Send us a text Drew heads out to California with Next Trip contributor, Greg from Kentucky, while Doug waits to fly the 777. We discuss Kentucky aviation and our crazy trip out to LAX which involved a few changes due to full flights everywhere. Greg talks about Cincinnati, Ohio’s airport, CVG, which is actually in Kentucky, the large cargo hub at Louisville, and the lack of air service at Lexington. We also discuss: Jetblue sweetens the pot with a better offer for Spirit Is it time to make airpl...
Jun 13, 2022•54 min•Ep. 133
Send us a text Doug is still waiting to be called to work his first 777 flight and Drew gets some family time in between crazy busy operations shifts. Busy or not, we always find time for our avgeek podcast break. Speaking of work and pleasure, what’s a good term for a combination business/leisure trip? Bleisure, Lisness, WFV (working from vacation)? We share your great ideas. What is CRM, crew resource management, and how does it apply in any work environment, not just on the flight deck? Also ...
Jun 06, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 132
Send us a text Doug is going stir crazy at home waiting for “the call”, with his first 777 assignment, and Drew is trying to keep the operation from getting crazy with 4 ramp closures for lightning within a few hours. To get our minds off our week, we obsess about why the 767-400 wasn’t successful with only 37 built. We continue our discussion about a new “Golden Age” of aviation with Bombardier flight testing the Global 8000, which will be the fastest passenger airplane, and the growth of luxur...
May 30, 2022•59 min•Ep. 131
Send us a text What was the first airline alliance - was it STAR, NW/KL, oneworld, Wings? We discuss international alliances that help improve revenues and ease passenger connectivity across carriers. Also, we believe we may be entering a new Golden Age of Aviation with supersonic airliners running on sustainable fuel, electric sea gliders, and airlines competing on improved passenger experience. Doug waits for the call to fly his first 777 and Drew has a busy week with flight training, irregula...
May 23, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 130
Send us a text What's better, having a middle seat open, lounge access, and high quality meals, or a bigger seat? We discuss Eurobiz vs US domestic First. Other topics on this episode: Non-pairwise widebodies…what are they? Japan may open to tourists Fedex gets it’s first SkyCourier - weird but functional Republic Airways asks for minimum new pilots hours of 750 vs 1,500 WN improves inflight product Avianca and GOL try to team up Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/ https...
May 16, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 129
Send us a text Drew is fresh off his third private pilot training flight so get ready for more small plane pilot memoirs. Doug is more excited about Drew’s business trip and asks him if it was better than Zoom - spoiler…..uhhh YES!! Also on this episode: Qantas orders the A350-1000 to launch Project Sunrise nonstop flights between Sydney and London and New York Spirit rejects jetBlue's offer to merge Airlines offer reduced price or free wifi. Does wifi or messaging affect which airline you ...
May 09, 2022•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 128
Send us a text We’re going from Guppies (737’s) to Bigfoot (777) as Doug finishes 777 training. One of the striking features of the 777 is its huge main landing, the largest on any aircraft. We dig into landing gear and getting aircraft on the ground vs. off the ground on this episode. Other topics discussed Drew flies jetBlue Mint for the first time Delta flight attendants start getting paid during boarding Is the A220 the 787 of long, thin domestic routes. Breeze starts A220 transcon flights A...
May 02, 2022•59 min•Ep. 127
Send us a text We’re partying like its 2019! Load factors and fares are up as Americans throw off their masks and head back to the skies as COVID19 wanes. We go through the spreadsheets as the major US carriers reveal their 1st quarter results. We also talk about Russia cranking up the TU-214, cough Russian 757, and IL96-300, cough Russian A340, production lines. In our pilot and airport memoirs we talk about Doug’s 777 training and Drew’s airport operation which changes drastically when load fa...
Apr 25, 2022•54 min•Ep. 126
Send us a text Next Trip was the #1 aviation podcast in Dubai this week so who better to have on this episode than the #1 avgeek in Dubai? Return guest, Roxi or @roxavgeek on Instagram and Twitter, is a flight attendant for a Dubai based carrier and also has a large following as an aviation influencer. Traffic is up 215% in the Middle East and we ask Roxi if it seems like the area is beyond COVID. She also recaps the Dubai Airshow for us since she was attending the event when we taped before. Al...
Apr 18, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 125
Send us a text Move over Frontier, jetBlue also has its eye on Spirit and makes a bid to buy it. Of course we have opinions on this - would a jetBlue/Spirit merger help or complicate jetBlue’s current operational issues? Would the cost of reconfiguring all of Spirit’s aircaft be worth it? Would the merger be denied because the two control so much New York to Florida traffic? Listen to what we think jetBlue’s master plan may be. Drew talks about Mainline and Express and how branding and customer ...
