ticket), the tiny ground dots of Charles de Gaulle and Zurich (bring them back!), the dark underground link between Orly and Luton (ok, not really, but you'll get it), the fabulous Musée de l'air et de l'espace at Le Bourget (does it get any better than this?) — Vinod is back (and not only for the insane Spotify numbers he brings along).
Happy New Year everyone & Happy Flying!
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Two tales of adventurous (and at time turbulent) travels: Paul embarks on a long train ride to Ukraine, while Alex soars above the Himalayas.
One ventures into the heart of a conflict-stricken Kyiv, the other navigates the heights of Annapurna aboard a Ukrainian-built plane.
A blend of sobering exhilaration and uplifting challenges that come when traveling in unique and sometimes demanding circumstances — we were both taught lessons in resilience and perspective.
This could very well be our favorite episode ever.
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Alex tells us all about flying to Okinawa's Naha airport (via Tokyo), Hawaii (717s being flown like NYC cab drivers), the Philippines (that loop to Clarke airport), and more. We have one more Concorde to visit (next, a Millenium Falcon), we dream of Japanese airlines on-board experience (that "Italian" food, though?), we calculate the length of DXB concourses (it can be a long walk), we ponder the future of Manila airports (they'll end up with no less than THREE massive international airports), we wonder if selling guitars in an airport yields any results (Cebu has seen a lot of improvement though), we discuss legroom (bulkhead FTW), and admire Emirates' consistency (the new business class is the old business class?).
Here's Ed Parsons photo store, check it out: https://store.edparsons.com
More travels to come, more episodes to come (if Paul makes it back), but we won't promise when (SORRY!)
Happy travels!
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What's next for the aviation industry?
The post-pandemic rejigging of air travel with less business travel, and more leisure travelers in the front (who want, like most of you, to experience the full array of premium travel), more often off-season.
Will fares keep increasing (it's the economy, stupid!), the unstoppable rise of ancillary revenues (gotta keep those nice margins), and were airlines underpricing their miles up to the pandemic (Emirates believes so)?
Where is the next aircraft, it seems neither Boeing nor Airbus has anything on the drawing board (the great Embraer might not dent the market, Comac on the other hand?), and Airbus softening's stance on the future of the 380 (the Emirates pressure could be working).
What about single pilot aircrafts (touchy subject!).
Greener tech for greener aircraft, and the question of incentives versus punishment (do you know where the term carbon footprint come from?) — and more from the great Hakan Yilmaz (Paul, meanwhile, just spends his time quoting Tim Clark).
Everything you wanted to know about the intricacies of flight planning (choose your wind provider right!).
Did you know what purpose does the seemingly abandoned T1 LHR serve? (the guys at the new IST could really teach a thing or two to Heathrow…).
BA Fly no more (well, you'll see), and European Single Sky not yet (or ever?!).
Flying down under to Brisbane and Auckland, and an Air New Zealand who punches above its weight.
And we should really do an episode about the best business seats for tall people (the "old" Turkish one is fabulous for that, we both agree).
Oh, and what's your favorite aerobatic display team? (A loaded question, Paul goes for the lunatics).
Follow Hakan on X/Twitter: @LAFlyr
Follow Paul on X/Twitter: @papadimitriou, Instagram: @papadimitriou
Follow Layovers on X/Twitter: @lay_overs, Instagram: @lay_overs
Layovers will return ;-)
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Ever wondered about the life of a flight attendant (and ground crew)? This is the episode for you. Paul welcomes his good friend Vinod for an episode full of fun aviation and travel stories — a long episode, with the laughs taking quite some of that length.
From Edmonton to Vancouver, via Calgary (and its keys!), the many airports he worked at (Paul still hasn't been to Canada), Martinair, British Airways, Air Berlin, or WestJet, amongst the many airlines he worked for (and in a world of crew camaraderie around the world, BA really seems like a big family).
Is there something about the uniform that transcends trends? And Vinod's secret to treat cabin crew well (Paul is inspired).
The experience of turbulences in the air (and yes, we discuss that fateful Singapore Airlines flight), but also the video game of driving a jet bridge.
Can you get Covid from an aircraft wing: flying during the pandemic to (and working at) Tokyo 2020 (NRT, a game of chairs) and Beijing 2022 (PEK, calcifying under sanitizing spray).
Does each airline have a specific smell, or is that a neurotic avgeek thing? (dried fish seems like a bad omen though).
Vinod attempts to convince Paul that Frankfurt and Heathrow are great airports, and he nearly succeeds (his definition of LHR is just the best, and Paul softens on FRA), and we (kinda) agree on Singapore's carpet.
And many more stories (Vinod's most memorable flights are quite something).
Listen to Vinod Viswalingam's podcast (hosted along with the great Geoff Dahl), Seat 1A:
Seat1A (website with more links)
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It's Alex and Paul, and it's another Alex (you've met her in 133!). She tells us all about BeOnd, the new all business class airlines that flies ex-EasyJet (!) 319s (!) to get you to the Maldives (did she enjoy the plane more than the beach?!). Humane versus non-humane low cost carriers: a new definition for IATA? The MAX flying challenge, or how to overcome the unhealthy relationship with a plane. Airport design and signage, another potential unhealthy relationship (it shouldn't be that hard!). Backpack travel, the way to avoid being made to check your carry-on. Make airport buses great again: do not put stickers on windows, do not darken the windows too much (WE WANT TO SEE THE APRON VIEWS!). Wifi naming: has anyone who implemented them actually flown an aircraft? Etihad 3.0, a new growth chapter (there will be doors in the forthcoming EY business class, but Paul does not think doors are very necessary). The new AUH is gorgeous, and a success: was its design process so long thought that it led to some quirks though? (whilst the path to the Etihad lounge is awkward, the delicious design of the gates is a win!). Lavatories breaks with the airline wireless headphones (and PLEASE add green noise—rain and thunder—as a feature on IFEs!!!).
Follow Alex on LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/alexandravukolova
Listen to her podcast, Sky Lounge: Apple Podcasts, Spotify
And since Paul mentions it, here's the very good Air Show podcast (weekly and short, the opposite of this pod haha): Apple Podcasts, Spotify
See you in 2-3 weeks for another episode (hint: closer to where Paul has never been)
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Paul is joined by Paolo, one his best friends, to compare notes on a big tour of Cambodia and Vietnam (Paul flew to Cambodia, Paolo flew to Vietnam and Cambodia) with many airports, and airlines along the way (not sure about the water on-board a Cambodia Angkor Air). Paul had his worst fly ever (it was no fault of Etihad, just his own!!) and circles the 380 lounge table forever like an animal, whilst Paolo has the most epic security check experience at Sihanouk International Airport (he's a giant, after all). Cambodia is building huge airports, the future Phnom Penh (still in construction), and the just-opened massive Siem Reap International which we both were pretty staggered with. Are turbulences getting worse, and should the pilot give more explanation when we hit them (Paolo compares them as being rock cradled to sleep in business class!). Does landing at SGN remind you a little of Kai Tak ("dodging the washing lines across the apartments"). Paul and Paolo disagree on BKK, but, yeah, a bit of window cleaning would be good (but the Thai government agrees with Paul, it needs a refurb!). Do you really want to board a Wamos Air?
- Cambodia Tuk Tuk driver in Siem Reap, Angkor Wat: Mr Kat, tuktukcambodia.com
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Is Emirates low key encouraging membership to the high mile club? (And how Alex and Layovers saved Paul's Emirates First upgrade. The controller goes "oh that sucks", or why Alex keeps listening to ground whilst traveling (but he always gets the last bag delivery ever). Lounge bouncers (not exactly, but lounge double dipping is a thing). Going against the jet stream when it reaches record speeds (and against an unbelievably bad customer representative at JFK). Wife or work wife, who gets lounge access? Plant-based food choices are increasing in quality, Emirates saw the trend early (and why some flight attendants have had enough of special meals). BA is investing billions, but could they spare some to fix their Manage My Bookings on the app? No more miles or status for non-direct bookings, a new trend?
Happy flying to you all!
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Qatar'd? No, that new Al Mourjan Lounge at Doha is stunning — one thing we can't say about that RAK one.
Turkish'd? Not really, when a downgrade gets you full emergency exit rows — though that 333 seat made Paul act like an animal.
Boeing has gone full MAX for its windows openings (ok, ok, poor one, but come on Boeing, do better!) — the new 350-1000 goes for a dimmable shade instead.
The JAL 350 crash, a miracle for many (but not all), a testament to the crew, the industry, that aircraft, and Airbus.
Alex and Paul agree, the best eye masks stays the Emirates F one (the previous version!).
Go around grinning? YES.
And Happy New Year to all (this was recorded on Jan 31, just in time!)
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Alex tells us all about his return to Hong Kong, with Cathay setting a new gold standard in IFE over Emirates (Greg flew China Southern, and, errr, well). Paul flies the all business class 321neo from La Compagnie from Orly to Newark (road traffic was key to that story, but traffic there is none to board, how crazily fast is that, kudos La Compagnie!). Choose your BA seat on Jordanian (neat trick), but it might come with a free infant for you. After 27 years, Qatar Airways replaces Al Baker (would some call him the Jeremy Clarkson of the airline industry?). Can reward/award finders help you spend air miles faster than they devaluate? The biometric airport experience is upon us, and AI is rising (but robots do strike in London when they drive trains). Is British Airways' customer service seeing a renaissance after having listened to Layovers? (at least they're investing quite massively in it, hopefully in IT -capital letters- too). Will we see boarding group -2 arise (group 0 is here)? ExTime, beautiful third party lounges thanks to a je ne sais quoi (the French flair surely). The bucolic murals at that -4 walkway.
We did travel quite a lot, pardon the delay in getting this one out. We'll be back in December!
Happy flying, all.
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Paul is on Instagram, Threads, and Twitter.
Alex is on Instagram, and Twitter.
Layovers is on Instagram, and Twitter.
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So small, cozy, cute, a very special airport, that was Tegel, not BER: can the finally (nearly) finished Berlin Brandenburg measure up to the "poor but sexy" German capital? At least the cleverly named lounges have an even cleverer backdoor (and, hey, it's not a poor bus station like Schoenfeld).
Bundling the unbundling: a (great) rant by Alex (Hunter, but Vukolova chimes in, and Paul got confused having two Alex on the show).
Do the Adidas Lufthansa sneakers give you extra status (you can now buy them, unlike the staff limited editions that Paul bought off from an employee a few years ago, in order to pair them with the Family Mart socks he just got).
Condor offers you a branded beer (another Brewdog airline brew!), but also booking your …overhead bin?? (Alex tested it, and we look at everything that could go wrong).
JetBlue and the inaugural massive dog.
The admirable journey out of fear of flying.
Air Astana is amazing, Almaty airport not so much (the former gives you amenity kits, and slippers, in economy, for 3 hours!! The latter does not have free water in its lounge WTF).
Thanks a million to Alex Vukolova for having joined us (and for having waited FOREVER to be on our podcast).
You should follow Alex on LinkedIn (she posts great avgeek stuff!): http://linkedin.com/in/alexandravukolova
On Instagram (Paul messed up her username all this time!!): https://www.instagram.com/avixalex/
Give a listen to her aviation podcast, Sky Lounge: https://podcasts.apple.com/de/podcast/sky-lounge-podcast/id1678045129
And here's the Ladies Beyond Flying group she mentioned: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12451302
(See, there are links in our show notes for once).
Apologies for the audio quality, we had to work around a ton of glitches, and preferred recording than postponing.
See you in the next one! Happy flying!
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Paul tries multiple Italian airports, Alex finally visits the new Istanbul (and flies Turkish for the first time!). The passport blowing border official trick (it doesn't work better than the Super NES cartridge blowing). BA will soon introduce water bottles the size of mini bar vodkas (at least it seems so). The Magical Finnish hippos, another first in a long line of firsts by Finnair. The perma-scaffolding of a rather joyful Birmingham airport. Italian really do duty free differently (from currency to cars). Alex visits what is easily the biggest third party lounge he's ever seen in his life. Tom Cruise runs over the new Midfield Terminal at Abu Dhabi (and of course, WE ARE TOP GUN MAVERICK). When the fast track is in the lounge. Creatively naming the airline Wifi (send us your favorites). Imperial Airways lives on (on the IFE). Luton LOL. Do airlines realize people usually need to have a bag when they fly? Are Ryanair pilots of drinking age? Don’t ask Apple Maps for Bologna Airport.
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Combini, tamago sando, Skyliner, vending machines, ekiben, baseball Suica cards, yes we discuss Japan, where Alex was earlier this summer.
And yes we talk (err, Alex talks) about air travel too, British Airways, Southwest, Hawaiian, ANA, and, drumroll, Zipair — not in that order, and with hops at London Heathrow, San Jose, San Francisco, Tokyo Narita, Osaka Itami, and some shinkansens (and lots of Pocari Sweat, Alex is a fan, Paul isn’t), on a few 787s, a 777 (should have been a 380, but …BA), a 737, a MAX (and Alex has thoughts on that one), and a 717 (a great beat up commuter bus!).
A new acronym for BA, Belated Airways (are they ever on time these days?). JAL used to advertise: we don’t economize in economy, so what about their long haul low cost ZipAir, the “new basic airline”, do they economize? And would you ditch your luggage completely, and rent your clothes at destination, for the duration of your trip? Jerks being jerks, but, really, do you need to complain for hours to no end (aka, the rise of disruptive passengers, Alex had one, could have been two). ANA domestic is like flying United in the 90s, golf highlights included, only announcing turbulences are coming in exactly 30 seconds. Would you rather be clocking in and out of lounges, max duration 30 minutes, or looking at nothing but the Pacific for 10 hours? The beer robot at lounges, the perfect good bye to Japan (or is it the soothing sound of Live ATC?). The two dings, the ominous two dings, they will make robots of people.
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Kyle Potter, Executive Editor at Thrifty Traveler, all-around awesome(ly smart) dude, Hello Kitty enthusiast (well, it's that EVA Air flight, you'll see!), and (very) long time Layovers listener and friend, tells us all about why MSP is the best thing ever, like everything in Minnesota — but also whether cheap travel is still possible in the current era of airfare inflation (yes!), whether passenger rights will ever be a thing in the US (maybe), whether boarding groups will ever be abandoned (forget it). We debate the wilderness where having no status means real freedom (that status, the warm blanket you're sure you need, right?), the crazy valuations of US loyalty programs (and airlines wanted to spin them off? HOW WOULD THEY MAKE MONEY lol, it's as if they're banks that happen to own planes), the devaluation of those programs (non-travel Covid has something to do with it), the importance of alliances and joint ventures in the current air travel era. And yes, for once, we touch upon the world of air miles programs a bit more, and its nearly MLM-esque ecosystem in the USA. As Kyle is a Delta fan (and captive!), we ask him: Why are they so good (that padding!), and how is that new Delta One seat (hint: we're all aligning in saying doors aren't really something we value).
