030 BEY - Changi goes Star Wars, abandoned 747s, Qatar A350, Airbus Kinder chocolate

Flight 030. Singapore Changi goes Star Wars. The battle of travel planning apps. The best and worst U.S. airports in 2015. Who abandoned three 747s at KUL? The special Airbus Kinder chocolate eggs. Air India can’t pay for 787 spare parts. Why Emirates might never join an alliance. The inaugural Qatar Airways A350 thinks the JFK runway is too short. China builds more than 30 airports whilst London can’t decide on a runway.

Show Notes

Travel security advices

• Lebanon Travel Warning
• My Travel Risk | AngelList

SIN meets Star Wars

• Changi Airport Singapore Starwars
• Star Wars at Changi - Paul Papadimitriou | Facebook

The BA 767

• Boeing 767-300 | About BA | British Airways

Qatar Airways fumbles A350 launch in New York

• Report: Qatar Airways chief has harsh words for Delta’s CEO | The Biz Beat Blog
• Qatar Airways aborts takeoff on first Airbus A350 flight from US | Daily Mail Online

Emirates retires aircrafts and expands airline deals

• Emirates to retire 26 planes next year as it modernises fleet with new Airbus A380s | The National
• Emirates World Interviews | Inflight entertainment | Emirates United Kingdom
• Malaysia Airlines Strikes A Deal With Emirates — Civil Aviation Forum | Airliners.net

Etihad wants to be there for the long run

• Etihad Airways wins ‘World’s Leading Airline’ award for seventh consecutive year
• Interview: Etihad CEO Downplays Rivals' Complaints to Focus on the 'Long Game' – Skift
• Etihad debuts swanky new frequent-flier lounge at New York JFK

Luxury seats …with a view

• Opulent Air Travel Is Reaching a New Level of Lunacy with Seats On Top of the Plane

A chocolate egg with a plane

• Kinder Surprise Airbus

The lunacy of designers thinking about air travel

• Here's What Makes Flying Suck, and How Designers Would Fix It | WIRED

The battle of travel planning apps

• TripIt - Travel Itinerary - Trip Planner
• TripCase Travel App: Manage Itineraries, Trips & Flights
• WorldMate - Travel Smart. Organize your itinerary and book your travel on iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows Phone
• Official Gmail Blog: Sharing travel plans and memories with Inbox by Gmail

Uncertainties over Egypt

• Russian plane crash: Egypt says no terror evidence yet - CNN.com
• British Ambassador in Egypt Announces ‘Finalized Plan’ to Resume Flights to Sharm El-Sheikh | Egyptian Streets
• Air France flight from San Francisco to Paris diverted to Montreal after threat - CNN.com

Air India can't find enough cash

• Air India's $4.5 Billion Bailout Fails to Avert Grounded 787s - Bloomberg Business

Good news for U.S. air travel

• U.S. Airlines Post Higher Than Usual On-Time Results in 2015 – Skift
• Results Are In: Best and Worst U.S. Airports in 2015
• DOT orders airlines to comply with the law and pay passengers for damaged baggage | Road Warrior Voices

Toss the bag!

• 'Toss the bag' and other games airport staff play with your luggage - Telegraph

The abandonned 747s mystery

• Malaysia hunts owners of Boeing 747s left at airport - CNN.com
• Virgin Galactic to Hurl Rockets to Space From Boeing 747 Jet - Bloomberg Business
• Fate of iconic 747 jumbo jet in the hands of Russians … and if they don’t save it, no one will | National Post

Drawing the experience of air travel

• Artist Hilariously Illustrates His Flight From New York To Berlin | Bored Panda

LHR delayed decision angers UK businesses

• Heathrow Airport runway decision delayed until summer - BBC News
• Stop Heathrow runway dithering or I'll take British Airways elsewhere, warns Willie Walsh - Telegraph
• China's aviation boom drives airport building frenzy | Reuters

U.S. Global Entry opened for British citizens

• Launch of US Global Entry Service to British citizens - News stories - GOV.UK

BEY

• Home - Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport

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Creators and Guests

Host

Alex Hunter

Co-host of Layovers, Creator of Attache Travel

Host

Paul Papadimitriou

Creator and host of Layovers

What is Layovers - Air Travel podcast?

The Air Travel podcast — created by Paul Papadimitriou, hosted with Alex Hunter & Vinod Viswalingam — #1 in 50+ countries — listen everywhere, watch on Spotify and YouTube.