Apr 11, 2022•58 min•Ep. 124
Send us a text Longtime listener and avgeek friend Ryan joins us to talk about changing lanes in his aviation career. Ryan has been an avgeek his whole life and had dreams of being a pilot or working for the airlines. His road took him to driving trucks for a major cargo airline and loving his quality of life in a “flyover'“ state. Doug starts the transition from the 737 to the 777 and Drew talks about running a busy hub operation this week. We also discuss: Fedex and American Airlines have...
Apr 04, 2022•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 123
Send us a text Pilot memoirs continue with Doug doing his last 737 flights, before going to 777 training, and Drew regales you with his second Piper Warrrior flight above the DC Area. Topics covered: FAA increasing reviews of midair collision warnings China Eastern Flight 5735 crash update Russia creates its own laws for aircraft leased from other countries CEO of Spirit and Frontier says they have 2,000 market opportunities Boeing in talks with DL for huge 737 Max order Canada drops COVID19 tes...
Mar 28, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 122
Send us a text Drew finally has his first private pilot training flight and, as expected, it was amazing. Doug enjoys his last few weeks on the 737 before 777 training next month. We both talk about last week’s busy operation with full flights during and weather issues around the country. Topics on the episode: Staying calm and professional in stressful situations Travel and airline profits are rising despite high fuel costs 777’s with PW4000 engines will be cleared to fly again soon Mask mandat...
Mar 21, 2022•53 min•Ep. 121
Send us a text We start with positive news of countries opening back up to international travel and Drew’s trip to Chicago. Other topics discussed: Aerflot suspends all international flights Airlines find routes around Russia IATA opposes bans on parts shipments to Russian Airlines ANA creating a low fare carrier called Air Japan We end with a light-hearted ranking of all the annoying passenger types. Doug might be the small bladder passenger and Drew is definitley chatty Cathy. https://www.next...
Mar 14, 2022•47 min•Ep. 120
Send us a text Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, affecting millions of people. Sanctions against Russia are coming from all angles and we discuss how aviation is affected. We end with some positive news on COVID19 with infections declining and masks coming off everywhere - even on some planes. Other topics on this episode: Two Russian planes trying to enter Canadian airspace are turned back while one flight, SU111 flies over Canada declaring that it’s a humanitarian flight. Transport Can...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 119
Send us a text The world is starting to open up but will Russia’s invasion of Ukraine change everything? We discuss the breaking news of countries closing their airspace to Russia and the unfortunate destruction of the heaviest airplane in the world, the Antonov 225, Myria. We get a lot of feedback from you regarding the use of the term “gas” versus “fuel”, you do a deeper dive into our Flyover States segment, and you offer more airports named after famous people in your neck of the “tarmac”. Al...
Feb 28, 2022•57 min•Ep. 118
Send us a text Doug and Drew meet up in DC with Doug picking up an SFO-DCA trip before he leaves the 737. Doug tells Drew his route was over some "flyover states" so we research where the term came from. Drew regales you with the history of College Park Airport which he lives by and we discus airports named after presidents on this President's Day episode. Other topics: Boeing’s new middle market plane's size Mesa Airlines invests in seaplane startup, Regent We end the episod...
Feb 21, 2022•50 min•Ep. 117
Send us a text Welcome to our first crossover episode with another aviation podcast, Nonrev Lounge. NonRev Lounge is hosted by Tyler who works ramp, his sister Monique who’s a gate agent, and their friend Lara, a flight attendant and a previous guest on our show. Today we have Tyler guest hosting the show with two other avgeek friends, Greg and Nate. We’re taping from SFO where we’ve met to spot planes and participate in some major avgeekery. This is a two part episode with this being Part 1 and...
Feb 14, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 116
Send us a text We keep our pilot memoirs and deice diaries short today after some mixed feedback. Who are we kidding?? Doug talks about his trip to Honduras and happening to be there for their presidential inauguration. Drew talks about running it hard with a full schedule during the Nor'easter. Also: China Airlines 747 ingested an LD3 container Boeing 787 delivery delays COVID travel rules rekaxed in Europe Wall Street Journal's best and worst airlines We end with an update on the avi...
Feb 07, 2022•47 min•Ep. 115
Send us a text Doug’s pilot memoir this week is his return to the KC10 after several months. Was it like riding a bike? We talk about the KC10’s successor, the KC46 Pegasus, based on a 767-200 with a 767-400 flight deck. Does it measure up to the KC10 Extender? Also on this episode: The UK relaxes COVID19 documentation requirements Air India returns to the Tata Group after 69 years Lufthansa and Air France push back on the EU’s climate plans US retaliates against China by blocking flights after ...