Oh, and ORD doesn't get a lot of love, LOL.
Nearly two hours of great fun, whilst learning quite a bit (Alex and Paul learnt a lot).
You can follow Kyle on Twitter (please do):
https://twitter.com/kpottermn
His writings are on:
https://thriftytraveler.com
Of note, he wrote about the EVA Air Hello Kitty flight he took here:
https://thriftytraveler.com/reviews/flights/15-hours-eva-air-hello-kitty/
and a great guide on how to find cheap travel via Google Flights:
https://thriftytraveler.com/guides/google-flights/
Layovers will return in August (when Alex does).
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We flew to Geneva to record an episode of Attaché (now on YouTube, link below), so how were our flights, and what did we think of the airport (the new C-Gates are excellent, the time at immigration not always). Does too much info add unnecessary travel stress? (Aka Flighty is Paul's IFE of choice in lounges). Is Covid wear and tear a thing? Some aircraft interiors look older than they should. Dublin airport can be frustrating, but it's pretty much forgiven when you can see one of the most famous airplanes in the world next to you. The 380 is an absolute winner in those times of constraints, the 777X could be too (come on, when???), but its new window dimming is what we'll have to settle for now. The new security machines are awesome, unless you shoot film (yes, you know, rolls of film in cameras, the youth won't know what we're talking about), and a photographer friend has some update on that front. Some LCY & Cityflyer love, but "that stupid goddamn piece of crap building that I'm sure is really important to the operation of the airport blocks the view" (HAHAHAHAHA). We both sing in unisson: BA is improving. Undercover flight attendant CEO, whilst Starlux's saves the day (but might get a fine). Did passengers gain weight during Covid? We have the answer (for Europe at least). Apple Vision Pro, the new IFE (Vomit Pro or not?). Remembering Brian Shul.
Lots more stories, from Japan to terminal pubs (morning beer anyone?).
And whilst we always forget to link stuff in those show notes, for sure go watch Attaché with Alex and Paul:
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Do you have a number? The saga of Alex trying to beat boarding time at Lisbon (you won't believe he, of all people, made that mistake). A completely charming SWISS cheese board on-board (and cows in the Zurich airport train). Etihad 2.0 are quietly great, a tasteful experience we appreciate (and flying over the Arabian Gulf is a sight to be seen), plus they're now about making money (err, shouldn't it have been the case since the start?). The "Etihad Lounge, The House of the Name of the House of the Lounge of Etihad and Other Airlines that are associated with us, but not really, and we are a good lounge, Lounge" is no more, but Alex isn't sure where he was anyway. A prescient Careem driver takes Alex to the Midfield Terminal, a mirage in a Star Wars movie (will it finally open this December??), but for the moment, the 1970s airport stays your only choice (T3 was opened in 2009, but feels way older). Saudi Arabia is launching a second flag carrier, and another airline, and expansion of airports, and like wow. Floating at 40'000 feet in silence (but with Flightradar). A new A380 UK-based carrier, are they for real? A lounge within a lounge, but it's Louis Vuitton. Super Mario Bros Warp Zones in Madrid.
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Alex gets lost at JFK T8, only to encounter crazy turbulences over the Atlantic (a future worsening trend). But how did he get there? Finally testing what Paul did in 2021, the Mint Studio — a hope for the future of long haul narrow bodies. Airfare prices are way up from 2019 (more than inflation!), is that temporary, or what prices will be, and should always have been (that's the opinion of AirAsia's founder), so, please, JetBlue, don't Norwegian it! When you call BA, you will get quoted different fees and taxes every time, just keep calling (but who calls in 2023??). Also, DO YOU KNOW WHAT AIRLINE YOU WORK FOR?
Our proposal: play musical chairs in lounges and every five minutes, you have to get up and give somebody else your seat (just keep the ceiling intact, unlike in Paul's sound studio).
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How is it we had never actually done MAD as an episode title? This ends today, however the mad MADrid dash from T4S to T4 never does. Alex has lots to say about BA and it's …not great (he's not alone to think like this). Paul calls it, the better London airport is definitively Gatwick (stop being a wannabe posh by preferring LHR). Lufthansa introduces a grand new First Class, and a super complex Tetris business class with 14+ options (Swiss introduces the same, but in bordeaux). Will Dolomiti be folded into ITA (the ever growing Lufthansa Group realm of the European skies). Emirates is the Apple of airlines, you might not love them but they offer incredible consistency at massive scale, truly admirable (DXB could do with a bit of a refresh though). You know what, you can fly the 747-400 to Palma (BE QUICK, BEFORE THE 744 ERA ENDS).
We mentioned (and promised to link) those two:
See you again for 127, and, in the meanwhile, please give us any feedback on Twitter or Instagram (and Apple Podcasts if you're inclined to give us a nice review).
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The airport you think is overrated, the airport you like, the airport you love, the airport you feel yourself in, the airport you need to visit — play the airport game with us (and feel free to tweet us your answers!).
The new Air France lounge at CDG T2F is beautiful, as can be CDG …when it works (you'll probably need to taxi on a country drive to get there haha).
The new lounges at JFK T8, the new of BA in New York, feel like a success (and clever naming!).
The end of the 747 production line triggers memories for the both of us (a crazy typhoon for Alex, a cramped Combi for Paul, a sense of place for both).
A renewed joie de vivre by flying Air France (is Transavia the legitimate child of KLM though?).
Flying the OG Norwegian, riding the good old Acela, and a French guillotine in the 777.
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Friend of the show, and very long time listener (since episode 1!), Hakan Yılmaz, aka @LAFlyr on Twitter, grew up wanting to go early at the airport to see the planes, and collect avgeek paraphernalia, and never stopped being a kid, by still going early to the airport to see the planes, and a career that led him to American Airlines, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Atlas, etc., with millions of miles under his belt, and tons of stories to share — from the admirable rise of Turkish Airlines (fascinating SAS story on the invention of the hub and spoke model), to the celebrity stories at Virgin (do you carry money when traveling but nothing else? Or lots of LV luggage instead? Reach out to us!), from over-complicating airline operations (which airline is it, do you reckon?) to the uncomplicated life as loyalty programs free agents (the three of us are becoming so, though it's a mental fight to let go), we geek out and rant and laugh, we get the in and outs of LAX (that's Hakan's pun), and thank you all for still listening to us in 2023.
Follow Hakan on Twitter: @LAFlyr
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Ed Parsons, the Google Maps guy, is our guest today. He's heard the Concorde prototype noise as a kid, flown on the Concorde before it got retired, explored all the Concordes in existence around the world since — a true fan — and we discuss it all, from the history to the conspiracy theories, to a certain nostalgia about a future that's now in the past.
He is also a GGL, Gold Guest List, the (almost) top tier British Airways status, which gives him access to the exclusive Concorde Rooms (yes, there's more than one), and we learn about more the extra perks, whilst we discuss the not-exactly-great state of current BA, and Heathrow.
Ed tells us about the many Air Shows he's toured (and photographed!), and of the amazing BRR beach airport (Otter it is, but no Maldives temperatures). Thank you SO MUCH, Ed!
You can find Ed on:
https://www.edparsons.com
https://twitter.com/edparsons
And check his photographs on:
https://photos.edparsons.com
https://www.instagram.com/edparsons/
Thank you all for your graciousness in 2022, we love having you as listeners.
Happy New Year, and see you in 2023!!
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Alex has a joyful experience to Oslo with Norse Atlantic Airways (he flies to Stockholm too, the Nordics know how to handle snow, whilst the UK clearly doesn't). Finland sees record traffic to meet Santa Claus, whilst Air Greenland celebrates a new 330neo. France says NO short haul flights, the EU says YES to mobile networks in flight, the UK says NO MORE to liquid security limits. Doha opens a massive new airport garden, says Singapore stole their idea. Can someone remember Florence Airport, or Pisa Airport, for us? (The Pisa lounge is miserable, no need to tell Paul). Is there a fast track trick at Heathrow transfers? The revolution: a lounge with a nacho cheese dispenser!!
Be excellent to each other.
(We covered Oslo OSL in episode 032, and Stockholm ARN in episode 99)
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"What are you going to Saudi Arabia for?" asked the puzzled flight attendant — Paul was flying to Jeddah, to then drive 8 hours, to reach one of the places of his dreams: the Nabataeans tombs of Al-'Ula. From sand to copper, the massive new Jeddah terminal is impressive, and big, and really big, and has the highest airport tower in the world, and they even built an …aquarium (!?)
No champagne, broken seat and flimsy IFE — is Emirates still what it used to be? (Yes, and no).
An X never marks the spot, how travel is about dealing with ambiguity too (and …“we named the dog Indiana”).
(Yes, we talk about the World Cup too)
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Alex needed to be in Quebec City, so he obviously flew to Montreal — that made him try Air Transat (is that a controversial airline, Canadian friends?). Our friend Greg sadly never got to fly WestJet however …and Paul still hasn't been to Canada. Qatar is getting ready for a massive amount of daily shuttle flights for the FIFA World Cup (1.5 million fans expected, they're a country of barely 3m!). IAG wants Avios to go beyond BA and QR, but would any other airline be really interested? No AirTags allowed: Lufthansa wants to be left alone losing your luggage. Virgin and Alaska are fighting over a trademark that isn't being used (huh?). Virgin does a Upper First class with the Retreat Suite on the 330-900neo, a perfect bed for Presidents and Prime Ministers ;-)
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Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, three cities, three cultures, and three airports that correspond them well — Paul flies in and around Pakistan (flying out was not a given on one of those trips!). The retro liveries of PIA and QR. Japan opens up on October 11th, ticket prices skyrocket, also as the USD rises against pretty much every other currency, making flying more expensive to many. The NOTAMs for the Queen passing (LGW went full radio silent!). United and Emirates integrate, and Virgin finally joins SkyTeam. Alex gets plusgraded to Upper Class (just after a status match, HOW DOES HE DO IT?!)
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No, the other La Paz — the Southern/Baja California Alex Hunter 2022 Tour, with Megan as a VERY supporting avgeek act (aka Alex is the supporting act, Megan is the star, but you all knew that already). Emirates refreshes its fleet on a crazy tight clockwork upgrade schedule. Air France reveals its PORTE FRANCAISE* business seats (*French door). Lufthansa loses a star, and its general shine in a summer of strikes and chaos (those Philippines Airlines aircrafts won't be enough, guys). Don't try to smuggle McMuffins in Australia, even if you had to wait hours to no end in Bali. No more fuel after United taxies EWR for 9.5 hours (is that worse or better than Vueling?). Yes, yes, Paul knows, it was a 350 on the pic he posted on Instagram, not a Dreamliner (he's going to hear about this until the end of time, won't he?).
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Alex lives and sweats the travel chaos, trying to get to Valencia with Vueling (what was he thinking?!) with an epic (FAIL) journey that ended up with Easyjet saving the day. Paul develops some Apple AirTag anxiety. The A380 is back with a vengeance, though Tim Clark wishes he had a two-engine 380, or a 350-2000, or anything BIG (meanwhile his ticket prices are soaring faster than aircrafts). COVID is kinda back too (it never left) but the travel world won't use that C-word to not jinx it all. Alitalia pilots mistake JFK for Naples at rush hour. No more BA livery in South Africa after the demise of Comair, but BA has more issues to think about for now (ground personnel strikes, fuel delivery strikes, and more strikes, on top of staff shortages). Also, in which country is Corsica?
Enjoy nearly two hours of #avgeek stories between Alex and Paul — not sure when we'll record next, Alex being in holidays, but hopefully sometime before end-July.
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Brace brace brace, travel chaos ahead — from staff shortages, to strikes, to supply chain issues, to a global recession, it's going to be a messy year (and more) ahead. The mess will however make for an interesting wet-lease global puzzle (Mel Air for Air Nostrum as Iberia??), and the experience of using buses instead of airplanes (not sure how we think about that one). Tim Clark is becoming increasingly impatient with the ever-expanding delays at Boeing, and Al Baker wishes he didn't have to put the 380s back in service (that makes us happy!). Alex sleeps his way to Bogota and back, and tells us all about flying to Medellin. Also, did you know there's a 747 parked in Valencia airport that has racked up over 200 million Euros in fines? And that there's a Pret Index?
The turbulence forecast website is: https://turbli.com
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A Round the World conversation with our friend Mark Vanhoenacker for the launch of his new book 'Imagine a City, A Pilot Sees the World', a sequel to 'Skyfaring'.
We talk about our love for cities, the small ones of our birth, the big ones of our dreams, the ones visited once (even only at the airport), the ones we feel home at, the ones that shine bright, afar from an aircraft window or from a walk on their streets.
We even geek out on public transport (including the Yamanote Line, whilst Alex isn't sold on the Elizabeth Line haha).
Mark also tells us about moving from his beloved 747 to the 787 (we ask: why that one?), and the strange feeling of flying through the pandemic (for British Airways, if you didn't know it already).
We also go through some fire alarm (thrice) and decide to stay put, after all, it had been 2.5 years Alex and Paul hadn't seen each other in person, and nearly 5 (!) years since we had last had a beer with Mark (yes, we went to a pub after this recording).
Learn more about the Imagine A City on Mark's website: http://markvanhoenacker.com/imagine-a-city
And buy the book on Amazon, Waterstones and in any good bookstore — it's a must for travelers, we both can attest to that! (US friends, you'll have to wait until July 2022!).
Listen to our previous conversations with Mark:
060 to Nairobi NBO
040 to London Heathrow LHR
And follow Mark on Twitter: @markv747
See in our next episode, whenever that is (Alex goes to Medellin, Paul to Karachi, Lahore, and Corsica, but 116 MDE it will be, PAUL IS VERY JEALOUS).
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From sunset to sunrise: Virgin Atlantic to the Caribbean and back, Paul is finally no longer a Virgin virgin. Flying from SLU over St Lucia, its Pitons, in an Airbus Helicopter (well, Aerosptiale). The (mysterious) Cathay white liveries. The 777X is delayed for the 500th time. Who's flying the Air France 777?
Also, Paul has an echo, Alex has trees being trimmed — just pretend those sound artefacts are aircraft engines :-)
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Emirates, Emirates and more Emirates, in First, in Business, on 380s or 777s. To Male and seaplanes for Alex, to Dubai with a blank at deplaning for Paul. But also some SWISS (the savior), some BA (when it's not cancelled), the new longest route in the world (who's currently flying it??), the QR Airbus saga, Athens airport (Alex, not Paul, this time!) and more. And yes, Alitalia, because it was never going to be ITA, wasn't it?
Thank you all for still listening to us, everyone, we REALLY do appreciate all the love.
