The Next Trip - An Aviation and Travel Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Drew responded to an Alert 1 (we’ll explain) and Doug is back from a not so hot Zurich. We discuss: Happy 250th America  Big SAS order Air New Zealand defers upcoming orders EasyJet being acquired? What exactly do gate agents do as they “open” a gate? Contributor comments Join The Network! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/

Send us Fan Mail Doug is in Palm Springs on a family road trip and Drew is entertaining family from California. They say all aviation regulations are written in blood. Are nautical regulations the same? We discuss: All aviation and nautical regulations are written in blood When is the best time to book airline tickets? Breeze Airways starts service to BWI, DAY, and TTN (Trenton NJ) Airbus leans to...

Send us Fan Mail Doug is back from his W routing, doing SFO-LHR-IAD-LHR-SFO, and met up with Doug in DC. Drew is celebrating his airport’s 85th anniversary. We discuss: DCA’s 85th birthday The sun is rising on Qantas’ Project Sunrise Airlines get a break on fuel prices More airlines adding CMB to the route map Updates on Boom Overture, Archer Midnight, Heart Aerospace ES30, and JetZero Z4 What are...

Send us Fan Mail Doug and Drew catch you up on our last two weeks. Drew’s been busy welcoming new employees and showing them around airport operations while Doug talks about his trips to Barcelona and Rome. Drew gets his mom into a travel nightmare, but quickly finds a backup plan, and Doug gets training on night vision goggles. We discuss: IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh, sounds the alarm R...

Send us Fan Mail We’re honored to have Eivind Roald, CEO of Norse Atlantic Airways, on the show today. Eivind talks about how he came into aviation from IT, left, but then was drawn back in. He was a VP for SAS before his aviation journey brought him to Norse Atlantic. We discuss Norse’s history and challenges and Eivind shares his ideas for how Norse grows, going forward, as well as the possiblit...

Send us Fan Mail Doug is excited to get back to flying after weeks at home and Drew is dealing with record bird strikes at the airport. We discuss: Drew’s travel planning Possible customs chaos  737-7 certification progress Norse Atlantic is for sale Geography lesson  Join the Network!  https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/

Send us Fan Mail Drew is back from a quick trip to Albuquerque and Doug was busy managing his family’s travel. We discuss: Summer travel forecast  Air France and Airbus litigation  Runway closure at a major NYC airport  New TSA pilot program in Boston  UPS 2976 update Listener feedback Join the Network!  https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/

Send us Fan Mail Drew is studying for his first Airport Operations certification and Doug had his hands full managing a kids’ carnival. We’re joined by our buddy and engine geek, Greg, from Cincinnati. We discuss: How a jet engine works Allegiant and Sun Country merge Boeing may be launching a 757 size plane this decade Lufthansa increases stake it ITA to 90% United Flight Attendants get a huge ra...

Send us Fan Mail Darth Vader invaded Drew’s ops center and Doug had an emergency air return between layovers in paradise. We discuss: A major airline just announced it is cutting cabin service NTSB releases information on 2022 China Eastern crash A United plane clipped a truck… while landing  Spirit’s Board pulls the plug  What happens after an airline shuts down Flight path guidance  Bonus positi...

Send us Fan Mail Doug has an Air Force flight delay and Drew is escorting 737s around the airport and scaring birds away We discuss: LAX Theme Building (the Spider)  Return of the MD11? The 737-7 and 737-10 near certification Fuel prices, yes fuel prices, again Scope clauses,  what are they, and what are the aircraft restrictions? Spirit’s last days? Take our listener survey! Join the Network! htt...

Send us Fan Mail Aired on April 27, 2026 Drew is learning how to use a firearm at the airport and Doug just made his wine and cheese cruise in Amsterdam. We discuss: The next big U.S. carrier reports 1st quarter results Trump opposed to some mergers, but not others A European airline adds fees after tickets are sold Alaska says it is not increasing fares due to rising fuel costs Listener feedback...

Send us Fan Mail Doug is back from Frankfurt and Drew is playing airport cop catching speeders. We discuss:  No meowing on the frequency please United Airlines moonshot merger dream with American Airlines JetBlue reportedly looking to be acquired Allegiant merger with Sun Country is approved Airline cutbacks due to fuel prices Busiest airports of 2025 Contributor comments Join the Network!  https:...

Send us Fan Mail Drew is back from Belgium and Holland with with a nonrev success story and Doug is recovering from his Japan vacation. we discuss: Top 10 airlines and lounges for culinary options  Energy crisis/Middle East updates First U.S. airline reports 1st quarter results Contributor comments Join the Network! Links from this episode: Keukenhof Gardens Amsterdam Wine and Cheese Canal Cruise...

