The Seat 1A Podcast

In this experience we continue our look at the aviation hierarchy – who's who at the zoo? Now we move onboard the plane itself. We will look at two different types of staffing – one for traditional international flag carrier flights and one for low-cost/ultra low-cost carrier flights. Different airlines have different names for the same staff roles. And depending on where you are in the world, you...

In this experience we look at the different roles of people that normally work at an airport – who's who at the zoo? In most cases the airline is either at a home base or it is at an outstation. When at the outstation the airline is either with its own staff or outsourced. We move our way from the curbside outside the airport into the terminal – what staff do we encounter until we reach the check-...

In this experience we look at seating configuration on aircraft in economy or coach class. These days, with the COVID-19 pandemic, people are wondering about seating and what it might look like in the future. We will still need to pick our seats. Vinod has great stress when he picks a seat – particularly on long-haul flights – checking all angles of what his seat experience will be. Seat comfort h...

In this experience we look at alcohol and drinking on flights. What was the experience in days gone by, versus today on intercontinental flights? Why is it when we drink on flights, we may end up feeling the effects of alcohol more strongly than when we are on the ground? Vinod shares an experience of a first-class hangover on a British Airways (BA) flight from Calgary to London-Heathrow. Some sta...

We wanted to extend our best wishes to all those in the industry during these incredibly challenging times for the aviation industry. The entire COVID-19 situation has brought about some strange occurrences. During this time of global self-isolation, we invite out listeners to go back to our previous experiences – since eventually, planes will start flying again. We had planned to talk about airli...

In this experience we are very grateful to be joined by a serial airline entrepreneur – David Neeleman. If you don't know who David is, you likely know at least some of the airlines that he has founded, co-founded or co-owns. JetBlue (founded); Azul (founded); Morris Air (co-founded and sold to Southwest); WestJet (co-founded); TAP Air Portugal (co-owns). David has recently founded Breeze Airways...

In this experience we take a look behind the scenes and share the things that are happening in the background to your plane from before it arrives and departs. We start four to six hours before the flight even arrives and what is required for the gate. What' the backup plan? Who is coming off of the plane? Are there unaccompanied minors, special assistance passengers, or groups? Are there any main...

In this experience we celebrate the 2019 holiday season with a look at some of our crazy and (somewhat) horrific holiday travel stories. But first, Vinny and Geoff celebrate a milestone in this experience. This is the 25th show that they have done in tandem. Here's to the next 25 being just as fun of a ride. Vinny shares his incredible journey from CPH-LHR-AMS-JFK-YHM-YYC-YVR during a massive New...

In this experience we go back to the mailbag and thank Joe R for his questions about overhead bins and baggage and the struggles that go with it in modern day air travel. It's a perfect time to look at this question, with lots of extra travel for the year end holiday season. Overhead bins are a relatively new phenomenon in air travel – you just have to look at old movie footage when it used to jus...

Well, would you look at that – it's the 25th recorded experience. We'll have a celebration soon when it's the 25th experience that both Vinny and Geoff have recorded together. We give a shoutout to the Layovers podcast for recently reaching their 100th episode – great job Paul Papadimitriou & Alex Hunter! In this experience Vinny and Geoff go back into the mailbag for a second meal service. We tak...

In this experience Vinny and Geoff go into the mailbag and review a bunch of different questions and feedback. We look at what is the logic and order of the meal and beverage service that takes place during a flight? We also look at free hotel stops – are they still provided by an airline? Why do some passengers get served first? how do the cabin crew decide to serve passengers? How does the airli...

In this experience Vinny and Geoff share more of their experiences when, try as they may, the situation just went badly. First of all, we want to send a shoutout to fellow podcasters Plane Talking UK . We're lining up co-hosting in an upcoming episode of theirs. Stay tuned for more info. By popular demand, we're sharing more of our travel experiences – good, bad and ugly – and how we worked at res...

In this experience we look at the world of gate assignments, and why your plane is parked at a specific location. What is happening when you arrive at the airport and you're told that your gate is not available. We review the differences between gates and jet bridges. What does an airport need to do to prevent unnecessary mixing of passengers? What's a swing gate. What is the ramp and how is it se...

In this experience we look back on that fateful day on 11 September 2001 and how it changed the world of airport security forever. Geoff and Vinny share their experience of that day and a story from Operation Yellow Ribbon at YXY. Vinny had a university project suddenly change in focus due to incredibly long wait times at YEG security. Geoff later joined him in YYC. What exactly is pre-board scree...

In this experience we look at two rail travel adventures from Vinny and Geoff from their recent round the world adventures. In both cases they were left with a go/no-go decision point to determine if they should go on. Vinny's took place on the North-South line in Vietnam – on a trip between Hue and Da Nang. He utilized the resources available to him with local population to help him with the issu...

In this very special experience, we join Vinny and Geoff while they both are on the road. Vinny joins the experience from the Super Lounge at Istanbul Airport (IST), while Geoff joins in from Kuala Lumpur's Sentral Station. We share some of our experiences that we have experienced while on our RTW adventures. Vinny shares initial impressions of the brand new gleaming white airport at IST and its m...

In this experience we look at Vinny and Geoff's separate round the world (RTW) adventures - Vinny's will already be underway when this experience is posted. We look at the world of booking an RTW with points travel, with stopover and mileage rules, but also how to maximize your layovers between stopovers. Vinny shares his geeking out with reviews and videos to ensure he maximizes his in-flight and...

In this experience we build off a key component of the previous experience and re-visit the theme of baggage. We look at where your checked bag ends up in a plane and why it is there, along with how bags are loaded with narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. We look at what's happening when you see your bags being loaded. Why is there different weights used by airlines – 32 kilos, 23 kilos and more....

In this experience we are doing something a little bit different. Fan of the show, Debbie shares her nightmare travel experience from YVR to AUS. She shares the nineteen-hour saga – complete with one cancellation, one delay, one changed flight, three airlines, three changed connecting cities, dead checked bags in the bowels of YVR, and the determination of her and her husband to get to Austin alon...

In this experience, we look at railway to runway, using train services - that are often tied into the booking of your flight - to get to and from your airport. How does it work? How does it affect your baggage? Are you able to check in your bags at other airports besides the airport? What happens if your plane or train is late? Make sure you're catching the train at the right station. Vinny shares...

With summer flights coming up to and from Europe, we look into the world of Schengen and non-Schengen flights. What is Schengen and what does it mean to you as a traveller? How will you have to handle security, customs and immigration? How does the physical layout of your airport affect your connection? Vinny shares a very tight timing experience flying from IBZ-MUC-YVR on Lufthansa (LH). Geoff sh...

Condolences from Seat 1A to family and friends of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 along with those in the industry. We were all ready to go with a new experience and then WOW, it went bankrupt. What was WOW's business model...ask Valentine about a free ticket? Vinny shares his story of showing up at work in YEG and finding out Jetsgo (SG) was bankrupt...and then having to tell the pilots they were o...

When Vinny was a kid, somehow he always ended up with an upgraded seat when flying YEG-LHR. How does an airline manage fares related to yield...and what happens when the math doesn't work out for the airline? What is a GTE? How does the airline re-jig the seating of a flight? Geoff's experience with snow delays at YYZ that got him an upgrade. Involuntary and voluntary upgrades – what's the differe...