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We're back, Alex having taken the time to hack a 747 seat belt sign, Paul having played too much Airportle. We talk about the non-reclining business class from Finnair (it's divise, but we think it might be a winner), the new Qatar Q suite which isn't a Q suite, and the big winner of this pandemic world: premium economy (non-operable seats notwithstanding haha). Whilst there's no love between Airbus and QR, there is love in our show: Paul with the JetBlue Mint Studio (but where's the butter!??), and Alex with, well, just listen to the show (hint: he flew to SFO for 3 hours and back). And much more, for nearly two hours (post-credits included).
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Alex tours the US, from Denver to San Francisco to Las Vegas to Oakland to Hawaii, and gets to experience his first 737MAX, and the Great Pacific (aka lyrically talking about ZOA KZAK Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center). We discuss the state of travel in this weird era, not yet post-Covid, still pandemic-ish but not yet endemic, a weird middle where international flying is depressed, but with clearer skies ahead for some.
We're back (again!), still in a live format, thanks everyone for your kind comments since our last recording, you're the BEST!
We mentioned Sherpa, the tool to learn about travel restriction: https://apply.joinsherpa.com/travel-restrictions
And this book, Pacific, by Simon Winchester, about the Pacific Ocean: http://www.simonwinchester.com/pacific
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Alex gets cancelled (not him, the flight!). Duty free to nowhere (and no good pricing anyway). No kidnap fee, a new product by Ryanair. Plague terminal at LHR. Amber, the color of confusion. Genomics quarantine. Digital health visas (aka Covid passports, what a silly name). The travel bubble that refuses to happen. BOOM, our supersonic hopes, the PR reality. The timing of corporate travel taking off. Chicken broth cocktail (try it!).
Recorded live, no edits, with a pinch of static (but hey, adequate for an airplane-like PA experience).
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Alex outsmarts a diversion, using all the on-air WiFi.
Paul talks Scrabble (he clearly spent too much time on the ground).
Flights to nowhere and airplane food to your door are not for us, even if it's BA First.
2 Boeing 2 Airbus, Pandemic Drift.
ITA, Italy's Troublesome Arrangement (we've come up with a better acronym in the episode).
The Singapore Airlines 380 First STEAMPUNK experience, before all the 380s disappeared.
Recorded live, no edits, aka "podcast vérité" (or whatever you call Paul being too lazy to edit this).
The episode is 2 hours, folks, press Pause for a Kit Kat.
(DIVERSION isn't an IATA airport code, we googled it for you ;-))
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Paul and Alex meet again. They haven't seen each other in a year.
Recorded live, no edits, no music, no notes.
Mentioned in the show: Seat 1A podcast, episode 038, with Paul
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Flight 107. We might have been in a Golden Age of travel, and didn't see it — it's now time to reflect, and think about the next one, a different one, with perhaps more friction, and certainly some pain in the process. From the economical hurt, the airlines at risk, to the new borders to travel (green zones versus red zones of infection?), from health as the new visa to less interaction (more automation?), all the travel futures we might see. For now, we're in this together. The World won't stay closed. We will fix this. — Follow us, and comment on: Instagram - Bluesky - Threads - Mastodon - Twitter/X Comment on each episode, and rate us, on Spotify Review, and rate us, on Apple Podcasts Comment, like, review, and rate us, on Facebook Comment on YouTube (there's no video, just audio!) Search for "Layovers" on any podcast service (some direct links are on our website) If we're missing one, or if you have any feedback, let Paul know on Instagram - Threads - Mastodon - Bluesky - Twitter/X
Flight 106. The 2020 Virus Crash, the world is shutting down, no one is flying — this could become the biggest downturn ever in aviation history and perhaps the biggest global recession since World War II (we certainly do not hope so, we all need to beat this damn Covid-19!). Our thoughts are with all the people in the wider travel industry. Tons of airlines are now at risk around the globe, with bankruptcies and bailouts a certainty, following absolutely massive drops in demand, insane border closures (those are accelerating, and it's only the start), routes suspensions at an unprecedented scale, forced quarantines, fear and uncertainty. But hey, come on, we have good upbeat stories for you (airline bunk beds are a thing!), flight reviews (that turbulent landing!), and, as always, a good banter. Cheer up, keep healthy — we will get through this.
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Flight 105. Everything you wanted to know (or not know) about the coronavirus (aka Covid19, Sars2, or World War Z) and its short-term effects on the world of air travel — from the hassles to the precaution to think about.
Followed by the fan episode, with longtime listeners Elizabeth, Ed & Dan. Two out of three agree FRA is a disaster (not Elizabeth haha). The Heathrow volunteer program. The battle of the travel apps (and the bizarre TripIt strategy, and UX, as Dan knows very well!). Do you want to win a Dreamliner? Can the BA 350 fly really long routes? SWISS introduces an airline …scent (WTF). American Google translate (and we were hosted at Google, thank you Ed!!!). Ed has seen the future: a robot barista! Someone's been at Southend airport (Elizabeth!). Is there such a thing as too close a livery between airlines? Business premium (no that's not First!) on the Lufthansa 777X. Saving private FlyBe. Willie Walsh leaves IAG. And more avgeekery!
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Flight 104. The cheese cubes and hummus episode, with Doug Zschoche, aka OfficerWayFinder: everything you ever wanted to know about why flyers love Delta so much.
What it is to fly the KC-10, the flying gas station, and to play with flight simulators (the serious ones!) around the US.
Who owns the window? Airbus goes 787 dimming, and pulls a book (too many scandals?).
A 737 MAX update, from revelations, crazy quotes to management reshuffle (what will come first: the re-certification or BER actually opening?).
The future of alliances (not disappearing, but there are other ways).
KLM retires its 747 and Qatar goes train (buses will be the way to go in the US).
Delta introduces Iron Man, a multi-view screen at DTW, some jet fuel over schools, and promises more flexibility.
The A220 will get stretched (900? 1000??), though no single pilot planes are on the horizons.
Paul chose the wrong lounge at MSP (yes, he actually did go!), thanks to Doug for letting him know.
LISTEN AND SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEXT TRIP PODCAST (seriously, they release faster than we do).
Also, this is our 5th anniversary, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING SO LOYAL ALL THOSE YEARS, EVERYONE.
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Flight 103. It's always fish, chicken, beef and lasagna, airplane food, airport food and more food: airline Christmas menus, First class samplings, FRA hunger games, fake meat, Air Yoshinoya. The healthiest US trays, the best global airline for your taste buds. The Bali pigs could lead to the next airline epidemic, its epicenter actually being US catering. From airline beers (yes) to jet lag powder drinks (nope). The lizards übermensch that took over the hidden bowels of Denver airport (and haunt United's lavatories).— Follow us, and comment on: Instagram - Bluesky - Threads - Mastodon - Twitter/X Comment on each episode, and rate us, on Spotify Review, and rate us, on Apple Podcasts Comment, like, review, and rate us, on Facebook Comment on YouTube (there's no video, just audio!) Search for "Layovers" on any podcast service (some direct links are on our website) If we're missing one, or if you have any feedback, let Paul know on Instagram - Threads - Mastodon - Bluesky - Twitter/X
Flight 102. Paul reviews the BA Club Suite (no door was hurt in the making of this podcast). Alex and the secrets of meeting rockstars in flight (mark them down!). The A380 misunderstanding: it should live on (and don't listen to the French, they just strike anyway). United will decide your fate: dark side or light side of the Force (United also ghost Force'd Munoz). Food pan pan, coffee pan pan, but chocolate delight (edible cup though?). BLLegoland. Paul kneels down in front of Madrid e-gates (they don't work) whilst Alex believes it being a social experiment: it's truly mad MAD (and a new fortress by IAG). Boeing will soon sell a negative number of planes. Hong Kong airlines lives to see another day, Avatar airlines might never be born (low-cost 744s, really?). Tim Clark has had enough of beta-testing aircrafts. DFW innovates, a lot, but it's still not sexy (Alex's posh voice however...)— Follow us, and comment on: Instagram - Bluesky - Threads - Mastodon - Twitter/X Comment on each episode, and rate us, on Spotify Review, and rate us, on Apple Podcasts Comment, like, review, and rate us, on Facebook Comment on YouTube (there's no video, just audio!) Search for "Layovers" on any podcast service (some direct links are on our website) If we're missing one, or if you have any feedback, let Paul know on Instagram - Threads - Mastodon - Bluesky - Twitter/X
Flight 101. Everything you wanted to know about Emirates future. Vietnam Airlines has pizza, 350s, 20 million fines and some undefined (but good) meat. The 777X wings are automated. Lufthansa mulls rebranding its program Miles & Less (meaning, the new program rules are stupid). Aeromexico noise, can it be damped by the PowerBeats Pro (or pretending to be on the phone to enter the DXB First Class lounges?). KUL was hacked (they say they haven't, but come on…) time to call BA's IT department :-)). Seeing Ha Long Bay with a Cessna Gran Caravan hybrid seaplane (hint: Paul fell in love in Vietnam). 400000 miles for a cat. Carbon taxes are becoming a trend. Berlin has an opening date (YEAH RIGHT). Norwegian lands at Heathrow, or is it JetBlue? Catch me if you can at DEL. Quote of the month: being dragged in a washing machine backwards. — Follow us, and comment on: Instagram - Bluesky - Threads - Mastodon - Twitter/X Comment on each episode, and rate us, on Spotify Review, and rate us, on Apple Podcasts Comment, like, review, and rate us, on Facebook Comment on YouTube (there's no video, just audio!) Search for "Layovers" on any podcast service (some direct links are on our website) If we're missing one, or if you have any feedback, let Paul know on Instagram - Threads - Mastodon - Bluesky - Twitter/X
Flight 100. To all of you, thank you so much for tuning in repeatedly, we couldn't have done any of this without your help, your feedback, your reviews, your comments, your corrections, your criticisms (and yes, Delta fans, we're again on your case in this episode haha), your photos and incredible stories you share back with us. Thank you whether you started listening last week or in 2015, whether you always listen, or just once in a while. Thank you as well for bearing with us between episode releases at times, we know we often test the limits of your patience ;-) Thank you also to all of you who came to say hi in airports, lounges, and planes, we always appreciate it (Alex will have his resting bitch face, Paul will have his stupid noise cancelling earbuds, but do come forward, we'll both smile and chat). Thank you for your enthusiasm and your friendship. We appreciate you. Much love to all from Alex and Paul. Happy flying
Flight 099. Airways, the board game & softball, an avgeek game. Food galore, from the AirMos burger manual to the LHR AA chorizo hot dog, to the not-really-parisian Admirals baguette. UA Polaris confusion and AA absent service (ok, more like hit-and-miss): Paul and Alex compare their US travels (there's also AeroMexico, JetBlue, and Paul flies the longest possible AA route with a pajama). From windows shades (down) to wearing shades at facial boarding (and we debate facial recognition at airports around the world and how we feel about it all). Is the US mobile passport worth it? How to spot you're in a 757: the fierce take off, and interior pieces falling off. Paul has his best flight since we started recording, on Qatar in a Q Suite, and then gets baffled by an epic customer service delight in Doha. What would you do with 28 million, buy the Japanese Air Force One 747 of fly the new ANA seats (with a MASSIVE HUGE SCREEN) continuously for the rest of your life? Stockholm ARN secrets: the underground lake that warms and cools the airport, and the transfer trick between T5 and T2. Betsy is back in a very cool beer can.
—
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Flight 098. Shinkansen Gran Class, Four Seasons Mexico and Popeye Chicken sandwich, are we still an aviation podcast? The Eagle's Nest at LAX. Aer Pluto Lingus. SFO goes stupid with plastic. The 777x decompressed explosively. The 737 MAX is still wingless. Alex gets BA at the top of their game for an almost-diverted flight. NRT gets e-gates and Tokyo will get aircrafts over it (point your finger at HND). Qatar insists on business buses. Norwegian could get WOWd. WOW is reborn by the way of a Le Carre enigma. Paul finally flies AA, loves the B&O headphones. ANA goes BONX (and Alex goes ANA). Delevingne coffee at Heathrow. AA illogical re-re-refits. We meet listeners, thank you so much everyone (and for your patience!). Extraordinary times in Hong Kong, at HKG and for Cathay. Is Detroit DTW our #1 US airport? A magnificent Livermore Fest.
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Flight 097. The TWA hotel is everything we wanted. Long haul narrowbodies, a new old debate. USB-A versus USB-C, a new new debate (we just want good power!). Delta goes all in for good economy food, the US goes all in for the Open Skies (fifth freedoms, please!!). The cool Virgin Pride flight. The not very cool alone-in-the-dark-forgotten-by-Air-Canada experience. The under water 747 (and a few others to dive into, pun intended). The Brussels airport Stella, the 747 Microsoft simulator cockpit (that's one option), the PW2000 engine BBQ. American retires its MD80 and Qantas goes domestic for the end of its 747s. The cheap ERJs and the gone CRJ. What is the S in A321S (not SSSS, that's another story). The new Istanbul has Segway wheelchairs and some surprising live indoor mapping help. Uber chooses Melbourne for its VTOL trials (no FREE-something stupid rebrand) and MEL goes 3 runways (with a wind situation). Singapore extends the A380, but Air France will not (AT ALL). The passing of Continental (this time for good), and the passing of the father of Airbus (what a man, what a legacy!).
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Flight 096. Emirates fleet rejigging, 787 trashing, and basic business. The airport Lambo is nicer than the new Air Force One. What's in a name, MAX or no MAX, and other Boeing decisions. IAG steals the Paris Air Show PR. The A321XLR is amongst us. After beers and whisky, BA goes sparkling. What does Embraer actually stands for (it's a fun one). Space Jet gets a mystery sale. Do you need a door in your seats? Qantas retires its 747, pushes the 380 to its end. The Sunrise 4th zone, after the cabin, cockpit and lavatories, it's not a cargo nightclub. The LHR expansion finally revealed (for 2070 surely). A Turkish seat malfunction (the switches are amazing). The bespoke Airbus lettering (made by hand?). Germany blocks Norway (well, a Norwegian 737 MAX, haha). Lufthansa will also price its business seats. SkyTrax announces its 457th awards of the year (Qatar and Singapore are on top). A new way to enjoy Cathay First. The new IST is a big bet but impresses.
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Flight 095. EVA bakes pizza. Finnair does whisky. Airbus goes 50. Uber goes NY copter. Alex flies to South Africa, misplaces stuff (angry breakfast and angry lounge shower follow). Paul flies the Q Suite to Singapore, marvels at the Jewel waterfall (rain vortex!). United goes green. AF/KLM goes V plane. Alex survives a chipped E190 with rocky suspensions to Toronto. Paul falls in love with Singapore Airlines (again!) but damages a bin. The future of Changi T5. The A220 becomes enhanced. De Havilland is back. Introducing the MRJ CRJ Space Jet (or something). VIP Terminals. Paul flies EVA, loves the lounge pizza, the rest, well… Alex gets a crush on Toronto. Why YYZ?