Send us Fan Mail Doug is back from a family Spring break trip to Japan and Drew just got to fly a flight simulator for the first time in Denver. We discuss: Artemis II has a successful, and awesome, launch Oil prices and airfares Sayonara Air Japan Konnichiwa, or Namaste, to Willie Walsh at Indigo LGA runway incursion  ARFF indexes No more parallel landings at SFO Join the Network!  Link from this...

Send us Fan Mail This episode is dedicated to you, our listeners and contributors. Thanks for over 6 years of support, encouragement, and ideas!  Join the Network!  https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/

Send us Fan Mail Doug’s KC46 flight is canceled, and he reverts to the flight simulator, and Drew’s trip to Austin is canceled due to heavy loads, caused by South by Southwest, and a DC ATC center shutdown.  We discuss: FAA fast-tracks air taxi testing Southwest leaves two major airports  Coming flight cuts at Chicago O’Hare this summer Atlas expands its fleet with a surprise order  Flight cancell...

Send us Fan Mail Drew is back from Germany and London while Doug is in London and fighting to stay awake. Special guest, Hunter, the Professor of Points writing for the Points Analyst and Travel Nerd Co blog, joined Drew on the trip and joins us on the episode. We discuss.  British Airways first class trip review Indigo CEO resigns Boeing has wiring issues on the 737 Max Fuel prices start affectin...

Send us Fan Mail Doug is back from a domestic grind to Denver, Kona, and Chicago and Drew is back from a conference in Pennsylvania followed by a quick trip to Germany. We discuss: Military action in Iran United wants you to wear headphones American launching A321XLR over the Atlantic Airlines hit with pain at the pump with high fuel pries Crewmember sick calls at outstations Contributor comments...

Send us Fan Mail Doug is back from London and Drew gets to sit in the tower for a snow event. The ROTOR Act fails in Congress Violence in Mexico leads to flight chaos  Trouble for Air New Zealand  Update on Spirit’s bankruptcy  Listener feedback  Join the Network! https://www.nexttripnetwork.com/

Send us Fan Mail Doug is back from his new “usual”, Brisbane, Australia, and Drew discusses an ATC flow program as they transition from paper to electronic flight progress strips.  Paper to Electronic ATC flight progress strips New routes for February Lufthansa Allegris business class seats  Will Airbus launch the A350-2000? Canadians avoiding travel to the US Las Vegas Slump?  Join the Network! ...

Send us Fan Mail Drew is happy to finally be above freezing in DC and discusses runway closures and Doug is playing nonrev travel agent for family, We discuss: Ski jumping (and other extreme sports) versus the Wright Brothers first flight Drones, lasers, airspace closures and confusion in El Paso Southwest’s shaky assigned seat rollout  Employee unease over American’s current leadership JetBlue an...

Send us Fan Mail Doug was able to rendezvous with his parents in Brisbane and Drew managed through multiple irregular operations at work. We discuss: Follow ups on grounding Canadian aircraft and DCA helicopter routes Airbus is close to launching the A220-500 BWI expands with 142,000 sq ft of new space DEN airport sees record traffic Bay Area airports bracing for Superbowl traffic Runway condition...

Send us Fan Mail Drew survives Winter Storm Fern, and the longest shift of his career, and Doug flew one of the last flights out of EWR before Fern shut down operations. We discuss: Travel checklists American, Southwest, Boeing, and GE 2025 financial results Delta orders more Airbus widebodies President Trump threatens to ground Canadian aircraft NTSB preliminary report on January 29 midair collis...

Send us Fan Mail Drew is taping from the airport in DC, where he is bracing for snow storm Fern, and Doug is in Newark preparing to fly out during the storm. We discuss: The first 2 of the U.S. “Big 3” reported their 2025 results and projected 2026 WestJet does a 180 One of Drew’s predictions is already correct GLP-1 drugs and an impact on aviation WSJ 2025 Airline Rankings  Airport architecture ...

Send us Fan Mail Drew flew to SFO for happy hour and Doug did AF mission planning which didn’t go as planned. We discuss: Iran Airspace Our 2026 predictions Aircraft emergency FAA tower alerts Delta finally orders the 787 Allegiant merges with Sun Country  Africa’s biggest airport begins construction Listener comments 2026 Next Trip Predictions Doug: Geopolitical issues/airspace closures become th...