Layovers - Air Travel podcast

Paul Papadimitriou

The Air Travel podcast by Paul Papadimitriou, with Alex Hunter & Vinod Viswalingam — #1 in 50+ countries

  1. Aug 4 ·  Video

    161 AAR - The Visual Culture of Air Travel: The Maps, the Designs, the Voyages That Made Us Fall in Love With Flying, with Christian Nolle

    Christian Nolle is a maker, designer, photographer, whose work focuses on aviation culture, the stories behind route maps, and the historical impact of flying on what ties us all together and makes us dream. He is the editor of Direction of Travel. We discuss everything, from his obsession with Heathrow (he was testing T5 before the opening!), his collection of route maps, his beautiful print magazine, old logos and liveries, photographing air travel (we both love it), his various exploratory projects into what flying means, and why we love this all so much — we reminisce, and also look forward (even admiring Ryanair's design!). From old timetables, freezing a network into time, to the soft power airlines held for their respective countries (Pan Am and Aeroflot!), to the promise dreamt up by looking at a big miniature aircraft at the window of an airline travel agency, it's a episode full of wonder — you'll hear (or see) that Paul could not stop his enthusiasm, from discussing his discovery of the three abandoned Olympic Airways aircraft at Ellinikon (the old Athens airport), to making Christian reveal his latest project (one you'll all love, and why the release of this episode has been delayed by a week, he needed to finish it!). Christian can be found here:Direction of Travel: https://directionoftravel.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/directionoftravel/ The project we discussed in episode 150, and today:Tickets to Everywhere: https://tickets.directionoftravel.com The new project Christian revealed during the episode (IT IS AMAZING):Airline Atlas: https://airlineatlas.com Also mentioned:Old airline time tables: https://timetableimages.com/ Happy flying!_____ A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you podcast.

    161 AAR - The Visual Culture of Air Travel: The Maps, the Designs, the Voyages That Made Us Fall in Love With Flying, with Christian Nolle
  2. Apr 16 ·  Video

    158 LIN - American Flagship hopes, Cortina Olympics ride, Flighty Intelligence, crew cosplay, LH on-demand cleaning

    Vinod's Olympics adventure: Flagship lounge, Flagship upgrade, Flagship Wifi (err), Flagship chicken, Flagship plane (well…), all the hopes and expectations of American Airlines Flagship were placed into that trip. And that Black Card! That vintage boarding pass! Does the British Airways return compete with that? Yes (that shortbread biscuit does a lot of heavy lifting). Milan finally gets the airport it deserves, with a tasteful redesign. Flighty introduces Airport Intelligence (Paul had to bight his tongue for so long on that one). Get that on the biggest TV you can buy. Dallas DFW, where you can cosplay as crew and confuse everyone (what's a jump seat?). And yes, we are entering the era of "Bring Your Jet Fuel". Plus many questions, such as:How do you expect to be recognize for your loyalty?Do you leave your stuff unattended in the lounge? Where do you put your trash when aboard? Would you like to get cleaning on demand in an aircraft? (Lufthansa does, but not in the way you might expect). Mentioned in the show -Flighty Airport Intelligence: https://flighty.com/airportsStardrift Starlink search: https://stardrift.ai/starlink _____ A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever you podcast.

    158 LIN - American Flagship hopes, Cortina Olympics ride, Flighty Intelligence, crew cosplay, LH on-demand cleaning
  3. Mar 17 ·  Video

    157 KMJ - Japan by air, 17 hours to Perth, tensions and airfare rising, uniforms and identity, Qsuite ganache

    Ever wondered what it’s like to fly 17+ hours straight? Matt Drinkwater comes to share his experience with Qantas on the near-Kangaroo route to Perth (we talk the past and present of that route), and more, onto Brisbane. Matt and Paul share a deep bond with Japan, and discuss the beauty, and quirkiness, of flying within Japan, from small airports, to the smell of Kansai International (yes, airports have a smell!). Qsuite to Bali, it doesn't get much better than this (especially with that chocolate ganache). There's a certain allure in epic journeys, a remnant of our forefathers' explorations, this also requires you to get lost, something that Japan or China still offer (don't resist, do let go). Do you research the food you'll have on-board? Matt does (that salt and pepper squid at the Heathrow Qantas lounge!). Can one love British Airways in 2026? Matt does, and makes a great case why it stays relevant, in spite of its IT woes (but, do you smash into people at Heathrow?!). When technology meets emotion (Star Wars, anyone?), and when it doesn't (that gimmicky hologram… IYKYK). The same goes with crew uniforms, and Matt works in fashion (also, American Airlines, please watch Forks, the episode of The Bear). The global tensions, jet fuel woes, and the inflation of air travel fares in the very near future (a sensitive topic …and book that trip now!). Follow Matt on his instagram: @matthewdrinkwaterLearn more about his work(Matt, let go, and learn to love The Last Jedi!)_____ A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and anywhere you listen to your podcasts.