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Flight 094. Niki Lauda the legend who pushed death aside. Beers and more beers: Betsy makes a come back, BA adds a secret First Class bottled beer, and more on the Speedbird 100 (toilet clog, anyone?). From Nando's to Taco Bell, zeitgeist food in travel (and debating whether there is one or two Michelin star airport restaurants worldwide). BA goes whisky, JetBlue opts for treason (I mean, Pepsi, really?). United goes Spiderman, Avianca and women liveries. Alex flies the SWISS 77W, in 7A (Paul's favorite seat), but gets his wifi gobbled up (and Paul offers a trick to avoid paying for Swiss throne seats, and how to get an F experience on the cheap). None of us get thrown out of a plane (but one stupid passenger did in NZ, good!). Iberia measures your carry-on in augmented reality, and we measure the worst Aeroflot 1492 surviving passenger. Delta tests free wifi for all, no matter the seat back IFE comeback, and MUC tests what AMS already offers, seamless X-ray scanning. Cathay Move Beyond business, and attempts to move beyond a very murky HNA / HK Express situation (Alex wants to never move beyond the HK theme park however). Boeing fails to regain trust, whilst the 737 MAX is still thrustless. Google's superapp, Amazon's supperairport (and flight search!). Qatar reshuffles its fleet (and hates the 340, yay!) and goes Canada whilst Etihad goes Serbia. The South American game, some losers, some winners (a Ryanair of LatAm). Paul flies to a WeChat airport (in the midst of removing paper strips in its tower). The incredible LY001 747 history, along with a record that will never be broken. The TLV security measures, past and present, from VIP to sheruts.
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Flight 093. Paul sounds like a robot (sorry, guys), Alex sounds authoritative (he's always right, no?). The BA Speedbird 100 beer (when need Glen to assess it!). Some on-board pop that foams too much (Alex is the worst passenger). On-board food: increasing portions, farm-to-plane, rooftop potatoes. After the on-board food: the toilet to passenger ratio revealed (but also how to cram gold in a lavatory). Don't get too much on-board food: getting weighted to board (do the 7 layers of clothing count?). The future of ISL Ataturk and Mexico's airports (and BER, the Fyre Festival of airports). The tricky category C airports in Europe, Innsbruck, LCY and others that require special training (and specific technologies). The continuing acts of customer experience contritions by BA (afraid of JetBlue maybe?) and United (but it goes only so far). JAL really did name its low cost Zip Air Tokyo (and used Word to create the logo). The best Priority Pass lounges awards. Tons of feedback. And the uncertain future of the Sukhoi Superjet 100, after the sad tragedy.
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Flight 092. Alex loves Innsbruck 3000. Paul loves running in CDG 3000. We adore the new TWA infinity edge pool 3000. We love the new United livery 3000. We love tiny airports that behave like big ones, 3000. We love the BA coronation chicken 3000, the best shot haul airplane food in Europe. We love Emirates and Qantas IFE data 3000, and luxury brands love Emirates 3000. We're fascinated by the post Jet Airways Indian market, 3000. We do not love United crew who resell ticket, Emirates First passengers who steal bottles, or Cathay staff who steal cutlery, 3000. We're intrigued by the Japanese low-cost market, 3000, baffled at the Hong Kong Airlines infighting, 3000, and by the Taiwan airline heirs saga, 3000. Lufthansa loves Europe 3000. We're aghast at the Boeing Charleston revelations (3000?). We wish the US3 would actually stop whining, 3000. The new Japan era isn't 3000. United, 3000, Avengers, assemble …what? Yeah, Paul should really stop with those bad Endgame puns in those notes …3000.
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Flight 091. Warning, doesn't contain images of any aircraft in distress. BA pizza app delivery to Lagos (so many questions!). Risk of cheese smell upon landing at Moscow DME (does that make immigration go faster?). Virgin Atlantic unveils a half door (but it has nice colors). Paul flies BA First with round buttons (but fix that 789 IFE remote for Pete's sakes!!). Alex bids his Etihad way up (just to be jarred by the backward seating). JetBlue announces the worsts-kept secret in the industry: it's coming to Europe (and we devise their winning strategy for LCY). Flying in style: in-flight bars or lounges (more precisely, being alone or not). The DME Navigator lounge seat Paul and Alex fight over. The New Istanbul looks grandiose (congrats! And thank you for our ever-incredible listeners for the pictures just after opening). Ethiopia overtakes DXB (kinda) and DWC decides to wait for the Heathrow's third runway (kinda again). Grand Stansted Tour hilarious rant. Why is Jet Airways even trying anymore? We can't avoid discussing the 737 MAX. And DEL, well, we'll let you judge…
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Flight 090. BA flies to the wrong destination (Ryanair mocks, but did worse) and introduces its shortest hop ever. WOW is gone, Jet Airways is close to be gone, but StarLux goes bold. AMS has a direct view on the luggage delivery system (WHAT?!). Astana is no more (just the name of the city, we recorded 079 just at the right time!). Cathay buys Hong Kong Express (did we call it?). ANA gets its first A380, and a very cute one. The Russia 860-seater double-decker escalator-filled plane that never was (but engineers designed folding wing tips). The Irkut MC-21 flies to compete with the 320/737. Qantas mulls crazy ideas for its ultra long haul flights (but, really, a space to stretch our legs is all we'd hope for). The LHR hawk is so smart (the Singapore stowaway too?). Cool flight deck stories at Delta (family goals!) and JetBlue (PA goals!). More to the 737 story. The RIX airfield that you can't miss. And yes, BA introduce the Club Suite …what do we think?
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Flight 089. The Ethiopian disaster, the 737 MAX grounding and aftermath. A dress, a baby and a stupid passenger enter aircrafts, who gets tasered? (Not the red badge!) Lufthansa fights skiplagging, on-boards doctors (amazing program!!), ditches four engines aircrafts (and Airbus is buying the 380 back!) The best wine and champagne in the sky (but where is Emirates?) Random AirDrop, the new in-flight game. United prepares a new globe (be careful, it's delicate!) and BA unveils its last vintage livery. Cathay eyes HK Express (and we eye the HKG Qantas lounge). Do not ever fly the SAS A340 LN-RKP (it sucks). Be careful with iPad stands that look like a knife (Paul knows). Air Astana keeps Diet Coke refrigerated just for Alex, whilst Paul embarks on a depiction of the sky color of beautiful Astana, Alex rocks the jacket on a (limo)bike whilst Paul explains fuel hedging — Paul clearly needs to up his game to catch up with being Alex cool.
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Flight 088. The end of the A380. Color printing is key to enter MEX. The new world of electronic authorizations of travel. The delicate art and science of aircraft forecasting (and everybody gets it wrong). The real prices of aircrafts. Rolls-Royce is losing a ton of money. Toulouse, both a name and a city. Wings can't be red anymore. Alex flies to SFO, or at least tries to, gets humiliated on the way before experiencing a comedy of errors. Paul flies to SFO via the long route, navigating the bowels of DXB, not sure his luggage would ever follow. Process versus experience, comparing two fantastic airlines, Emirates and Cathay. Did Cathay steal the Lufthansa seats at SFO? Alex tries Aeromexico and flies over the cancelled new MEX. SFO gets an observation deck, only for Star Alliance, which might mean Etihad too soon. Air France and KLM need couple counseling. Paul gets mistaken for Jason Bourne.
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Flight 087. The beeping T-shirt, A Star Wars Story. Paul falls in love with Ethiopian, reviews Asiana and JAL. IAG gives up on Norwegian. WOW has no more wow. FlyBe might be saved. NRT celebrates 40, expands new signage, offers no-nonsense security, but no more whisky. JAL's First shoe shine service. A snow globe crashes. The never-ending 787 Trent story: ANA incident, Norwegian replacements. BA announces 747 retirement plans (it's SOON!). FRA is building a new terminal (more stupid layouts?). Premium business, and more fare segmentation. Alcohol makes people dangerously stupid: a JAL pilot arrested and fired, a passenger hijacks an Aeroflot 737, and WestJet sues intoxicated passenger for diversion (we're rooting for WestJet!). BA plays the wrong track.
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Flight 086. Remembering Herb Kelleher, how he changed the aviation world, his legacy, his lessons, his arm wrestling. The Miracle of the Hudson, as witnessed by Alex. FRA comes to its senses and asks passengers to not come to the airport. Tipping flight attends, for or against? United loves Pacific Blue, Premium Purple, Atlantic Amethyst, and Apple. Cook your own United food. Is there always a doctor in the plane? Gulf Air goes "boutique", British Airways goes vintage, Aer Lingus goes non-sense, S7 stays a very bright green horse. No fancy dressing, no noise, no food liberation, the lounge etiquettes. The last B727 passenger flight. Will the A220-500 be built in the USA? The US shutdown effects, from security lapses to Delta not getting its A220s, to pizza deliveries. The Amadeus exploit, no seat or the ATR oxygen, what's the worse safety lapse? With QR getting full EU access, should BA move to Qatar post-Brexit? BCN uses MS Paint to create the worse e-gates in the world. Does drone geofencing work? Do McNuggets in lounge work? Our best 2018 flight memory (cheeky and charming, maybe?).
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Flight 085. HKG gates numbers, HKG electronic security, HKG landside shopping — a ton of HKG minutiae. A220 dividers debate, A220 sales success, A220 charcuterie board — a ton of A220 ingredients. MNL safety lapses, MNL domestic adventure, MNL abandoned Xiamen 737 — a ton of MNL mischief. Boeing longest range, Boeing sci-fi wing, Boeing Norwegian Iran jam — a ton of Boeing scores. Brexit IAG headache, Brexit German Rolls-Royce, Brexit remote stand — a ton of Brexit nonsense. BA turbulence fear, CX turbulence coffee gimbal, China high terrain — a ton of turbulence dread. LGW drone hysteria, LHR drone stoppage, eagles drone intercept — a ton of drone frenzy. LX cancellation, LH delays, FRA bus strike — a ton of stupidity. A Beech H18, Dan Dan Mien, the China Coast Pub — a ton of elegant delights.
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00:00 - Introduction, a Hunter family historical event
02:07 - Will Hunter: why Boston, past aviation career
09:12 - Safe 2017, soiling United, in flight ice-cream
17:21 - JFK bomb cyclone
23:43 - Ground handling revealed
31:11 - ANA bonus passenger, names mixup, Ryanair fast exit
40:46 - Worst airports, airport business models, MNL handouts
54:25 - Emirates 777 First, New Google Flights, Alaska Timbers
1:03:58 - BOS
1:10:24 - Next flights, DEN, Mastication Nation
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00:00 - Introduction
01:18 - Reviews, questions, window blinds, Star Wars planes
12:48 - Snowpocalypse, airline early warnings, Milan Linate
35:27 - The United verdict, Channel 9, Polaris, EWR
56:42 - United 747 amenity kit
New 747 Amenity Kits on United Airlines - Live and Let's Fly
1:00:26 - Business of lounges, smart luggage ban, fees disclosure
1:08:19 - St Petersburg airport, layovers through Russia
1: 16:38 - A380 Christmas tree (air freshener)
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00:00 - Introduction
01:43 - Emirates new super First, virtual windows, new business & coach
21:37 - Alex's wife asks why they don't fly Emirates more
26:32 - Emirates buys Dreamliners
** 32:22 - Qatar buys into Cathay, Italy ambitions**
** 40:00 - Singapore offers hotel rooms in the sky**
** 46:39 - No 380 secondary market, 777 was the real revolution**
** 51:10 - AF 380 uncontained engine failure, repatriation strategy**
** 57:22 - Airbus artful acquisition of Bombardier CS, massive 320neo order**
** 1:03:26 - Alex flies to LED, Attache, Paul flies to TIA, Bruce Dickinson book**
** 1:09:33 — Alex spots a drone on final
** 1:15:33 - BQH, flying private**
** 1:20:48 - Conclusion, next flights**
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00:00 - Introduction
01:43 - Emirates new super First, virtual windows, new business & coach
21:37 - Alex's wife asks why they don't fly Emirates more
26:32 - Emirates buys Dreamliners
** 32:22 - Qatar buys into Cathay, Italy ambitions**
** 40:00 - Singapore offers hotel rooms in the sky**
** 46:39 - No 380 secondary market, 777 was the real revolution**
** 51:10 - AF 380 uncontained engine failure, repatriation strategy**
** 57:22 - Airbus artful acquisition of Bombardier CS, massive 320neo order**
** 1:03:26 - Alex flies to LED, Attache, Paul flies to TIA, Bruce Dickinson book**
** 1:09:33 — Alex spots a drone on final
** 1:15:33 - BQH, flying private**
** 1:20:48 - Conclusion, next flights**
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00:00 - Introduction
02:01 - Layovers fan mail, reviews, headphones
11:10 - Ryanair chaos, pilots shortages, Norwegian
25:57 - Air Berlin, Etihad retreat, ownership rules, China, EU structure
38:29 - PIT non-flyer access, Pan Am nostalgia, global security
43:42 - British Airways' future, comparing it to LH or B6
1:07:57 - MRS airport
1:12:53 - Conclusion, next flights
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00:00 - Introduction
01:11 - How To Land A Plane
16:31 - Take-offs or landings?
24:19 - Mark's first 747 landing
31:12 - Flight simulator
34:01 - The climates of RUH, DFW, PHX
37:53 - Will Mark leave the 747 for the 787?
45:50 - Training for the 320
48:38 - Airplane!
