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Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost family and friends in the recent Air India AI171 accident in India.
In this episode, Alex and David had plenty to catch up on—especially with David just back from his U.S. travels. He was absolutely raving about the United Airlines app, calling it “H-appy” with good reason! Meanwhile, Alex couldn’t get over Air France and their delicious ground-based food experiment.
They also dove into the latest Boeing and Airbus forecasts—yes, there are lots of planes on the horizon. Plus, the recent IATA conference delivered some fascinating insights and statistics.
https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-speeches/2025-06-02-01/
Enjoy the episode!
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In this episode, Alexandra shares her recent trip to the U.S. aboard Air France—complete with a whole row to herself and a glass of champagne! Meanwhile, David is gearing up for his own long journey—fingers crossed for some empty rows on his flight too.
We also dive into the retro charm of the TWA Hotel, the complexities of airport security, and more. Tune in and enjoy the journey!
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We talk about Alex’s “almost” India experience and why she had to go to Indigo’s Plan B! David’s trip to Kazakhstan just seemed to “Wizz” by ! Oh, and we touched on Alex’s current airline crush!
This airline for this episode was “F” – one of the world’s oldest airlines – and they do have a unique seat (hint). We also had a quick shout out to the world’s most profitable airline – you guessed it right.
David was excited about Disney coming to Abu Dhabi – and planes in Disney livery! But he will need to wait! We ended with Lounges – that’s what the Sky Lounge podcast is all about! Nice relaxing discussions in a relaxed comfy lounge! What would Ian Kay say about that?
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Travel demand remains strong, but could tariffs be the turbulence ahead for aviation growth? Let’s not dwell too long on that—because we’re also celebrating a terrific birthday for the airline that starts with “E”! Can you guess which one? Tune in to the episode to find out!
In this week’s episode, Alexandra and David dive into a mix of quirky and serious aviation updates:
On the topic of tariff turbulence, we also explore Roger Hall’s insights on turbulence of the airline kind.
Check out the article here:https://www.xflashsystems.com/alerting-monitoring/turbulence-det-route-plus/
Plus, a sweet cargo story! Mangoes & Apples! Andrew Tan reported on Air India Cargo’s fruity endeavor with over 3,000 varieties of mangoes, along with the airline’s recent integration of Apple AirTags for baggage tracking (and maybe mango tracking too?)
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Alexandra got the opportunity to try out some first-class luxury without even leaving the ground! While David got to relive old memories with a trip to Amsterdam – and the weather was just perfect!
They then jumped into various topics from loyalty to Aviation & AI – ending with the airline of the episode – “D”.
Guess the airline name – It’s a big one! Nope, we know what you are thinking – it’s not Delta! You have 3 guesses!
(Hint: They have more than 300 dedicated aircraft & serve over 500 airports globally.)
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It’s already the middle of February! And in this episode of THE SKY LOUNGE podcast, Alex & David talked about a relatively small and unknown airline starting with the letter B! The airline “B” has a very unique product that not many other airlines can lay claim to! But do you need to say a prayer before you take that flight with them?
We discussed the evolution of loyalty programs, airline & product transformation and buzzwords! Oh! We also touched on “flying the stripes”
If you are looking for a podcast with a fun & relaxing – but informative take on the aviation industry, THE SKY LOUNGE podcast is the one for you!
We are also proud to have made it to the Top 100 Aviation Podcasts by Feedspot! Thank you listeners & fellow avgeeks!
Here is the link of the list https://podcast.feedspot.com/aviation_podcasts/
Enjoy! And have a great rest of February!
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Happy New Year! Yes, we know that it is almost the end of January 2025 but is a good reminder how quickly the new year tends to come and go!
In our very first episode of 2025, Alex & self-have tried a slightly different format, where we take some of our LINKEDIN posts and talk a little bit more about them. Alex’s posts tend to be more practical & product focused; Mine tend to be more wishy-washy furtury 😉!
We talked about Ryanair & their liquid wishlist limits of 2 on the ground; What If IKEA had an airline? How airlines number their flights; when all you need is your face to travel; Front of the plane or do you prefer the back?
And we have a very interesting discussion on an airline very close to Alex’s heart, starting with A (Suspense)!
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Alex & David take a look back at 2024! It's been a year full of stars, good memories & lot of travel!, but it has been a year with it's share of sadness as well!
Champagne in economy, free agents versus loyalty - How will 2025 be for the industry?
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Welcome to season 2 of The Sky Lounge podcast with Alex & David. The new season starts with a slightly different format with the both of us talking about avgeeky things! This episode has a lot on airline food, a subject that always tends to bring up a lot of emotion!
Blame it on the sugar rush thanks to all the Diwali & Halloween sweets! We hope you enjoy the discussion!
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Change seems to be the mantra for aviation over the last few months! From low cost airlines adding business class & wide-body aircraft, to legacy carriers looking at ways to make more money, there is a lot happening in the industry.