Jan 31, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 114
Send us a text DC gets an another big snowstorm and Drew tells Doug, whatever you do, don’t connect through DC! Guess what Doug does? We got a chance to meet up and Doug got to see Drew’s deice operation in person. Our first topic is one we both are experts at - airline seats. With narrow-bodies doing more international routes, a new “Butterfly” seat, which converts from 2 standard domestic first seats to 1 international lie-flat seat, may be the answer. We also discuss: Airlines panic about the...
Jan 24, 2022•49 min•Ep. 113
Send us a text From Martin Luther King Day, to Sidney Poitier, to United product placement, to DC8's to Hawaii? Stay with us…and yes, everything leads to aviation. We look at how far (or not) we’ve come from the DC8. Also on this episode: SST updates on Boom Overture and NASA's X59 QueSST Airport 5g buffer zones A380/747-8 replacements? We end with our favorite avgeek dad jokes. We apologize in advance. Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/ https://www.nexttripnetwork...
Jan 17, 2022•55 min•Ep. 112
Send us a text We start the show sharing how busy our weeks were with snow on the East Coast and in the Midwest. Drew discusses deicing challenges with moderate to heavy snow and Doug talks about how weather issues around the sytem are constantly changing his flying schedule. Drew explores going back to pilot school to get his private pilot's license with Doug encouraging him that its never too late to learn. Also on this episode: 2021 was the safest year for flying since 2017 Airlines canc...
Jan 10, 2022•55 min•Ep. 111
Send us a text We dive into the new year with our predictions for the top aviation stories of 2022. Our main topic is the 777 and its ups and downs, pun intended, with PW4000 777’s expected to return service while the 777x sees certification delays. We end the episode with our “demands” in our Avgeek Bill of Rights. Other topics discussed: Our last flights of 2021 Omicron hits crews and causes cancelations Indonesia and Ethiopia approve 737 Max operations The GE90-94B reaches 100,000 flight hour...
Jan 03, 2022•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 110
Send us a text We love airplanes and we love flying...especially with a nice glass of wine to enjoy our trip. We end the year talking about how airlines choose the varieties they serve. Also in this episode: Doug flies the 737-700 hot rod Drew works on getting thousands home for the holidays Omicron is dampening hopes for a fast recovery Phillipine Airlines restructures We ask you: was the A380 a success or a failure? Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/ https://www.nexttripne...
Dec 27, 2021•55 min•Ep. 109
Send us a text We talk about our busy weeks as we help move thousands of people the week before Christmas. We give our listeners tips on how to score airline and hotel perks to take take your avgeek travel up a notch. Other topics discussed: Boom Aerospace negotiating with Greensboro Airport for a manufacturing site for the supersonic Overture airliner United to order zero-emission hydrogen electric engines to retrofit on regional aircraft American hiring 18,000 employees in 2022 Will Omicron se...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 108
Send us a text Christmas is only 2 weeks away and airlines are busy carrying millions of packages around the world. What better time to have two cargo pilots on? Think cargo employees are introverts? Think again because these guys, our buddies Matt and Stephen, are a plane load of fun. Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/ https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/...
Dec 13, 2021•1 hr 20 min•Ep. 107
Send us a text We review Thanksgiving week traffic and congratulate the airlines on a smooth operation with few cancelations. Topics covered: Traffic is back but the Omicron variant could change everything Some countries start closing borders to international traffic Business travel is on the road to recovery We note several aircraft with wingspans greater than their lengths. Join the conversation! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/ https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/...
Dec 06, 2021•51 min•Ep. 106
Send us a text We welcome our first corporate aviation employee, Embraer Phenom 300 pilot, Sean. We knew that corporate flying was different from the airlines but we were impressed with all the additional functions Sean does. This includes creating his own flight plans, doing the passenger safety briefing, fueling his own plane, and even serving cocktails when needed. He discusses the perks and challenges in his career and how he loves how unpredicatable his work day can be. Other topics: Airbus...
Nov 29, 2021•56 min•Ep. 105
Send us a text We're approaching the busy travel season in the US with TSA passenger screenings nearing 2019 levels. Doug and Drew will be in the thick of it, working to get some of the 5 million travelers to their destinations safely. We ask you, our listeners, to guess what the highest daily total of passengers screened in the US will be during the Thanksgiving holiday travel week. The listener who guesses closest will get some Next Trip swag. Get your answer to us by Wednesday, November ...
Nov 22, 2021•46 min•Ep. 104