50:47 - NBO
53:59 - Watching over SDU, Decide v Minimums
56:23 - Buy the book, 747, Skyfaring photo gallery
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00:00 - Introduction
01:14 - Alex's generally fine BA experience, disgusting seat
02:51 - 787 dimmable windows, night flight policies, food timing
15:41 - The Asian super-airports, China's rise
23:41 - Qantas ULR routes, DXB abandonment, PR seat
32:14 - Paul goes to MNL with Emirates and Cathay
33:58 - Rerouting: EK versus BA
36:14 - The Emirates experience, seat history, old CX 777
41:23 - Tighter security, the two-class EK 380, LGW
44:27 - E-gates: the bad LHR, the good LGW, the outstanding FCO
47:41 - Emirates champagne controversy
49:28 - SQ versus CX, the strange Singapore amenity kit policy
57:03 - ZRH E beauty, security at the gate, HKG transfer
1:02:05 - SWISS 700-300ER awkward seat, miles screw up
1:07:24 - MNL airport, T3's checkered history
1:19:16 - Conclusion, Attache LA
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00:00 - Introduction, Asia summer for Paul
02:26 - Alex flies his bike on JetBlue, Mint, Mosaic
15:59 - United dog, 747, seat nightmare
20:58 - US security confusion, books, TSA prize
28:40 - Southwest love, LAX helicopter
32:25 - FAA shrinking seats, LGA expansion, supersonic regulation
35:53 - Air Canada SFO near miss
45:57 - Easyjet ecstasy, NRT fence, 787 drawing
49:56 - Layovers reviews, AnalyseAsia
53:00 - Air France missile, VR, Joon
57:48 - Paul tries three Singapore 777, explicit IFE, Uber
1:10:51 - Qatar and AA, Al Baker apology, visa, creative accounting
1:20:23 - BKK
1:29:17 - Conclusion, next flights
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00:00 - Introduction
01:52 - Qatar buys some American, A350 cancellations, DL subsidy video
09:02 - FlyDubai with Emirates, Laptop ban almost gone
15:18 - Security awkwardness, EK facial boarding, Seamless airports, EK interlining
That Time the TSA Found a Scientist’s 3-D-Printed Mouse Penis - The Atlantic
22:54 - HKG 380 bridge, Etihad free seat bidding, LCY Olympic stadium view
29:09 - Alex praises BA, BA uses Qatar planes, BA new brand director
40:30 - LCC vs train, Norwegian shortages, Price vs exprience
45:48 - Paris Air Show tally, Leahy retires, Airbus reorg, 797
49:06 - Swiss CS300 , BA CS100, LH iPad, Southwest 737th 737
54:29 - 1985 trip report, Bus crash into 737
57:13 - BA A321 exit seats, FCO praise, AF A318, CDG TGV
1:06:02 - Paul flies the 747-8i, Korean Air
1:11:29 - Coins in A320 engine, DL crazy huge brawl
1:17:51 - ICN
1:25:55 - Conclusion
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00:00 - Introduction
00:41 - The Attache Guide to Travel
04:20 - Cool projects, podcast reviews
08:16 - PHX LGW DXB heatwave
12:54 - Paris Air Show, 380plus, 747 end, supercars
20.36 - 737 MAX-10, A321neo, 797
23.56 - Virgin America 321neo, Alaska, United
27.34 - Embraer eagle, MRJ scope clauses
30:19 - Qatar, first 777 Q suite
33:51 - Alex on EasyJet, luxury Luton
39:24 - Paul FRA mess, Finnair 350 Zodiac
44.17 - Alex BA seat mixup, 787, SFO security, 747, TSA
52.59 - Infuriating GDS, OTA price mismatch, TravelUp, EK
57:59 - SFO Burger, LoyaltyLobby, Air Koryo, CX
1:02.20 - World Airline Awards, AirHelp rankings
1:11:54 - Stratolaunch
1.14.29 - KIX
1:21:56 - Next flights
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00:00 - Introduction
01:04 - Qatar blockade
06:30 - Electronic ban extension, US air traffic privatization
09:46 - Bluetooth in flight, AirPods, Apple Maps
18:17 - Airport beacons, Bose scandal
21:57 - EK laptop ban, United ultra long haul
25:06 - Level
29:24 - Morning cargo flights, IB 340 seat
34:42 - IFE, air vents, flight boards
38:34 - Burgers in planes
42:32 - BA IT crash, status extension
53:10 - BA isn't the worst airline, LHR slots
1:00:42 - Muscat Airport, Oman Air
1:08:33 - Conclusion: reviews, next flights
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00:00 - Introduction
01:18 - Cathay Pacific First, reorganization
13:01 - Favorite pajamas, eyemask, bad amenity kits
18:28 - Podcast reviews
20.45 - KLM King
22.07 - Alex rediscovers ORY, Paul aborts landing at LIN
27:24 - FRA tunnel, new MUC terminal, carry-on ads
31:33 - boarding e-gates, status boarding
36:43 - Expertflyer, EDI cargo bay, BA 767
40.33 - British Airways IT super crash
57:00 - VVIP 380, BA Comac, Boeing versus Bombardier
1:01:28 - JetLovers
1:02:34 - Berlin SXF, Tempelhof, BER
1:10:04 - Old ATH, FRA
1:11:02 - Next flights, LATAM 787, AF 787
01:14:54 - Mastication Nation*
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00:00 - Introduction
01:58 - Disruptive passengers, Delta, social media
09:17 - United, conditions of carriage, culture
24:32 - Southwest kindness, Ryanair song
26:09 - LAX private terminal, ANA banana, C919
29:45 - Norwegian Germany, Alex's mom flies Norwegian
32:04 - LGW, e-gates
36:17 - Reviews
38.21 - Paul's crazy travel day, HEL, CDG
50:30 - Cathay Pacific, Betsy beer, The Pier
55:15 - HackHorizon, hackathon in a plane
1:07:25 - BUD
1:12:10 - Next flights
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00:00 - Introduction, latest travels
02:54 - Trillions in the sky
03:56 - Alex discovers the AY 350, new LHR CX lounge
09:14 - Paul flies BA business, First Wing, Iberia
19:56 - Qatar consolidates its UI, BA timeline view
21:55 - United re-accommodation, US airline market
38:40 - Electronics ban controversy
48:30 - Level, IAG strategy, M&S food, toilet roll
58:54 - Alitalia bankrupt, EY-EK rapprochement, LH Senator
1:03:06 - HackHorizon, hackathon in a plane
1:05:54 - ANA Star Wars
1:36:36 - ISG
1:17:04 - Next flights
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00:00 - Introduction
01:00 - BER pushed back, Berlin strikes, Layovers hiatus
03:33 - New QR business seat
06:37 - World's worst airports
08:28 - SkyTrax Best Airports, Terminals, Food, etc.
14:35 - CPT, Attache and taxis versus Uber
15:52 - US infrastructure, world busiest airports
17:18 - LH future business class, 350, CX 777 premium economy
20:20 - SWISS engine change in the cold
23:13 - Cathay on-demand food, operating losses
27:28 - ME3 slower growth, QR Indian carrier, United against Emirates
31:31 - New A380
32:54 - Blanket rage, cash in the plane
34:40 - QR, Airbus NEOs, Boeing MAX, JetBlue, 777 glut
40:22 - 797, LX CS300
43:41 - New Cyprus Airways, low WestJet
46:37 - Harrison Ford, Prepare for Impact app, Alitalia
8 Harrison Ford flies aircraft close to passenger plane – video | Film | The Guardian
49:31 - US Travel Ban, US domestic IDs, EK US bookings
52:00 - Exploding headphones, Layovers 050 feedback, AVTalk
57:17 - Listen to the Clouds, SFO observation deck
58:38 - DUS
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00:00 - Introduction
01:24 - ANA 380, Special livery, Drone Inspection, JAL pilots
05:30 - Cathay Pacific Beer, bubbly in the air
08:32 - Air China Cathay Pacific merger rumor
10:54 - Aboslute low cost Spring Airlines, China strategy
14:55 - Qantas ultra long haul, ANA Mexico route
17:49 - Episode 049 feedback, reviews, chapters
21:41 - Aer Lingus, Norwegian, new US routes, Easyjet
25:28 - United, Munoz, 5th freedom routes, Open Skies debate
30:33 - New US travel ban, new TSA rules, EU travel ban
34:57 - Mouse ban, plane over-crowding
37:55 - Airmule, TripIt, Kayak, FlySMS, apps
42:50 - Paul flights, TripCase ADD, BA priority, Bluesmart ad, CS100 video
49:24 - AMS biometric boarding, Air France new low cost
52:55 - NRT, the extraordinary story of Narita
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00:00 - Introduction, feedback, reviews
05:43 - US border asking for passwords
11:08 - Air Force One 747-8
12:15 - Lufthansa 747-8, Fashion Week, 350-900, EU
15:16 - Lufthansa booking API, mystery bookings
19:05 - Jet Airways intercept over German airspace
20:55 - Boeing 787-10 rollout
23:15 - SWISS Breitling 777-300ER watch, Bremont
25:18 - Alternatives to Airbus and Boeing, A320
27:51 - United Polaris, Saks amenity kits
31:00 - Delta food, profit-sharing, Fortune ranking, pilot meltdown
33:45 - Alex BA compensation
36:55 - Korean Air taser
*39:29 - Alcohol in the air, Qatar longest flight, BA baggage handlers *
43:08 - Nuts allergy pre-boarding
45:21 - Alex suprises his son with a flight to AMS on BA
48:57 - Dubai pilotless flying taxi, packing drones to travel
50:31 - The coat to replace your carry-on, Uber flying car, CPT Thunder City
53:06 - Paris-Orly ORY
59:00 - Conclusion, next flights
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00:00 - Introduction, Layovers reviews
02.51 - US Travel Ban
06:56 - US3 at the White House
07:56 New Emirates 5th freedom route, Delta
09:19 - Norwegian US announcements
12:05 - 737 MAX 8 for intercontinental routes
13:53 - Alex flies Thomas Cook to CPT
18:00 - American drops IFE screens
19:07 - Air Canada unveils new livery
23:06 - Etihad, its CEO and Lufthansa
25:45 - Emirates fleet change 2007-2017
26:28 - Lufthansa app, Worldmate, Google Trips, Tripit
28:20 - Paul crazy flights to MAD via ZRH and FRA
31:52 - More on travel planning apps
33:28 - MAD T2 and T3
34:08 - Paul tests the Bombardier CS100
36:18 - SWISS Fear of flying course
37:55 - Schengen area, Momondo, Skyscanner
39:26 - No wifi on Ryanair, BA Cityflyer, plane food
41:28 - Paul continues to ramble about his loved Sony MDR-1000X
42:36 - The must-have button on every IFE, Turkish interface
43:54 - Amazon, Superbowl, ATL drones, Airbus self-flying taxis
46:20 - Living in lounges
47:20 - Cape Town CPT airport
52:17 - Conclusion, next flights
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IATA
GVA
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Paul is on Aviation Xtended
The US National Aviation Day
Cranky Flyer celebrates in style
How to be dumb in an airport
The Emirates crash landing
The AR amenity kit
Quantas soars
Cebu Pacific's loyalty
The state of US air travel
The JFK panic
Singapore Airlines celebrates Gold
The BA Olympics plane, and the food uproar
Ranking food
Virgin Atlantic adds live TV
Boeing widebodies don't sell
Airbus widebodies go regional, and more
More smart carry-ons for Alex
FCO
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Pokemon Go makes you do stupid things
Carry-on might make you look like an idiot
A beautiful AV Geek engagement
Lufthansa sells seats on AirBnB
Mitsubishi also wants to enter Iran
Air Astana wants the Embraer E2
Farnborough 2016
The end of the 747?
Alex flies Cathay Pacific and Cathay Dragon
Singapore Airlines in rough air
Air France sees more strikes
Unlimited flights Paris/London - NY
Game over for the US4 griefs (finally!)
The SkyTrax awards
Lots of words, almost no action for London airports
Drones
The photo app for BA pilots
Paul experiences lie-flat seats in short haul flights
Review your flights on Tripadvisor
The search for MH370 os almost over
The FlyDubai leaks
Solar Impulse ends its round the world jounrey
PVG
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Alex flies the 787 to SJC
Iceland and the UEFA Euro
Sully gets a trailer
The FAA rules on drones
Brexit and the impact on UK air travel
Paul flies Easyjet from LGW
Solar Impulse
The solar-powered airport
Boeing solar-powered plane
NASA wants to learn from American Airlines
Boeing Centennial
More hopes for the 747
The EU-US Open Skies must go deeper
Air Serbia launches new NY routs
The US4 is losing its war against the ME3
Mueller goes to Emirates
Emireates has a new 777 business seat
Cobalt flies!
SWISS gets its new Bombardier
Paul meets Air New Zealand
The EgyptAir crash
The IST terror attack
The husbands who ditch their spouse for business class
The status game
SJC
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Wifi chaos
Bourdain on plane food
A new kind of alliance
Will Air France and Singapore enter an alliance too?
China
JetLovers 3D
A new Ryanair era
TSA is getting worse
Crazy plane furniture
Plane-influenced hotels
Airbus VC
Lufthansa car sharing
Pilot assaulted
SOF
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Congrats Solar Impulse!
Virgin America
WOW Air wants you to Snapchat
US consolidation
FlyerRights responds to our 038 leg room story
Alex flies Emirates Business Class and more
TripIt half-repaints its website
Seats, seats and more seats
Another smart carry-on
David Verch tells us all about LugLoc
Amber and Eric mention us one more time!
We're on iTunes, give us a review, pretty please :-)
A new Matrix ITA guide
Drones are made out of plastic too, you know
Mueller leaves Malaysian
DME
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The death of Virgin America
The 747 lives to see another day
Shoutouts
KLM expands Messenger initiative
AF KLM CEO leaves for IATA
US Congreas refuses to legislate on legroom
The state of air travel
Passengers rights in the EU almost impound a plane!
Missiles on a commercial jetliner...
Yet another smart luggage
A tracker with a twist
Facepalm for the TSA
A smart… pillow??
A 737 races a Tesla
BOS
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The EgyptAir hikacking
Terror at BRU
Smart security
Pre or not Pre
The greatest review ever of Layovers
Virgin America is for sale
Virgin America Gets Takeover Bids From JetBlue and Alaska Air - Bloomberg
VA Stock | Barbarian At The Gate: Virgin America (VA) - TheStreet
Virgin Australia loses Air New Zealand
Virgin Atlantic going low cosst?
The new Airbus experience
A split level A350?
The mile-high clubs
Tinder for airports?!
Ryanair switches strategy
WOW the low cost disruptor
A french long haul low cost
Qatar eyes low cost in India
Royal Brunei
The great UK panic
A new age in supersonic travel?
Pilots rank the worst airports
The Fly Dubai crash
The Germanwings crash sparks mental health debate
The Iron Maiden 747
Iron Maiden Kicks Off Tour With A New, Upgraded Ed Force One
Iron Maiden's Plane 'Badly Damaged' In Collision At Santiago Airport - Blabbermouth.net
Happy anniversaries, ANA!
Over 100,000 Boeing 787 flights in the air - All Nippon Airways | Facebook
Celebrating ANA’s 30th International Service Anniversary! |What's up? ANA|ANA
The ULL race
Emirates A380 from Dubai to NZ makes longest non-stop flight - BBC News
The New Entrants in the Competitive Long-Haul Airline Race – Skift
Mapping what's below you
A new 5th freedom route in Europe?
LCA
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Alex narrates his LHR-JFK-BOS experiences
Some Americans will need a passport to fly domestic
Paul narrates his LHR-GVA experience
Automated check-in for everyone by the Lufhtansa Innovation Hub
Another German Innovation Hub
Paul narrates his LGW-KEF experience
The everywhere security future
Shout outs
MAN asks for tax reprieve
The strange AA versus Gogo lawsuit
The in-flight roaming market
Munoz is back at United!!
The EU wants the US to stop stalling Norwegian
A new EU alliance
The Amazon fleet
Tracking luggage
Samsonite aquires Tumi
MH370: two years on
The lasr minutes of the GermanWings flight
Which airlines get love/hate on social media
The A350 promise
SWISS's new 777
The bizarre Delta ads
The Freddie Awards
KEF
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Layovers is 27th on 100 most interesting podcasts
Aegean isn't as good a status fast track as it used to be
OK Go's Reddit IAmA
With Husband in Tow's podcast
AA's app
Somalia's attack has been claimed
MAN gets mega budget to evolve
AA meets Uber
AA sues Gogo
In-flight Wifi advertising
Banning calls in the air?
