Free-Form Friday
Closing out the first week of Al on the Airlines with some random observations
Every blog or podcast seems to have some sort of end-of-week theme. There are lots of news recaps and predictions for the week ahead. We’ll let those folks have that space.
Instead, I thought I’d use today to quickly opine on things in and around the airline (and associated) worlds, no unifying theme required! (Shout-out to my favorite sports talk radio show¹ for the title.)
Cue the Live Shots from Airport Lobbies this Thanksgiving Week
As we saw with the shutdown, there is nothing local news loves more than to cut to “Steve Jacobson² live from the lobby at O’Hare,” to show the lines of people trying to make their way home for the holiday. The only thing better is if there is a snowstorm, in which case they get to show people on cots or sleeping on the airport floor, which is the holy grail of airport live shots. Always a fun time for my friends in airline PR.
Cue the Thanksgiving Travel Tips Segments
“Traveling this week? Here are the the three tips savvy travelers need to know to survive the airport at Thanksiving.”
This or similar headlines will also abound on morning news programs or lifestyle blogs. They’ll be the same tips as last year and are guaranteed to include a recommendation some silly onboard neck pillow type device.
Being the default travel agent for most people in my life, I have three simple tips for the infrequent flyers among my friends and family members:
Take the first flight of the day whenever you can
Be ready to wait . . . and wait some more
Bring snacks — no folks are more aware of their closing time than airport food and beverage establishment employees. If you’re hungry for McNuggets at 10:01, trust me, that metal screen went down at 10:00 on the dot
(I have a whole different set of tips for the very frequent flyers, who sometimes make terrible decisions because they know too much about how things work.³)
Emirates Flexes Again
There’s probably no airline brand that benefits from a reputational halo more than Emirates (EK). You could make an argument that they have long since replaced Singapore Airlines in that regard. I used to get asked “Have you ever flown Singapore?” Now, I get asked (often by my son) “Have you ever flown Emirates?”
This past week EK announced that they will be launching Starlink across their fleet, joining several other carriers that have committed to the service. Onboard wifi was notoriously one of EK’s weak points, but now they’ll have an industry-leading offer onboard. I have had a chance to use Starlink on several non-EK flights, and it is fast. I’m sure it will be super fast in the EK First Class suite you see on Youtube⁴ all the time, but let’s hope it’s just as fast in the 10-abreast economy section you don’t see.
We’ll be talking a lot about the wifi wars and what connectivity means for inflight entertainment (my world for over a decade) a lot in future posts.
Random Airline Nerd List to End the Week: Worst Lavs on US Airlines
Any Old 757 Lavatory with the Blue Water
That’s assuming it’s even working, which it’s guaranteed not to be if you’re flying over the ocean
2. Any 737 “Slimline” Lav
I can barely fit in there
The Airbus Rear Galley “Space-Flex” Lav That Curves Against the Fuselage⁵
I literally cannot fit in there. Please, you go ahead
Thanks for reading! Talk to you Monday.
Footnotes
The Petros and Money Show on AM 570 LA Sports
Totally made-up anchor name
This is not referring to myself at all, no way whatsoever
Given what I’ve seen while my kids are watching Youtube, I’m convinced that at least one of the suites on any given EK flight is occupied by someone shooting for their “channel”
As one major international airline employee told me, “You need to know if you you are standing or sitting before you go in there”