The Next Trip - An Aviation and Travel Podcast
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231 episodes
Doug had 3 trips since the last episode - DC to SFO, SFO to Osaka, and an out and back KC46 flight at Travis AFB in California. Drew had a quiet week with a flight lesson and a smooth week managing the a hub operation. We talk about what may be the biggest airplane ever, the WindRunner by start-up Radia, which will transport wind turbines. We also discuss: United expects its busiest Spring Break ever. JAL and Korean Air order A350s. NASA;s Artemis II plans to take astronauts around the moon next year. Which aircraft have the right of way. Air Force One and TFRs (temporary flight restrictions. We finish the episode with our preliminary travel plans for Spring Break. Will Doug and family make it to South America? Cliff hanger for next week! Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug and Drew meet up in DC with a crew of avgeeks that give us a lot of material. Two of them, Drews coworkers Andy and Patrick, have been on the show. Doug definitely got an earful. We also discuss: Southwest slashes capacity due to Boeing 737 Max delivery delays. Cathay Pacific is back in the black with huge profits. Delta CEO says theyre seeing record demand over the next few months. We do an update on Boeing’s issues. Latam incident between Sydney and Auckland. Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is back from Paris while Drew couldnt get off the ground in Baltimore. It’s Doug’s turn to talk about how his pilot work day starts. We also discuss: Jetblue/ Spirit merger drama ends. A United 777 departing SFO loses a wheel and diverts to LAX. American orders 737 Max 10s AND A321s. Why is pilot hiring slowing. Its not necessarily the economy. Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Drew talks about how he begins his work day and how an airline hub operations begins. Doug is back from Beijing, where the 737 Max is flying again, and where eating shrimp isn’t as easy as it sounds - he explains. We discuss: Solar Eclipse travel and Delta’s flight along the path of “totality” . Chinese airlines can add another 50 flights to the US, further thawing relations. American is about to place an order for 100 narrowbody planes and it looks like Airbus is the victor. The FAA’s Mike Whitaker gives Boeing 90 days to come up with a comprehensive quality control plan. Bag fees are rising, but when adjusting for inflation air travel is still a bargain Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is back from Hong Kong and we discuss the citys ups and downs as an aviation hub. We talk about how US airports are seeing billions of dollars of investment which are resulting in magnificent new facilities. Also on this episode: Winds over the North Atlantic propel airliners over 800mph. United plans to reinstate Tel Aviv service. Airport investments. Aircraft type ratings. Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Drew recaps his round-the-world (kind of) trip and Doug is back from 777 landings training in Denver. We discuss: Finnair pivots after Asia flights are complicated by Russia airspace issues Finnair asks customers to weigh in Russia buys previously leased planes Thai Airways buys 45 787s Engines engines engines Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Drew is in Hong Kong, with return guest Ian, while Doug is in North Carolina for KC46 training. Ian and Drew are fresh off flights from LAX where they met up with avgeek friends. We discuss: Lara of Nonrev Lounge has her birthday at LAX…of course Getting from LAX to HKG via MUC and ZRH? It’s complicated 4 engines for long haul. We discuss the A340 737 Max update Lufthansa ground workers strike Maybe they’re Vince Peterson stairs, not DB Cooper? What’s KLM Asia? Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Drew is back in the air and working on perfecting landings in a Cessna Skyhawk. Doug is home from work and spending way too mcuh time figuring out if Taylor Swift will make it from her concert in Tokyo. We discuss: Doug gives Drew tips on how to grease a landing Jetblue and Spirit appeal the decision denying their merger Should Boeing “sunset” Contributor Steve laments the current state of travel attire and we agree Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Drew is back in the sky working on a private pilot’s license while Doug is in Houston on the “V" part of his “W" assignment of SFO-LHR-IAH-LHR-SFO. We discuss: Sending a 767 to San Diego with rampers to work it Late Senator Dianne Feinstein gets an SFO terminal and the Ontario Airport named after her American, Southwest, and United reported earnings Jetblue may be changing its mind about merging with Spirit El Niño pushes flights across the Pacific at record speeds The 737 Max 9 is cleared to fly! American has changed toiletry kits to cardboard Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is back from a 2-day trip to Munich where the trains weren’t running and Drew is lucking out again with calm East Coast weather for the MLK weekend traffic. We discuss: Alaska 1282 door plug incident It’s an El Niño year for weather patterns. How does that affect aviation? Jetblues Joanna Geraghty is the first major US airline CEO Delta orders 20 A350-1000s What does Boeing pay for 737 groundings? Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Drew deals with “flurrygate" to cap off 7 busy week for airport ops while Doug is getting much needed rest after a running the gauntlet over the Christmas holiday. We discuss: JAL 516 - “kudos to the crew” Smooth operators - airlines keep it together over the holiday season Akasa (who?) on the verge of a 150 aircraft order 2023 was a safe year for aviation Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is back from his “W” trip SFO-LHR-IAH-SFO and trying not to think of where his body clock is. Drew enjoyed a traditional airline Christmas of working and then enjoying takeout Chinese food on the couch with Robbie and doggie, Henny. We discuss: Did our predictions for 2023 happen? Mexicana is back! Are exploding engines in our future? We look at rotating detonation engines Why do airlines still use 1960s technology dot matrix Okidata printers? Predictions for next year Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Drew and Doug are both on the job the week of Christmas with Drew working the busy hub operation and Doug doing flights to London, then Houston, back to London, and then home to SFO. We talk about news stories as presents and what we’d like to see under the avgeek Xmas tree. We also discuss: JSX buys 300 electric and hybrid planes Boeing resumes deliveries to China Lufthansa orders 737 Maxes We explain what “airline chicken” is Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Ganesh Sitaraman, professor at Vanderbilt University, and author of “Why Flying is Miserable: and How to Fix It”, joins us to talk about the history of the airlines and how to make them better. We discuss: __ __ Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is back from KC46 training near Philadelphia and Drew is working to save fuel by having aircraft APUs shut down fast. Both of us are excited about the Alaska/Hawaiian merger and of course we have opinions on it. Should they start a new airline brand or keep Alaska and Hawaiian identities separate? We also discuss: The best and worst airports for layovers The JetBlue-Spirit merger gets closer to happening Thai Airways is on the verge of a huge 787 order Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
It’s confirmed - Sunday, November 26 was the busiest day in US aviation history. Drew talks about how it was running the operation that day, and Doug recounts leaving snowy Chicago. We discuss: Travel forecasts for 2024 A Virgin 787 flies on 100% SAF Spirit struggles with planes out of service and excess staffing We remember the Concordes last flight 20 years ago Why are all planes not deiced? Alaska and Hawaiian drop a whopper of an announcement LATE on a Sunday (after we recorded, edited, and uploaded) Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is back from Beijing and in the US Midwest for Thanksgiving while Drew is working the busiest holiday travel week ever. We talk about out Thanksgiving celebrations and discuss: TSA passenger numbers this week Airline service offerings and IATA regulating sandwiches in 1958 Dutch government drops flight cap threat Boom Supersonic project gains speed with Saudi investment Dubai Airshow orders are a win for Boeing GE90 engines vs its replacement, the GE9X on the 777-9 Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is back from New Zealand and Drews back from Geneva via a 747 from Frankfurt. Both are gearing up for a record breaking Thanksgiving travel period. We talk about what we’re thankful for but it didn’t go as planned. 😃 https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is back from 777 simulator training and Drew continues Winter Ops training in 70F temps. We discuss: We get confirmation that our prediction about Jetblue and Alaska merging was and is a possibility Fedex tells pilots “go work for American" Spirit leaving Denver United expects record breaking Thanksgiving holiday travel period We finish the episode previewing Doug’s trip to New Zealand that evening and Drews trip to Europe the next day. Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Drew has roadblocks getting flights out with the jetstream causing early arrivals in Europe, weight restrictions to Tokyo due to a volcanic eruption, and gate space issues at Las Vegas. Doug is in Denver for flight sim training after just arriving from Taipei. We discuss: US Senators accuse airlines of “unfair practices” in their frequent flyer programs What’s up with AOG Technics, the company at the heart of the fake parts scandal? The Boeing 737-7 is nearing certification and there’s hope for the 737-10 as well Chinese airlines post profits again Why do pilots do jerky slowdowns and stops sometimes Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/podcast/bips64t9pv992nqh3zub135iwvpjo4 https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Drew is back from a Winter Ops Summit in Chicago and Doug is getting his honey-do list done before flying to Taipei. We discuss: Challenges of running a full schedule during snow and ice events Kudos to the Horizon crew who dealt with a jumpseater trying to shut engines off Southwest posts smaller profit and orders 108 737-7s Spirit slows growth plans due to softer demand FAA finally has a leader We discuss how to start a jet engine Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug and Drew make it to Hong Kong to celebrate over 200 episodes. We accomplish our mission of walking to Checkerboard Hill where aircraft made the sharp turn before landing at Kai Tak airport until 1998. Drew has a special visitor from Sri Lanka with a civilian aviation story and Doug is back to KC46 training. . We discuss: Sri Lankan writer Ashok Ferrey joins us to talk about travel from Asia post-Covid Our flights to and from Hong Kong, including Drew’s serendipitous detour to Osaka Cebu Pacific ordering up to 150 aircraft Korean and Asiana merger hits turbulence United, Delta, and American post 3rd quarter results We end the show regaling you with our one perfect day in Hong Kong and answering some really good questions from our contributors (you). https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/podcast/episode-204-avgeek-serendipity-hkg https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is back from Frankfurt, and Drew is rounding everyone up to create Winter ops checklists as temps start dropping. Breaking news is a cargo 757 doing a belly landing in Chattanooga, Tennessee after a possible hydraulic issue. We discuss landing gear situations as well as a planeload of other topics: SAS moves from the STAR Alliance to SkyTeam with Air France/KLM buying a stake Jetblue flight attendants get a raise and back the merger with Spirit United buys another 110 aircraft including 50 787s and 60 A321NEOs Drew has a weight restricted flight from DC to Tokyo - how does ops handle that? We explain why we think American Airilnes is suing to keep its Northeast Alliance with JetBlue Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Doug is in Green Bay for a Packers game, after operating his 2nd flight to Rome, while Drew holds court with four avgeeks in DC. We discuss Reactions to Delta’s mileage program changes Ryan Airs CEO, Michael O’Leary, gets pied Jetblue/America Northeast Alliance update AirCanada orders 787-10s while AF/KLM orders A350 Cathay Pacific and HKG rise out of the ashes ACARS - the system that communicates to aircraft Your favorite mega airports Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
We made it to 200 episodes and could not have done it without you. Thank you for letting us be your avgeek fix every week. We do it for you! Thanks for the feedback, comments, engagement, and inspiration. We planned a fabulous trip for this episode but had to postpone because life happens, and we’ve alway said people (and pets) over planes. There will still be a celebratory trip soon but in the meantime we’re back to business with the following topics: Doug’s trip to Shanghai Delta changes their SkyMiles program to reward spending above miles and segments India stops issuing visas to Canadians and both countries expel a diplomat. Will travel between the countries grind to a halt? We remember Leina’ala whose image graces the tails of Hawaiian Airlines Airline’s mileage programs are sometimes worth more than the airline itself Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
Were back from Dorkfest at LAX but the fun didnt stop there. Doug had a rags to riches avgeek story for his return to the SF Bay Area and Drew and buddies went west to Honolulu (as one does) before returning to the mainland. On this episode we discuss: A passenger attempted to enter the flight deck at Chicago OHare Ural Airlines A320 lands in a field in Russia Italy wants to fast track Lufthansas investment in ITA PW1100 engine inspections delay Airbus delivery schedules Through or direct flights involving a plane and equipment change Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/podcast/66phhntqbemsxymi780obv8dkmrg0l
Doug and Drew make it to Dorkfest 2023 LAX and meet up with a bunch of our awesome friends and listeners. This is a yearly avgeek meetup first organized by Brett Snyder, better known as blogger Cranky Flier. VIP listeners Ian and Ryan join us on the episode. We discuss: Our crazy routes to LAX Avgeeks on a train? Annoying announcements New FAA administrator Tom Brady hired as Delta spirit animal? Day trip to Mohave Airpark and Palmdale Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/