Qantas' Tech Talks
TSA Pre-Check extension
Privatizing the US skies
US Airports order AirGrub for food delivery
MIA's app integreates beacons
UA introduces 3-class on domestic trunk routes
All you can eat flying
Re-inventing the luggage tag
Al Baker strikes again
Singapore Air Show
ANA goes First on A380
The A340 is ditches left and right
LH can't seem to delivery on its new strategy
A Die Hard scenario
What if a pilot dies?
Jet lag and timezones
A very quick way to learn to fly
Bombardier suffers
Lucy in the skies for a lot of money
DXB expands
Best airports to sleep, 2015
OAK
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Paul reports on his Athens trip with Aegean & Alex talks about his quest for an Asia-bound ticket from London
The 2015 air travel stats
JetBlue goes VC
Expedia, Google and the future of OTAs
Startups and plane routes
Somalia terror attack
Turkish & Batman & Superman
PDX's movie theatre
Emirates goes drone for its latest marketing campaign
OK Go in zero gravity
A smartphone-controlled IFE
BA forced to enter the 21st century
Korean Air pilots bargain hard
China cracks down on unruly passengers
The 747 can't die
Omega Tau talks NASA 747
Delta's CEO retires
BA will fly to Iran
The real fuel surcharge cost
NASA revives the X-plane program
A new Russian competitor to the 737 and 320?
MAN
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Alex and Paul report on their trips
ANA and JAL profits
Airbus sells A380s and more
EK 2016 orders
TAP and Azul share new interiors
Boeing announces earnings and flies its new 737
The Swiss Laubehorn race in 360
Wifi in the air
The longest commercial flihgts in the world
Those pesky fees won't come down
Smart carry-on absolute fail
The travel planning apps contest update
Intelligent bidding and booking apps
Has the Internet made air travel irrelevant?
When low cost is really low cost
Etihad
Terror or not?
Crew fights in the air
Sonic booms
A new kind of therapy pet
HND
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SAS
Estonian Air suffers
Airbus financial results
Al Baker is the most entertaining man in aviation
United needs to come around
Etihad will finally deliver in the US
The ME3 in the US
Air France says adieu to last 747
Largest operators of aircrafts
Will commercial aircrafts be piloted by only one person?
Still no sign of the MH370
Flying with the door open?
Animals creating chaoes
2015 was really safe
Long haul low cost to/from the US
An app to sawp seats
Uber to enter the travel planning game?
That crazy concept might be more real than we thought
A carry-on that follow you every step of the way
New airport expansions set to open
OSL
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ANA Star Wars
Happy birthday Airbus
App in the Air
Kayak Snap
McKinsey's future of travel
Facebook and the future of travel | McKinsey & Company
Post-booking price checking app
The miles addiction
Turning an airplane
ZRH gets a lots of Qatari jets
Delta CEO is person of the year
No more hover boards
BA goes reward flight on iOS
Why does British Airways avoid French airspace?
New LHR approach over continental Europe
Did Malaysian really fly in the wrong direction?
Beacons arrive at MUC
Airports hit record PAX numbers
Virgin Atlantic gets creative for its financing
Virgin America gets new Airbus planes
Mistubishi delays aircraft
CityJet orders more SuperJets
The CS100 get the greenlight
The future of Sharm el-Sheikh is uncertain
A real fake bomb freaks Air France and the rest of us
How many coach seats can you cram in a plane?
Flying without ID? It's possible in the US
De-icing equipment has a tendency to hit stuff
Ranking bad in-flight services
Skift's 2015 brand valuations
Getting out in style? Use a ladder
The US will fly to Cuba
NCE
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Travel security advices
SIN meets Star Wars
The BA 767
Qatar Airways fumbles A350 launch in New York
Emirates retires aircrafts and expands airline deals
Etihad wants to be there for the long run
Luxury seats …with a view
A chocolate egg with a plane
The lunacy of designers thinking about air travel
The battle of travel planning apps
Uncertainties over Egypt
Air India can't find enough cash
Good news for U.S. air travel
Toss the bag!
The abandonned 747s mystery
Drawing the experience of air travel
LHR delayed decision angers UK businesses
U.S. Global Entry opened for British citizens
BEY
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Women in the aviation industry
Air travel after the terror attacks
Proof that SIN is good for layovers?
Cathay returns at LGW
Cathay Pacific 'to return to London Gatwick with A350' - Business Traveller
Europe and the US versus the Middle-Eastern carriers
What is Qatar announcing for the US market?
JetBlue goes Amazon
Emirates adds bigger IFE screens in all classes
Pay for Wifi with United miles
170m USD worth or air miles!
Jetlovers
Google creeps into travel
Startup lookout
Luggage weight sharing?
For wine lovers
KLM goes Messenger
We don't know what Airbus is thinking
The renaissance of supersonic planes
EWR
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Terror attacks
The new airport security reality: insoucring?
Paul narrates how liquids in his carry-on failed to be detected at TSE, IST and ZAG
Emirates goes 2 class and jetpacks
Happy 20, EasyJet (but are you sure about those uniforms?)
The Air Astana experience and its IFE
Etihad's upgrade bidding system
Is Twitter a better way to handle customer service?
Paul narrates his nightmarish Turkish flight cancellation incident
Paul and Alex both flew in the same "Pope plane" by Croatia Airlines
The state of maintenance
Paul narrates how a third of his SWISS flight wasn't allowed to board
Lufthansa experiences a very bad strike
The Norwegian experience
The modern Turkish experience
IST
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Thanks to Kendall (TXL) for stating that we were one of the best sources of industry news, to Greg (BRS) for his weekly contributions and Vicky (ATH) for her suggestions.
The Russian airliner crash
Worrying working conditions for US Air Traffic controllers
The Future of Air France
The success of IndiGo
Russia Sukhoi finds a client
China's Comec
WHo will order the B747?
Airbus ups and downs
A new crazy seat patent
The Residence, by Etihad
News rows in the US3 v ME3 debate
The passenger technologies at Dubai airports
Advertising on your carry-on
A smart travel lock
Boaarding pass barcodes could be a security risk
CIA's advice: look cool
Google and the workplace
Cathay refreshed its livery
US Airways gets a send off
FRA
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SHOW NOTES
Wishing well to Oscar Munoz
Alex & Paul's travels
BA and OneWorld to grow network?
Qantas to fly direct to Europe?
The future of London Heathrow
JetBlue farms potatoes at New York Kennedy
Hiroko Tabuchi's pictures of JFK TWA terminal
HKG delays third runway
Fly for 2 dollars around Asia!
LOT goes bitcoin
New websites to score flying deals
Virgin America introduces Spotify
Virgin America's A320 Inside View
Netflix in the air
Wifi on the transatlantic route
Norwegian promises low prices to cross the Atlantic
The different perception about the passenger experience
Compensation for delays
Expedia offers more plane data at booking
A new smart-carry (that we like)
Mandatory plane dashboard cams?
This PEgasus pilot has such a great Instagram account
No, the LHR Concorde didn't dissapear
BOM
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Our thanks to Markus (STR), Cedric (CDG), Michael (FAB), Peter (BOH), Ivan (WAW), and Kendall (TXL) for their contributions to this episode and their feedback.
Note that due to the increasing incoming messages, we won't be able to thank everyone, nor reference all the news sent to us on each episode, for time's sake. please keep them going though! We really love the conversations and try to answer to each and everyone of you.
Special thanks to all those who hunted our last episode on Product Hunt.
Disruption in air travel
LHR and pollution
Air India announces world's longest flight
Airline layoffs
Stop the leg room war
Innovation in seat design
Europe Court challenges airline excuses for delays
A lucky landing
United apologizes
United pampers
United innovates
A non-smart Bluesmart?
Quebec airport and the Apple Watch
AirAsia is an internet company
Malaysian won't re-brand
The Emirates Jennifer Aniston ad
The Miami Dolphins and Heathrow
A teddy bear journey
Airport of the week
LGB
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Special thanks to Michael (FAB) who corrected us (LGW is not a BAA airport anymore) and for his contributions you'll hear throughout this episode, to Nic (LHR) for his endorsement, Mohd (KUL) for the kind words and his question, to the Flying Blue employee Paul phoned to whilst being at MRU for being so kind and efficient.
Paul would also like to thank Bernard who invited him on his Analyse Asia podcast to discuss the state of travel in Asia (show notes):
https://soundcloud.com/analyseasia/episode-60-startups-air-travel-in-asia-with-paul-papadimitriou
…and to Mark (LHR) whose book, Skyfaring, helped him enjoy a 12 hours flight.
Air Mauritius
iPhone 6S and Apple Watch
MH370
Airplane Food
The Concorde to fly again?
Airbus
Mitsubishi
Boeing
LHR tests steeper approach
Rear-ended at LAX
Weighting passengers
The IFE that calls you an idiot
Question of the week
by Mohd Adid on becoming a pilot in South East Asia.
Airport of the week
MRU
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Our thanks to all our listeners, we really appreciate your loyalty and your feedback! Special thanks to Neil (JNB), Zachary (SFO), Kendall (TXL), Michael (FAB), HhhHhm (AMS), Gen (PVG), Pieter (BOH), Markus (STR), Mica & Camille (LHR), Gray (TPA) and Mascha (AMS) for your messages.
And Don for episode 022, the feedback has been incredible.
News of the week
BA 777 on fire at Las Vegas
Don't be stupid in an emergency evacuation
British Airways unveils new First cabin
Paul's curation of First and Business class news
First class for pets
Be mentored at 30,000 feet
United CEO is fired on the spot
Iron Maiden embarks on World Tour on a 747
ANA unveils the Star Wars Dreamliner
Don't believe Facebook flight hoaxes
Heathrow miles
Flying apps
KLM on Instagram
Airports incidents
777 flaperon confirmed from MH370
Airport of the week
LGW
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SHOW NOTES
Guest
Don Hunter. Chief Officer Airport Operations at Oman Air since 2010. Prior to that, MD Dnata Philippines and Vice President Operations Dnata Dubai. Managing director of Menzies Macau in 2007-2008. General Manager Airport Services Virgin Atlantic in 2004-2007. Cathay Pacific Airways in 1986-2004, posts included General Manager Kai Tak, Managing Director Hong Kong Air Terminal Services, and MD Hong Kong Airport Services, General Manager Africa and Airport Manager San Francisco. 10 years as commissioned officer in the Royal Air Force.
News of the week
The story of the HKG transfer, by Don Hunter
Other future airport switches
The rise of the Middle Eastern airlines
We've discussed about this topic in all our episodes so far. Of note, check episode 005 MUC on the origins of the Gulf airlines, 004 GVA on the US versus Middle-East debate, 008 SIN on Lufthansa's low cost strategy or 014 DXB where we talk about Emirates.
The future of flying in Africa
Low costs and the legacy airlines
We've also discussed the low cost model in various past episodes, including 008 SIN when we discussied RyanAir potential long haul low cost offering.
New modular fares and the Malaysia Airlines relaunch
BA keeps its 747 alive
Check our various past episodes about our discussions on the future of the A380.
A different ranking of best and worst airports in the world
The Shoreham Airshow disaster
Airport of the week
JNB
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SHOW NOTES
News of the week
Singapore celebrates its 50th anniversary
Singapore Airlines' future
Emirates competes with Singapore, comments on Delta
Passenger chat apps
Too many air travel apps?
Be the Skyscanner CEO
More apps
Wifi in the skies
Dangerous drones
Guns at U.S. airports
The Facebook drone
SpaceShip Two
Harrison Ford's accident report
Storms
Drunken behaviors
MH rumored new name
A duty free scandal in the UK
Airport of the week
LAS
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SHOW NOTES
News of the week
Mission Impossible — Rogue Nation
First clues in the MH370 mystery?
US3 versus ME3
Japan
China
TAP + Azul
U.S. airlines systems hacked
Airlines ban game trophies
First class jets
Airlines mis-target customer messages
The A380
Airbus & Boeing sales numbers
AirHook
Airbus future planes
Heathrow's third runway
British Airways' new luggage policy
HitList hits version 3
II. Airport of the week
DUB
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Greg Annandale, freelance web developper. Website — Twitter — Instagram
TEDx Haneda
MH17 1 year anniversary
Airbus confirms A380neo
Could Singapore retake the longest flight crown?
** Greg Annandale on his SpaceX experience**
The U.S. "Boeing" Bank faces uncertain future
LGA to be rebuilt
The JFK TWA hotel
Reduced competition at U.S. airports
The incredible business of ticket fees
British Airways fights hidden city trick
Collusion in the U.S. skies?
United CEO dismiesses A380, first class
United pilot ditches ammo in lavatories
The summer of hell for United
Delta investing in Japan's bankcrupt SkyMark?
Delta ditches plans to buy jets after union negotiations fall apart
Air France, its model, its unions
IAG gets the OK to buy Aer Lingus
Ryanair hates prices comparison websites
Ryanair leaves Denmark over labor union woes
A 1bn airport sold for 10k
Athens airport hasn't paid VAT forever
BA inquiry: wrong engine had been fixed
777 debris fall over Shanghai
LHR won't agree to new rules for 3rd runway
Protesters blocks LHR runway
II. Innovation news of the week
Solar Impulse 2 can't go on with current batteries
Airbus electric plane crosses the Channel
Burt Rutan is not done creating amazing planes
Greg Annandale reviews 'Living in the Age of Airplanes'
A new economy seat patent makes the internet go crazy
Ben Schlappig, traveling in First Class all year round, for free
British Airways keeps First Class in 787-9
British Airways sticks with first class on its bellwether 787-9 - Runway GirlRunway Girl
SWISS impresses with 777 interior design
Greg Annandale shares his experience on La Compagnie
TheDesignAir ranks best business classes
TheDesignAir Passenger Choice's awards are open
III. Airport of the week
GIG (Rio de Janeiro)
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SHOW NOTES
I. Industry News of the Week
II. Innovation News of the Week
III. Airport of the Week
ATH
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SHOW NOTES
I. Industry News of the Week
II. Innovation News of the Week
III. App of the Week
IV. Airport of the Week
MEM
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SHOW NOTES
I. News of the week
Facing summer crush, airlines try to speed boarding | The Seattle Times
TSA Failed 95% of Fake Weapons Tests, Investigation Finds | TIME
You Can Get a Pilot License in India After Just 35 Minutes in Air - Bloomberg Business
Air India Takes Yoga to the Skies With Classes for Pilots and Cabin Crew | TIME
UPDATE 4-Portugal gets three bids in TAP airline privatisation | Reuters
British Airways' owner makes £1bn offer for Ireland's Aer Lingus - Telegraph
London Will Again Be the Most Popular City for International Visitors in 2015 – Skift
Satellite images show clearly that Russia faked its MH17 report
John Kerry picked up by US C-17 plane from airport in Geneva after breaking leg | Daily Mail Online
II. Innovation of the week
III. Airport of the week
VIE
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SHOW NOTES
I. News of the week
Another report in the US4 v ME3 saga
The best U.S. airlines
Delta likes profits and fees
Bye bye US Airways
U.S. pre-clearance expanded
Will Emirates fly to the U.S. from London?