    157 KMJ - Japan by air, 17 hours to Perth, tensions and airfare rising, uniforms and identity, Qsuite ganache
  4. Feb 22 ·  Video

    156 JFK T1 - Lufthansa Allegris Tetris, Air Canada A330, JFK faster than fast-track, 100th liveries, JetClock, how to choose a seat

    The road that Lufthansa took to get to their new business class seemed somewhat long and convoluted, Paul is finally able to tell you if it was worth the wait (choosing a seat on Allegris might be as long and convoluted a process though).And hey, there are no less than 5 outside cameras on their 350!How to strike gold after gold at JFK Terminal 1 and be faster than fast-track. Vinod finally gets the satisfaction of flying aboard an Air Canada A330, do the nuances of in-flight service and crew dynamics hit him then? We opine on a few anniversary liveries, there's one we love ("DEADLY"), there's one we're not sure about. Ever wanted a flight tracker on your desk? Jetclock is a pretty cool one.What Vinod prioritizes when he chooses a seat in business class (which he kinda goes against when he chooses a seat in premium economy!)Tasting thousands of wine for an airline? Where do we apply?Air Canada, please introduce those lesley stowe raincoast crisps on-board (and for the love of God. someone import them to the UK, says Paul!) We mentioned: JetClock (The link Paul promised is here, but the live ATC feeds sadly do not seem to work anymore: https://listentothe.cloud/ ) See you in the next one, happy flying!_____ A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and anywhere you listen to your podcasts.

    156 JFK T1 - Lufthansa Allegris Tetris, Air Canada A330, JFK faster than fast-track, 100th liveries, JetClock, how to choose a seat
  5. Jan 20 ·  Video

    155 FLIGHTY - Flighty: Reinventing Flight Tracking and the air travel experience, with Ryan Jones, Founder CEO at Flighty

    Flighty has changed how we experience air travel. The flight tracking app, which obsessively focuses on the user experience and data accuracy, has been mentioned in nearly all our episodes since Paul got on the beta in early 2019, and we're so pleased to welcome Ryan Jones, the Founder CEO of Flighty, for an entertaining chat on everything Flighty, and more. Ryan shares the journey of creating this epic app, the importance of design, the challenges of data acquisition, the commitment to providing real-time information  and how the three founders prioritize new innovative features.We learn who uses Flighty the most (can you guess?) and the role of the community in shaping the app's development and future directions for Flighty (Ryan loves feedback!). We realize how intricate it is to track a flight, and the challenges of providing timely information and flight statuses (and what to surface when, during our flying journeys). Not everything is equal, some territories are better than others, some airports or airlines better than others (there's one that doesn't seem to care). And yes, Paul asks Ryan about his favorite airport, and he tells us which one he hates hahaha (Paul and Ryan find a commonality in hating carpets!), and his plan to change the IATA code for Austin. We had tremendous fun talking to Ryan, and the two hours flew by. Thank you, Ryan, and your two co-founders, for creating such a beautifully designed experience. You should try Flighty:https://flighty.com Flighty on Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/flighty/Flighty on X: https://x.com/FlightyFlighty on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flightyapp/Flighty on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flightyapp/Flighty on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/flighty/ This episode is on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5DttBKTF-gHappy flying!_____ A show created and hosted by Paul Papadimitriou: Instagram - LinkedIn The show is on Instagram - Facebook - Bluesky - more links on the website Video and audio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and anywhere you listen to your podcasts.

    155 FLIGHTY - Flighty: Reinventing Flight Tracking and the air travel experience, with Ryan Jones, Founder CEO at Flighty
4.8
out of 5
118 Ratings

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The Air Travel podcast by Paul Papadimitriou, with Alex Hunter & Vinod Viswalingam — #1 in 50+ countries

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