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? Jetblue's 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-LHR-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...

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:  The inception and growth of America’s airlines Regulation and deregulation Ideas on how to bring back service to smaller cities, improve the flying experience, and keep it accessible 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...

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 Concorde's 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,...

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...

Doug is back from New Zealand and Drew's 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 Drew's trip to Europe the next day. Join the...

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...

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...

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...

Drew is at SFO filling in for ops manager and Doug survived a water park with 2 kids. We do a quick taping before Drew rushed to get on a flight to Hong Kong (or anywhere in Asia). We discuss  Drew’s full circle from SFO express ops agent to mainline ops manager  Flights halted to Isreal as war erupts United flight to nowhere  Boeing X66-A TTBW project update and will it have open rotor engines? Could you get struck by space junk? We end the show with our plans for one perfect day in...

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...

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 Air's 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...

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...

We're back from Dorkfest at LAX but the fun didn't 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 O'Hare Ural Airlines A320 lands in a field in Russia  Italy wants to fast track Lufthansa's investment in ITA PW1100 engine inspections delay Airbus delivery schedules Through or...

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...

It’s the busiest Labor Day weekend ever in the US and Drew’s mom tells us about getting the last seat on a flight from SF to DC. We also discuss: Allegiant's new alcohol pricing  LHR's ATC meltdown Redway Airlines, acting as sales agent for Fly Next, flying Global Crossing Airlines aircraft, fails. Confused yet? FAA investigation close to 5,000 pilots for not reporting health issues Join the discussion https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/

See Rome and fly! Doug’s speed dating the Eternal City and Drew's on AM shift avoiding delays for customers in line for pumpkin spice lattes. We discuss  Is FCO the best large airport in Europe? Will Carsten Spohr of LH bring ITA into STar Alliance? Dulles breaks ground on largest airport green energy project Boom's SST tester aircraft gets FAA certification  Will the Boom Overture succeed where Concorde failed? We look at the numbers Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/

Doug is flying the line again and Drew is transitioning to AM shift. We talk about one of our favorite cities, Heathrow…sorry, London, where Doug just did a 24hr turnaround. Also on this episode  Sensational news articles  Runway incursions and San Diego's single runway  Delta buys corporate jet operator, Wheels Up Airlines keep adding premium seats Air India livery….hero (window) or zero? Join the discussion!  https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/

Doug and Drew interview Oscar Munoz, recent CEO and Chairman of United Airlines. Oscar talks about how he turned around a major US airline and put it on a path to success. We talk about his new book “Turnaround Time” which chronicles his life and career and fulfilling his American dream. Oscar discusses with us: How he put safety and people first as he turned United around Oscar’s thoughts on the Archer Midnight eVTOL and Boom Supersonic Overture Surviving a heart attack and the resilience...

Drew is having a difficult work week while Doug is just as busy on his time off. On this episode we discuss: Some US airlines are seeing a clear drop in domestic demand. Will international demand supplement the drop? European carriers, including Ryanair, continue to see strong load factors Wizz Air orders 75 A321neos and American is looking of 100 narrowbodies After a customer opened a door inflight on Asiana, Korean carriers restrict access to emergency exit seats We discuss aviation...

Patrick from the Move Team at Drew’s Airport joins us to talk about moving multi-million dollar aircraft and being the rescue crew for aircraft in need. He is also fresh from EAA Oshkosh!  On this episode we discuss  PW1000G engine inspections  The NASA/Boeing TTBW or X66 future airliner UPS workers new contract  Join the discussion! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/podcast/72dj82h71nt1m5mxk7jnvh9yab7puw