IAG backs the Middle-Eastern carriers
Amsterdam doesn't want more Emirates flights
Malaysia Airlines fires every single employee
A Singapore Airlines A330 sees two engines shut off midflight
II. Innovation news of the week
Hacking a flight: the story so far
United offers miles bounty to squash bugs
The crazy new Delta safety video
Paul relates his Emirates experience from MXP to JFK
Improving ATC through data commands
Singapore Airlines shows its newest Premium Economy product
Emirates ad on the golden age of travel pokes fun at U.S. airlines
The video has been removed from Emirates YouTube channel
Skywards gives aways 15 million miles to celebrate anniversary
Flying Blue's photo contest
SkyPicker offers new combinations for cheap travel
III. Product of the week
IV. Airport of the week
ATL
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SHOW NOTES
I. News of the week
Another year of profits for Emirates
Subsidy? Tosh!
Tim Clark talks on the Emirates in-flight radio
Etihad reacts to U.S. accusations
Frontier woes continue
Cyprus might get a new airline
Rome FCO crippled by a fire
The magic of flying
Not enough pilots in Asia
II. Innovation news of the week
Alex shares his Cathay Pacific experience
Paul takes about his Emirates experience, including a shower in the Emirates A380 First Class cabin
Free smartphone with unlimited data at a Hong Kong hotel
U.S. versus Asian airports
An anti-glare photo invention
III. App of the week
Hotel Quickly
IV. Airport of the week
DXB
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SHOW NOTES
I. News of the week
The 787 Bug
The new FAA air traffic system
Planes grounded by an iPad app error
Happy 10th, A380
A private 747-8
U.S. airlines investing
Judge dismisses Skiplagged suit
MH downsizes, kills cargo
TAP goes on prolonged strike
The 2015 Freddie Awards
The Nepal earthquake
China v US airlines?
Qatar adds more capacity to the U.S.
II. Innovation News of the Week
The Apple Watch is released
An app to FedEx your suitcase
A new business class seat concept
A valet robot at Dusseldorf Airport
Connected Valet Robot “Lights Up” Airport Parking
Four Seasons in the air
#T1Lightsoff
A bigger first class for Emirates
Airubs e-fan has a factory
III. The Airport of the Week
LCY
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SHOW NOTES
I. News of the week
Emirates massive engine order
Cyprus plans for a new flag carrier
Iconic JFK Terminal 5 building revived
United expels passenger for tweet
SkyJet and media sensationalism
Manston's future
New UK Air Passenger Duty Taxe rate
II. Innovation news of the week
ANA Star Wars plans
Device charging safety
Lufthansa introduces Wifi on short haul flights
A truly global Wifi
Gogo's study on in-flight Wifi expectations
The success of in-flight live sports
Docking iPad seat
Could planes be hacked through wifi?
Lufthansa frequent flyer system compromised
Airport sleeping pods
Business Lounge etiquette revised by Qantas
III. App of the week
Kayak Flights Price Alerts (account needed)
Kayak.com
IV. Topic of the week
The future of virtual reality, smartwatches and gadgets in flight. With Dean Johnson, SVP of Creative Innovation at Brandwidth Group.
Mentioned during the interview
V. Question of the week
1st Class, Premier Class, Upper Class. Who truly has the top tier "pointy end product"? What product/services are necessary to be widely considered a 1st class product?by Will Hunter from Berkeley, California.
VI. Airport of the week
LAX
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SHOW NOTES
I. News of the week
The subsidies received by U.S. arlines
Emirates lets go of First in new A380
Boeing parks 787 in Mojave Desert as premium seat glut increases
Early overweight 787 finally find owners
777 improvements while waiting for the 777X
Virgin America tops U.S. customer satisfaction
E.U. airlines fined for mishandling passengers' rights
Airport handler wakes up in cargo while flight en route
TSA wins big on loose change
II. Innovation news of the week
Google faces anti-trust proceedings in Europe
Air Malta draws hearts in the sky
LHR introduces smarter airplane separation for more landing efficency
Angry Birds on IFE
Delta offers a premium pet tracking service
AMS and KLM partner for airport wayfinding through beacons
NRT uses running track instead of airport signage
III. App of the week
SeatGuru
IV. Topic of the week
The future of economy is shrinking
The situation
The manufacturers plans for more economy seats
The airlines new economy
The seat recline debate
A better economy seat
The best current seats
V. Question of the week
The world's craziest runways
LUA, Nepal
GIB, Gibraltar
PHB, Buthan
SBH, St. Barts
TGU, Honduras
SXM, St Marteen
We also mentionned, Courchevel CVF, the Swissair landing at HKG and Matekane in Lesotho.
VI. Airport of the week
SXMA plane spotter paradise.
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SHOW NOTES
I. News of the week
Virgin into space
Human errors in the cockpit
The growing pains of the South East Asia airline industry
The elusive MH370
The Germanwings disaster
Allegiants pilots union disastrous letter
The unions don't like Nicole Kidman
A foamy salute to Virgin Atlantic
A shout out to Pieter Johnson and his Aviation Xtended
II. Innovation news of the week
KLM transforms a plane into an AirBnB
The sharing economy and travel
Austrian becomes myAustrian in new livery
British Airways' frequent flyer system hacked
Priceline buys Rocketmiles
Selling airline miles for bitcoins
Alex tests SouthWest IFE
Cathay looks into coffee
Google Street View goes into aircrafts
How to take a good picture through an airplane window
III. App of the week
LiveATC
IV. Topic of the week
What does PaxEx truly mean? Looking at the entire scope of the passenger experience.
V. Question of the week
What are your top 3 airline websites?
Alex
Paul
We also mention:
VI. Airport of the week
AMS
From the rooftop to the unique terminal concept, a look into what makes Schiphol stand out.
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SHOW NOTES
I. News of the week
The Germanwings crash
Ryanair refutes transatlantic plans
New fronts in the US vs Gulf airlines debate
Air India recruitment problem
Man jumps off plane in Mumbai
II. Innovation News of the Week
A remote controlled airport tower
Uber allies with Bluesmart for lost luggage recovery
More airlines launch Apple Watch apps
A cabin to simulate aircrft sound pollution
Lufthansa flies entrepreneurs in India
III. App of the Week
Google Flights
IV. Topic of the week
The secrets of SFO tower with Dan Hamilton, Air Traffic Controller at San Francisco Airport
VI. Airport of the week
PHX
Beyond the brutalist experience, what is there to know about Phoenix Sky Harbor: from the disappearing Terminal 1 to the highest airport train track in the world.
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SHOW NOTES
Ryanair ressucitates a ghost airport
Ryanair goes transatlantic
Qatar Airways Buys Heathrow Hotel
Emirates addresses subsidies accusations
Korean Air's attendant strikes back
Virgin Atlantic announces profit
II. Innovation news of the week
Better airport queue improvement via mobile tracking
The fastest U.S. airlines
Google Flights adds amenities data
In-flight smartcard payments
More Apple Watch flight apps
Battery causes fire on KLM flight
Spitfire interactive
Sky data drawings
3D visualization of all flights in the world
III. App of the week
ITA Matrix
IV. Debate of the week
Lufthansa's low cost strategy
V. Question of the week
Will airline honor mistake fares?
VI. Airport of the week
SIN
SIN is considered one of the best airports in the world. The SkyTrax World Airport Awards gave it its 2015, 2014, 2013 nod and Business Traveler Magazine has named it the best for no less than 26 consecutive years. From the swimming pool to the rooftop gardens, from the city tours to the slide, learn why Alex and Paul agree.
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Alex and Paul are on a secret mission to uncover the latest in aviation innovation. Well, it's episode 007, expect Plenty O'Puns.
The U.S. airlines release their white paper about the Gulf airlines
Full Report of U.S. Airlines to the White House Blaming Gulf Carriers — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
US-UAE Business Council Tells U.S. Airlines to Compete More and Complain Less — Marisa Garcia, Skift
Feeling the heat — The Economist
U.S Airlines Promise to Get More Aggressive Towards Gulf Carrier Rivals — Dennis Schaal, Skift
American Airlines' request for pension bailout draws criticism — Steven Mufson, Washington Post
Second A350 to up ante in Qatar's battle with Lufthansa — Michael Gubisch, FlightGlobal
Lufthansa Prepared to Battle Emirates by Slashing Fares — Richard Weiss, Bloomberg
Emirates really wants its A380-NEOs
Emirates Would Order Up to 200 A380neos — Jens Flottau, AviationWeek
Airbus assures on A380 break-even this year — David Kaminski-Morrow, FlightGlobal
MH370 interim report
MH370 Official Report (PDF)
Angry families reject report — BBC News
Incidents in series
Turkish A330 suffers nose gear collapse in Kathmandu — Firdaus Hashim, FligthGlobal
'Minor' injuries result from MD-88 LaGuardia crash: Delta — Jon Hemmerdinger, FlightGlobal
Incidents reveal crucial need for passengers to leave bags behind — John Walton, RunWayGirlNetwork
Solar Impulse 2 starts its round-the-world trip
Qantas 747 lands for posterity
Historic Qantas 747-400 makes precision touchdown on its final journey — CourrierMail
Pilot's-eye view of 747-400's delivery flight to Illawarra — wave965fm (video)
Korean Air will fly its 747-8 to London
Korean Air Adds Boeing 747-8i London Operation from August 2015 — Airline Route
SITA's report on the future of air travel
The Future is Personal in Air Travel — SITA
Closing in on a 360-degree view for airports and airlines — Linda Fox, Tnooz
Uber suffers drawback in Japan
Uber Says Goodbye to Japan after Government Ruling — Ma Jie, Bloomberg
Uber pilots ride-sharing in Japan — The Star
LINE Taxi leapfrogs Uber, now in over 90 cities across Japan — David Corbin, TechinAsia
SkyTeam goes all in for messaging apps
Air France on WeChat in China — AirFrance.com
SkyTeam Gets Vocal on WeChat — SkyTeam.com
KLM Launches Android Smartwatch App — KLM.com
Thought-controlled piloting
Quadriplegic woman flies F-35 with nothing but her thoughts — Jesus Diaz, Gizmodo
A new airliner tracking system
Rockwell Collins offers global airliner tracking system — Karen Walker, ATW
The planes, airlines and airports of 007
Live and Let Fly — David Lande, Air & Space Magazine
List of vehicles in James Bond movies
Virgin Atlantic's Vesper cocktail
What are the private 747s in operation today? by Paul Papadimitriou, in honor of Auric Goldfinger who flew a Lockheed JetStar.
The lines of private and state-owned can sometimes be blurry, but we found three candidates, two 747-400 and one 747-8i. We enumerate a few other examples too.
MIA.
Casino Royale is the only 007 movie which features an entire action sequence in an airport: Miami International. Nothing was filmed there, though. It all happened in PRA (airfield), NAS (airport), the Dunsfold Aerodrome (hangar) and Pinewood Studios (miniatures).
We still look at what's to say about MIA. The iBeacon initiative is of note.
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Two shout outs this week. First to TheDesignAir for going live with their brand new podcast, The Aviator, it's really great and you should all subscribe!
Second to our own Alex who just released the first episode of his video travel show, Attaché. Take a look at the London episode. Paul attended the filming of Barcelona this week—what fun we had!
WOW goes transatlantic
Iceland's WOW air prepares fo new transatlantic routes — Alan Dron, ATW
The economic impact of Emirates Airlines in Europe
Emirates Airgues Why It's Good for Europe's Economy — Deena Kamel Yousef, Bloomberg
Boeing and FedEx support OpenSkies
Boeing, FedEx battle back vs US airlines on Gulf competition — Reuters
Bombardier flies its CS300
Bombardier schedules CS300 first flight for 26 February — Mavis Toh, FlightGlobal
SouthWest misses inspections
Southwest for Now Can Use Planes That Missed Inspection — David Koenig, ABC News
United is brutally honest with its pilots
United Airlines Officials Highlight 'Near-Misses' in Safety Message to Pilots — Dan Good, ABC News
A new biggest plane ever made
This Will Be the World's Largest Plane — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics
Inside The Roc's Lair — Guy Norris, Aviation Week
A 747 Gobs Solar Impulse From Switzerland To Abu Dhabi — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
The restoration of the first 747
#MWC15: IBM showcases iOS app for airline industry
Next IBM MobileFirst for iOS Apps Unveiled — IBM
Apple - IBM Partnership Sprouts Latest Set Of Apps At Mobile World Congress — Ron Miller, Techcrunch
#MWC15: Virgin goes smartwatch
JAL Tests Smartwatch Broadcasts at Tokyo Haneda — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
#MWC15: American Airlines' Hackathon
Ryanair goes mobile-first
The new Ryanair - a mobile-first travel retailer — Martin Cowen, Tnooz
Options Away' future ticket lock
Options Away, an airfare lock startup, raises $3.5 million — Sean O'Neill, Tnooz
A mobile passport to get into the US
Second Airport Offers Travelers Access to Mobile Passport App — Benet J. Wilson, Airways News
Faster Airport Entry Into the USA with this Selfie iPhone App — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
Starwood and Uber join loyalty forces
Starwood Is Giving Out SPG Loyalty Points to Uber Riders — Serena Saitto, Bloomberg
Google Flights is out of beta
Google Flights comes out of beta, but still isn't profitable — Sean O'Neill, Tnooz
Use ITA codes on HipMunk
Bet You Didn't Know: Using Hipmunk to book ITA Matrix flights — FrequentMiler
Airbus goes AirWolf
Airbus' New Composite Helicopter Is A Billion Dollar Bet — Chris Clarke, Jalopnik
One year into MH370's mysterious disappearance.
The Vanishing — Sean Flynn, GQ
MH370 hunt covers 40% of search area — Flightglobal
MH370: Australian PM Abbott hints at scaled back search — BBC News
How crazy am I to think I actually know where that Malaysia Airlines plane is? — Jeff Wise, NYMag
To Keep Airplanes on the Map, Track Them from Space — Loren Grush, Popular Science
What seat would you recommend? Window, middle or aisle? by Deanne De Rego Hunter in Kent, UK.
It is often said that window seats are made for dreamers, aisle seats for workers and aisle for no one. Turns out both Alex and Paul are in for the experience and explain the reasons why.
BCN.
Barcelona-El Prat airport has ambition. Alex and Paul talk about their experience there.
