Layovers - Air Travel podcast

SHOW NOTES

I. News of the week

The subsidies received by U.S. arlines

• WikiLeaks Disclosure Shows U.S. Airlines Received Billions in Subsidies – Skift
• U.S. Airlines Have Paid the Government $250 Billion -- Amazingly, Some Claim They Are Subsidized
• US government to review Gulf carrier subsidy claims; establishes forum for comment | Open Skies content from ATWOnline
• Emirates CEO Calls U.S. Airlines' Open Skies Arguments 'Fallacious' and 'Malicious' – Skift

Emirates lets go of First in new A380

• Emirates Fits Planes with Record 615 Seats for Danish Flights – Skift
• Airbus needs more time to decide on A380 changes: paper | Reuters

Boeing parks 787 in Mojave Desert as premium seat glut increases

• Dreamliners’ Missing Seats Prompt Boeing to Park 787s in Desert - Bloomberg Business
• Here's Why a Single First Class Seat Can Cost £201,000 | Gizmodo UK

Early overweight 787 finally find owners

• Boeing said to have buyers for early overweight Dreamliners | The Seattle Times

777 improvements while waiting for the 777X

• Boeing Rolls Out 777 Upgrade Plan | Advanced Machines for Aerospace Manufacturing content from Aviation Week

Virgin America tops U.S. customer satisfaction

• Misery in the air as flyer frustration climbs
• Airline Quality Rating report shows U.S. carriers' performance worsened in 2014 | Dallas Morning News

E.U. airlines fined for mishandling passengers' rights

• Aer Lingus, Jet2 and Wizz Air face legal action over flight delays | Business | The Guardian

Airport handler wakes up in cargo while flight en route

• Alaska flight turns around after ‘banging’ reveals trapped ramp agent | Safety content from ATWOnline

TSA wins big on loose change

• Airport Security Raked In Nearly $675,000 In Loose Change Last Year

II. Innovation news of the week

Google faces anti-trust proceedings in Europe

• Google Charged With Antitrust Violations by Europe - NYTimes.com
• TripAdvisor CEO Wants Europe to Crack Down on Google's Anti-Competitive Behavior – Skift
• Official Google Blog: The Search for Harm

Air Malta draws hearts in the sky

• Flightradar24 on Twitter: ".@AirMalta #LoveFlight #AMC14JC is returning to Malta after drawing two hearts in the sky http://t.co/LZeBfQjud7"
• Love is in the air! Plane flight path makes two giant hearts in the sky above Malta - Mirror Online

LHR introduces smarter airplane separation for more landing efficency

• Time Based Separation Goes Live At Heathrow, Should Significantly Cut Delays | The Cranky Flier

Angry Birds on IFE

• Angry Birds are hitching a ride on airplanes | GamesBeat | Games | by Dean Takahashi

Delta offers a premium pet tracking service

• Delta's Enhanced Package Tracker Helps Keep Your Pet Alive, For A Fee

AMS and KLM partner for airport wayfinding through beacons

• Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and KLM Partnership
• KLM's navigatie service op Amsterdam Airport Schiphol - YouTube

NRT uses running track instead of airport signage

• Narita Airport’s Newest Terminal 3 Designed Around A Running Track | Spoon & Tamago
• Tokyo Reporter on Twitter: "Narita's new Terminal 3 for low-cost carriers is huge, but 600+ meters from Terminal 2 http://t.co/MHSN5LIvl0"

III. App of the week

SeatGuru

• Airline Seat Maps, Flights shopping and Flight information- Best Airplane Seats - SeatGuru

IV. Topic of the week

The future of economy is shrinking

The situation

• What U.S. Airline Passengers Complain About Most When They Fly – Skift
• Cramped airline seats may spark fights, health concerns
• Airline Seat Safety Risk
• Airplane Seat Swapping Turns Rough-and-Tumble - NYTimes.com
• Plans to cram more seats in airliners won't sit well with fliers - LA Times

The manufacturers plans for more economy seats

• INTERIORS: Airbus gains traction with Space-Flex concept - 4/13/2015 - Flight Global
• Pontifications: Wizz could be first face-off of 737 MAX 200 vs "A320neo 195" - Leeham News and Comment
• Airbus Offering 11-Abreast A380 Seating From 2017 | Commercial Aviation content from Aviation Week
• "Choice" becomes new PaxEx curse word on 11-abreast A380 - Runway GirlRunway Girl
• INTERIORS: Airbus details A350 increased seat-count options - 4/13/2015 - Flight Global
• How To Cram An A330 To The Max — Layovers

The airlines new economy

• Delta's New Service Offerings - Business Insider
• Are European legacies going too far with economy minus? - Runway GirlRunway Girl

The seat recline debate

• Seat recline locks result in mid-air fight and diversion — Layovers
• Another day, another flight diversion caused by jerks — Layovers
• The Seat Recline War, Part III — Layovers
• The Knee Defender Is Not Safety Compliant — Layovers
• Future Perfect » Internalising the Knee Recline

A better economy seat

• Why Finding the Perfect Airline Seat Takes Detective Work – Skift
• The New Airline Seat Design Fit for Passengers and Low-Cost Carriers – Skift
• Pitch PF2000 on Vimeo
• The 4kg Titanium Seat | Expliseat
• Economy Skycouch™ - 777-300 Long-Haul Economy - Long-Haul Experience - Onboard Your Flight - Air New Zealand - UK & Eire
• Boeing's New Patent Might Help Passengers Sleep On Planes

The best current seats

• Long-haul Economy Class Comparison Charti - SeatGuru
• The World's Ten Best Economy Class Airline Seats
• Seat Pitch & Seat Width: Trans-Pacific | Flight Feature
• The World's Best Major Airlines for the Economy Long-Haul Experience – Skift

V. Question of the week

The world's craziest runways

LUA, Nepal

• Lukla Airport Landing & Takeoff - YouTube

GIB, Gibraltar

• Plane Landing at GIB/LXGB - Gibraltar airport - YouTube

PHB, Buthan

• The best extreme approach video of Paro Airport, Bhutan. Please watch HD and full screen - YouTube

SBH, St. Barts

• Plane Crash in the Caribbean - SBH St. Barth - YouTube

TGU, Honduras

• Tegucigalpa, Honduras Toncontin airport landing - YouTube

SXM, St Marteen

• INSANE PLANESPOTTING! Maho Beach Saint Maarten Princess Juliana Int'l Airport - FULL 1080p HD! - YouTube

We also mentionned, Courchevel CVF, the Swissair landing at HKG and Matekane in Lesotho.

VI. Airport of the week

SXMA plane spotter paradise.

• Princess Juliana International Airport | SXMAIRPORT.COM