What's in an airline business model anyway - the new model is "The What Works Model". And to add a little drama to all these changes, add in technology meltdowns!
But one thing remains constant - Aviation Geeks! No guest on this episode! Just Alex & David have a chat about all things aviation! Enjoy!
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Don’t you feel like royalty with that airline loyalty card! Lounge access, priority boarding, extra baggage allowance, free seat assignments, and a whole bunch of other nice to have “status” benefits!
This episode of Sky Lounge features Mark Ross-Smith, Loyalty guru & CEO of Loyalty Status Co., the creator of StatusMatch! Like Mark said in a post “We all intuitively know that loyalty status is the most sought-after, most highly prized thing any aspiring traveller can earn.” – we covered a lot of ground talking about the psychology of loyalty, status, status matches & how airlines are adapting to a changed world!
You could be a free agent like Alex, who prefers trying out different airline products or you could be like David stuck to one airline but worried about a status downgrade – but no matter what sort of traveller you are, this is a must listen-to episode! Hope you enjoy it!
And don’t forget to have a look at Mark’s LinkedIn profile & Loyalty Status Co
https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrosssmith/
https://www.loyaltystatus.com/
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Travel and fitness might seem like an unlikely pair. Think about all the trips filled with flights, time zones, different hotels, and busy days where fitness was the last thing on your mind.
And consider the hard-working aviation professionals, both on the ground and in the air, working long and odd hours—fitness often takes a back seat after such hectic schedules.
Today, it's just me, David, here without Alex. I'm joined by a very special guest, my son, Dr. Nihal Studden, a Doctor of Physical Therapy. Nihal will share some simple, easy-to-implement fitness tips for travelers, aviation professionals, and everyone in between! We hope you enjoy and benefit from the discussion!
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Rafat Ali, the CEO & Founder of SKIFT, the leading news source for travel executives, had a wide-ranging discussion with Alexandra & self on India!
Skift (verb) - origin: Nordic languages - meaning: Shift; transformation.
We could definitely say that India is Skifting, transforming in so many ways, specially when it come to travel.
We touched on the "small" Indian weddings, love for mangoes, "juggad" when it comes to sustainability! Home to perhaps the world's largest airline in the not too distant future. And what happens when Mum comes to your conference for the very first time!
Hope you enjoy the discussion as much as we did!
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Alexandra & self, discuss aviation news “worthy” events in February. The shortest month of the year but a very hectic month! Love was in the air with Valentine’s Day & what better than travel to keep romance alive. And then you had silent airport discos! Airports can be such fun places.
Bots have a mind of their own, as Air Canada discovered. People continue to travel, as the passenger numbers from Dubai Airports highlighted – and when people travel, their bags do too! Airlines have realized that bags are worth billions in extra fees - $33.3 billion to be exact!
We end with a recap of Air India’s safety video – but the fire alarm blaring on David’s side of the podcast was not as musical as Air India’s video 😊
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Gosh, how times flies! It’s the end of January already & here we are with the very first episode of Season 2 of the Sky Lounge podcast!
Alexandra & David catch up on trending aviation news ranging from the recent aircraft scares to Alexandra’s trip on BeOnd; David talks about his experience in the sparkling new Etihad lounge, Abu Dhabi’s Terminal A;
Then you have Air India’s very first A350 - very posh! Finally, it’s time to look forward to the rest of 2024 & maybe a glimpse of David’s attempt at writing his book - “The Things We Leave Behind.”
And before we forget “Happy New Year”
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Alexandra & David close the final episode of Season 1 of the Sky Lounge podcast with a look back at the year in aviation. They discuss & rank a number of key airline metrics based on their experiences in 2023. There are plenty of fun ones too - Bananas & Snickers!
As they wrap up this year and reflect on the amazing journey they have had, they take this opportunity to thank all the listeners of Sky Lounge and look forward to Season 2 in 2024!
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Alexandra reverses roles & becomes the interviewee in this episode as she talks about her recent experiences on JetBlue. She had a "mint"ful journey, in particular on their inaugural flight from Amsterdam!
JetBlue is an interesting airline - it's onboard product is more akin to a full service one; and then you have them pioneering the use of narrow body aircraft for trans-Atlantic routes!
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In this episode, we'll dive into the world of customer experience, with Vimal Kumar Rai. Whether you're a frequent flyer or an occasional traveler, what are some of the things that make your journey truly an experience to remember? Or is one of those trips that you sooner forget!
"Airlines have the opportunity to create lasting impressions and build brand loyalty through exceptional customer experiences."
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Embarking on a journey is more than just buying a ticket; As travelers, we prepare to explore new horizons, but our trusty companions on these expeditions are often the bags we carry.
These bags, whether they're neatly packed suitcases, reliable backpacks, or stylish totes, hold more than just our belongings – they contain our anticipation, curiosity, and the promise of what's to come.
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