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US airlines vs the Gulf airlines, round two
U.S. Airlines vs Gulf Carriers: That Escalated Quickly — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
Qatar's Al Baker firmly rebukes Delta chief in subsidies row — Max Kingsley-Jones, FlightGlobal
Delta CEO apologizes for terrorist remark — Karen Walker, ATW
Emirates Boss Pushes Back on Delta's Open Skies and 9/11 Claims — Jason Clampet, Skift
U.S Airport Group Sides Against Airlines in Open Skies Battle — Marisa Garcia, Skift
The Battle Over Open Skies Forces U.S. Tourism Industry to Choose Sides — Marisa Garcia, Skift
Emirates Considers Reducing Tickets Prices — RJ321, Airliners.net
Are cabin toxic fumes a health risk?
Warning over toxic fumes in plane cabins — Andrew Gilligan, Telegraph
North Korea Air Force One
See Inside Kim Jong Un's Remodeled Air Force One — Taylor Rogoway, Jalopnik
Turkish might get two A380s
Gulfstream breaks world record
Gulfstream Breaks Round The World Record With Only One Fuel Stop — Chris Clarke, Jalopnik
Lufthansa's premium costs versus LCC
Lufthansa Proposes Legacy Growth Plan In Return For Staff Concessions — Jens Flottau, Aviation Week
Lufthansa's Eurowings agrees new pay deal with pilots — Reuters
Lufthansa's new budget airline cleared for take-off — Chris Bryant, FT ($)
EU releases report on LCC working conditions
Zero-hour pilot contracts threaten air safety, says study — Euractiv
Virgin America posts profits
Virgin America posts second consecutive full-year net profit — Aaron Karp, ATW
Delta lost dogs
Furious owners claim Delta lost their show dogs at airport — Matt Markovich, Komonews
Russia requests API
Russia to require API for all overflights — hugolover, Flyertalk
Air France mobile upgrade game
Air France Upgrade Challenge — AirFrance.com
The upgrade challenge: new cabins launch in Asia — Air France (video)
Air France Launches The Upgrade Challenge Social Game — Ryan Lum, Creative Guerilla Marketing
Breathometer
Breathometer ties in Uber and last-minute hotel stays for drunk — Nick Vivion, Tnooz
China Eastern introduces digital personal assistant
Microsoft XiaoIce (Chinese)
Siri in the cockpit
Honeywell tests voice-recognition technology on flight decks — Meryl Fishler, Cronkite News
Cool New Cockpit Technologies — Honeywell Aviation (video)
3D printed Rolls-Royce engine
Rolls-Royce to fly Trent XWB with largest-ever 3D-printed part — Murdo Morrison, FlightGlobal
ANA sells 747-400 parts as memorabilia
Forever 747 — ANA A-Style (Japanese)
A Concorde podcast episode
Flying the Concorde — Omega Tau, episode 166
The origins of the Gulf Airlines
The Rise of the Gulf Carriers — Ashley Kindergan, TheFinancialist
Flying High, The Improbable Rise of the Gulf Airlines — Jim Krane, Foreign Affairs
Big three Gulf airlines brush aside obstacles in pursuit of dominance — Gwyn Topham, The Guardian
The sky is the limit: has the time come for air traffic control in the GCC? — Albawaba Business
What is the largest airline in the world by fleet size? by Paul (after Alex told him Emirates wasn't in the Top 10)
World Airline Fleets: Top 10 Aviation Armadas with Most Airplanes — FinancesOnline
The 10 Airlines With the Biggest Fleets in the World — Rob Cowte, The Richest
MUC.
One of the most efficient airports when it comes to transit—a 30 minutes layovers is enough to catch a connecting flight, but also one of the most forward-looking when it comes to noise and pollution control.
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We implemented a new recording method for this episode, which improves on the sound. We realize that the mixing is not yet perfect but we know that John Biggs will continue pushing us towards perfection.
US airlines vs the Gulf Airlines
Open-Skies Agreements Challenged — Jad Mouawad, The New York Times
U.S airlines disclose details of booking lost to Gulf carriers — Jeffrey Dastin, Reuters
The U.S Airlines' Hypocrisy on Protectionism in the Skies — Colin Nagy, Skift
Boeing reviving the 757?
Boeing Weighs Options to Reprise Aging 757s — Jon Ostrower and Robert Wall, The Wall Street Journal ($)
Boeing reject business case for 757 re-engining — Stephen Trimble, FlightGlobal
Air Lease CEO Weighs In on Boeing's 757 Dilemma — Jon Ostrower, The Wall Street Journal
AirUber or SpotifyAir?
SkyMall reborn
SkyMall Will Fly Again. Get Ready for a New Pilot. — Scott Jordan, LinkedIn
Expedia buys airline-incepted Orbitz
Expedia to buy Orbitz in cash deal worth $1.6 billion — Kevin May, Tnooz
Expedia Hopes Orbitz Acquisition Will Help It Sell More Flights — Dennis Schaal, Skift
Korean Air executive goes to jail over nuts
Korean Air executive jailed in 'nut rage' case — BBC News
Parliament split over IAG' s acquisition of Aer Lingus, RyanAir driven out
Government backing key for IAG's Aer Lingus bid, says City — Nick Fletcher, The Guardian
Airbus loses only A380 VVIP client
Airbus Cancels Only VVIP A380 Order — Thierry Dubois, AIN Online
Airbus Billionaire Study — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
The Fabulous Life Of Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud — Forbes
JetBlue introduces Apple Pay
JetBlue will soon let you buy in the sky with Apple Pay — Mariella Moon, Engadget
JetBlue's Apple Pay play begs questions about live CC processing — Mary Kirby, RunwayGirl Network
FAA proposes drone rules
US DOT issues proposed rulemaking for small UAS in commercial airspace — Graham Warwick, ATW Online
Dubai Airport briefly closed due to illegal drone activity — Aviation Safety Network
Operation and Certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems — FAA (PDF)
AMS trials Google Glass
Schiphol innovates with Google Glass — Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (video)
JAL experiments Google Glass at Honolulu Airport — Aviation Wire (Japanese)
BA goes tablet for logbook
BA first with electronic logbook for 787 fleet — David Learmount, FlightGlobal
Airplane family seating
Thomson Airways waffles on timing of Family Booth seating — Maryann Simson, Runway Girl Network
Lufthansa introduces vintage 747 livery
Lufthansa Paints a Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental in Retro Livery — Malcolm Muir, Airline Reporter
Lufthansa's new basic 1968 Boeing 747-830 retro jet — Bruce Drum, World Airline News
Flying the 747-8 is like driving a Porsche, Lufthansa celebrates — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
RyanAir talks smartwatches
Ryanair to woo passengers with smartwatch technology — Natalie Paris, Telegraph
SWISS' amazing footage
Breathtaking footage of a SWISS A320 slaloming the Swiss Alps — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
United tests a new website
Sneak peek: United nears roll-out of anticipated new website — Ben Mutzabaugh, USA Today
Delta goes Starbucks
Starbucks, Dunkin & Lift - Oh My! Coffee Keeps Passengers Going — Malcolm Muir, Airline Reporter
Can a business-only airline finally succeed?
The Rise Of The New All-Business Class Carrier — Jonny Clark, TheDesignAir
Is La Compagnie a real business-only airline? — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
The Most Ridiculous Airline Aspiration of the Century — Ben Schlappig, One Mile At A Time
Why do Canadian airports have a Y prefix, whereas the ones in the UK are more city-related? And why is LAX called LAX? by Keir Whitaker in Bath, UK
The three-letter airport code history is both simple and complicated. The origins can be found in meteorological stations, regulations, old city names, airfield names. Listen to the segment for a run-down!
GVA.
Paul's hometown airport. It has an unusually long runway for an airport this size (longer than SFO, HKG and on-par with LHR, just to take the airports covered in episodes 001, 002 and 003). Part of it was actually on French territory, but countries decided to exchange land to make it swiss while maintaining their respective land mass.
Geneva is home to the United Nations and many of its bodies (HCR, WIPO, WHO, ITU to name a few) but also the IATA and the EBACE aviation trade fair. Many multinationals (Nestle), financial institutions and organizations (the Olympic committee) are also located nearby, which also explains the importance of the airport relative to its size. Many countries also source the ink for their bank notes through that port of call.
If you have to go through passport control, chances are you will be bussed. Always go close to the doors on the right side of the bus, you'll exit quicker to immigration—which can get cramped at times (the zone shall be refurbished soon, we hear).
Before customs, at the baggage belts, is a machine that delivers a 80 minutes free public transport ticket. It's not well-advertised, but worth it as cabs do not all take credit cards. Take the train over the bus to go to the center of the city with that ticket. All trains stop a Geneva central station and you'll be there in a short 5 minutes.
Leaving Geneva Airport, make sure you take a look at the security gates at the end, there's often less people than the ones people turn first at (there's a Fast Track corridor on both ends). You can also try to go through the F gates—although usually reserved for passengers traveling to France, staff might let y
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Comment on each episode, and rate us, on Spotify
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We are very appreciative for the all the feedback received in the past week. It was overwhelming, thank you everyone and keep it coming!
We are learning about podcasting as we go and, for instance, we have tested an improved sound solution that we should start using for next week's episode.
Was Emirates pitched the 747-8?
Emirates Airlines gets pitch for 100 Boeing 757-8s — Scott Hamilton, Leeham News
Crash by selfie
NTSB Report
LCY will expand
Expansion of London City Airport gets Go-ahead
Harrison Ford narrates Aviation documentary
Living in the Age of Airplanes
How the Airplane Has Changed the World — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers
The TransAsia crash
Taiwan TransAsia plane crashes into river — BBC
TransAsia Pilots Take Proficiency Tests After Taiwan Crash — NBC News
Pay-to-use in-flight outlets
Scoot's pay-to-play AC outlets: the future of onboard power? — John Walton, RunwayGirl Network
EasyJet introduces a new livery
Skyliner Aviation News
Private air travel membership
Rise
SurfAir
Incredible room on JAL's Dreamliners
A Closer Look at JAL's Super Spacious 787-9 — Jonny Clark, TheDesignAir
Internalising the Knee Recline — Jan Chipchase
Frankfurt's airport app gives real-time security and immigration waiting times
Frankfurt Airport extends information services for passengers
Wanderlust within Chrome
Wandertab by HitList
HipMunk
HipMunk.com
Booking a flight online and on mobile, an overview
Matrix Airfare Search
Google Flights
ITA Matrix Airfare Search Advanced Routing Codes — Michael Cargian, Upgrd.com
Travel Flash Report — Criteo
The 2014 Traveler's Road to Decision — Google
Kayak
Adioso.com
How to upgrade on Virgin Atlantic — Alex Hunter
Which airlines would you not fly on and why not? by Gen Kanai in Tokyo, Japan
List of airlines banned within the EU — European Commission
FAA Banned Countries — Aviation Lawyer
Safety Audit Information — International Civil Aviation Organization
Safety Rating Criteria — AirlineRatings.com
SFO. Which is not really in San Francisco, but has a great museum and wonderful curated displays about every topic you can imagine.
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The new Air Force One will be a 747-8
AF Identifies Boeing 747-8 platform for next Air Force One — U.S. Air Force
Gatwick's ambition to cut down queues to a minimum
'Queues will be a thing of the past', Gatwick claims — Lizzie Porter, Telegraph
Skymark files for bankruptcy
Japan's Skymark Airlines files for bankruptcy protection — Adrian Schofield, ATW
Why did AA change its First Class cookie?
American Is Replacing Their Unpopular First Class Chocolate Chip Cookie. Here's Why That Matters. — Gary Leff, View from the Wing
Qatar Airways buys into IAG
Qatar Airways acquires 10% stake in IAG — Anne Paylor, ATW
Managing Airlines as Hotels
Hotel Management Model As An Alternative For Flagship Airlines
Hopper promises to tell you when best to book your flight
Hooper's New App Throws Down the Gauntlet for Flight Predictions — Nikki Ekstein, Travel + Leisure
Qantas and Samsung partner on inflight VR goggles
Qantas Virtually Entertain Us — Jonny Clark, TheDesignAir
Airbus Invents Immersive Seat Helmet to Make You Forget You're Flying
Life Vest App
New inflight safety apps seek passenger attention and retention — Tomas Romero, Runway Girl Network
US airlines lead world for inflight wifi
There's more in-flight wi-fi than ever — Ryan Tomme, Briefly Today
The Sorry State of In-Flight Wi-Fi — Nick Bilton, The New York Times
Gogo gets FCC nod for 70Mbps in-flight WiFi tech — Nate Swanner, Slashgear
A carry-on gets smart
Bluesmart: World's First Smart,Connected Carry-On — Indiegogo
TripIt
TripIt.com
The Future of IFE
New Budget Airline Seats Swap Screens For Built-in Tablet Holders — Andrew Liszewski, Gizmodo
Panasonic's High-Tech Airplane Seats Bring Luxury Amenities To Coach — Les Shu, Digital Trends
In-flight entertainment's future may be on your tablet — Kate Davidson, Marketplace
Alaska Airlines to offer Windows 8.1 tablets for passengers on long flights — John Callaham, Windows Central
Lufthansa will let you watch in-flight movies on your own tablet — Todd R. Weiss, CiteWorld
How can you tell the age of an aircraft you're flying?
AirFleets.net
PlaneFinder.net
HKG. Alex reminisces about the amazing feat that was the big move from Kai Tak to the new Chek Lap Kok.
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IAG set to buy Aer Lingus
Third time lucky: IAG and Aer Lingus — The Economist
Emirates would consider buying 100 A380 NEO aircrafts if Airbus commits
Emirates Is Now Giving Airbus 43 Billion Reasons To Build A New Superjumbo Jet — Benjamin Zhang, Business Insider
SkyMall goes bankrupt
SkyMall Remembered — Joe Pinsker, The Atlantic
"We are not asking our customers to be happy with anything."
American Airlines CEO Akkwardly Explains Why Fares Aren't Going Down — Dennis Schaal, Skift
404 - Plane Not Found
Malaysia Air Site Hacked, Some Customer Data Appear Online — Kelvin Chan, AP
Jan Koum announced WhatsApp on FlyerTalk
Thoughts about my free iPhone app - WhatsApp — FlyerTalk Travel Technology Forum
Cathay's new campaign
Cathay Tell The World They Are A More Civilized Way To Travel — Jonny Clark, The Design Air
Google consults for VietJet
Low-cost airline VietJet strikes consulting deal with Google — CampaignAsia ($)
New Eurowing livery
New Eurowing Brand Painted Up On First Aircraft - But Is It A Good Livery? — Jonny Clark, The Design Air
Will you crash? There's an app for that
'Am I Going Down?' — Vanilla Pixel
PlaneFinder
PlaneFinder.net
Has the A380 any future?
Is Airbus's A380 a 'superjumbo' with a future or an aerospace white elephant? — Alan Tovey, The Telegraph
What is the biggest airport in the world?
Runway Leaders — The Economist
LHR. Choose the Heathrow Connect rather than the Heathrow Express to connect to London, or even the Piccadilly Line.
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