Cranky Talk

Cranky Talk: What is the Point of a Travel Agent?

Brett and Dave take on a listener question! What's the point of travel agencies these days? With a plurality of options available to consumers to book directly with airlines, what can we do that you can't on your own? 

 

Thanks to our sponsor IDEMIA! IDEMIA is an authorized enrollment provider for TSA PreCheck.

 

Cranky Talk: The Oakland California Corridor Challenge

Brett got to nerd out on a bunch of flights over three days to prove once and for all that flying between Oakland and Southern California is BACK! 

Thanks to our sponsor IDEMIA! IDEMIA is an authorized enrollment provider for TSA PreCheck.

 

Cranky Talk:The Airplane Seat of the Future

Seats are getting smaller and more uncomfortable all the time...or are they? Brett and Dave talk about all this and then guess what the airplane seat of the future might look like. 

Thanks to our sponsor Idemia! Idemia is an authorized enrollment provider for TSA PreCheck.

 

double decker

cloud concept

Coffeehouse

Swivel

Skyrider 2.0

Bike seat

The Cranky Flier Interview #27 - Denver Air Connection’s Jon Coleman

It's not easy being a little guy, but Denver Air Connection has come up with a pretty interesting plan to get pilots onboard, teach them how to fly, and save the industry... or something like that.

I spoke with Jon Coleman, head of business development for the airline -- and a pilot -- about what it is doing to keep its airplanes flying.

Cranky Talk: Dave Flew Spirit!

Dave flew Spirit Airlines for the first time and Brett had many questions about the experience! 

Cranky Talk: Russia Invades Ukraine

In this episode, Brett and Dave recap what happened after Russia invaded Ukraine and the wide-ranging impacts on the aviation world.

Cranky Talk: Airplane Livery!

Dave and Brett disagree about airplane livery. Dave thinks brands should take bold swings and get creative, Brett thinks it doesn't matter and everything should just be presentable. Things got heated during this debate, as Brett pulled down a lot of livery images and Dave reacted to them. 

 

If you want to follow along: 

AA Old

AA New

UA Saul Bass 

UA New 

LH 

Zip 

ValuJet

TWA Final 

Etihad 

BA Landor

Korean

Hawaiian 

Figi 

Air Tahiti Nui 

Qantas 

America West Teamwork

Southwest 

 

Cranky Talk: Spirit and Frontier Merge!

Spirit and Frontier decided to merge so we abandoned our original plan for this week to talk about the news and what it could all mean! 

Cranky Talk: The Cranky Network Awards!

Brett decided to create a whole award show for the airline nerds, and Dave can't believe some of these categories. Join us for a breakdown of all the nominees and get the scoop on the most exclusive industry awards show in 2022!

 

Here's a link to the 2021 ceremony 

 

And here's a link to stream the 2022 ceremony

The Cranky Flier Interview #26 - Northern Pacific CEO Rob McKinney

Northern Pacific will be the brand that uses 757s to connect the continental US to North Asia via Anchorage. It's a throwback in that sense... airlines haven't needed to stop in Anchorage for decades. But CEO Rob McKinney thinks he's on to something here with low fares and a decent product.

 

Rob and his team were down here in SoCal this week to unveil the livery on the first 757 where it was painted at San Bernardino International Airport, and I spoke with him for 15 minutes about the plans.