It's Alex and Paul, and it's another Alex (you've met her in 133!). She tells us all about BeOnd, the new all business class airlines that flies ex-EasyJet (!) 319s (!) to get you to the Maldives (did she enjoy the plane more than the beach?!). Humane versus non-humane low cost carriers: a new definition for IATA? The MAX flying challenge, or how t…

Paul is joined by Paolo, one his best friends, to compare notes on a big tour of Cambodia and Vietnam (Paul flew to Cambodia, Paolo flew to Vietnam and Cambodia) with many airports, and airlines along the way (not sure about the water on-board a Cambodia Angkor Air). Paul had his worst fly ever (it was no fault of Etihad, just his own!!) and circle…

Is Emirates low key encouraging membership to the high mile club? (And how Alex and Layovers saved Paul's Emirates First upgrade. The controller goes "oh that sucks", or why Alex keeps listening to ground whilst traveling (but he always gets the last bag delivery ever). Lounge bouncers (not exactly, but lounge double dipping is a thing). Going agai…

Qatar'd? No, that new Al Mourjan Lounge at Doha is stunning — one thing we can't say about that RAK one. Turkish'd? Not really, when a downgrade gets you full emergency exit rows — though that 333 seat made Paul act like an animal. Boeing has gone full MAX for its windows openings (ok, ok, poor one, but come on Boeing, do better!) — the new 350-100…

Alex tells us all about his return to Hong Kong, with Cathay setting a new gold standard in IFE over Emirates (Greg flew China Southern, and, errr, well). Paul flies the all business class 321neo from La Compagnie from Orly to Newark (road traffic was key to that story, but traffic there is none to board, how crazily fast is that, kudos La Compagni…

So small, cozy, cute, a very special airport, that was Tegel, not BER: can the finally (nearly) finished Berlin Brandenburg measure up to the "poor but sexy" German capital? At least the cleverly named lounges have an even cleverer backdoor (and, hey, it's not a poor bus station like Schoenfeld). Bundling the unbundling: a (great) rant by Alex (Hun…

Paul tries multiple Italian airports, Alex finally visits the new Istanbul (and flies Turkish for the first time!). The passport blowing border official trick (it doesn't work better than the Super NES cartridge blowing). BA will soon introduce water bottles the size of mini bar vodkas (at least it seems so). The Magical Finnish hippos, another fir…

Combini, tamago sando, Skyliner, vending machines, ekiben, baseball Suica cards, yes we discuss Japan, where Alex was earlier this summer. And yes we talk (err, Alex talks) about air travel too, British Airways, Southwest, Hawaiian, ANA, and, drumroll, Zipair — not in that order, and with hops at London Heathrow, San Jose, San Francisco, Tokyo Nari…

Kyle Potter, Executive Editor at Thrifty Traveler, all-around awesome(ly smart) dude, Hello Kitty enthusiast (well, it's that EVA Air flight, you'll see!), and (very) long time Layovers listener and friend, tells us all about why MSP is the best thing ever, like everything in Minnesota — but also whether cheap travel is still possible in the curren…

We flew to Geneva to record an episode of Attaché (now on YouTube, link below), so how were our flights, and what did we think of the airport (the new C-Gates are excellent, the time at immigration not always). Does too much info add unnecessary travel stress? (Aka Flighty is Paul's IFE of choice in lounges). Is Covid wear and tear a thing? Some ai…

Do you have a number? The saga of Alex trying to beat boarding time at Lisbon (you won't believe he, of all people, made that mistake). A completely charming SWISS cheese board on-board (and cows in the Zurich airport train). Etihad 2.0 are quietly great, a tasteful experience we appreciate (and flying over the Arabian Gulf is a sight to be seen), …

Alex gets lost at JFK T8, only to encounter crazy turbulences over the Atlantic (a future worsening trend). But how did he get there? Finally testing what Paul did in 2021, the Mint Studio — a hope for the future of long haul narrow bodies. Airfare prices are way up from 2019 (more than inflation!), is that temporary, or what prices will be, and sh…

How is it we had never actually done MAD as an episode title? This ends today, however the mad MADrid dash from T4S to T4 never does. Alex has lots to say about BA and it's …not great (he's not alone to think like this). Paul calls it, the better London airport is definitively Gatwick (stop being a wannabe posh by preferring LHR). Lufthansa introdu…

The airport you think is overrated, the airport you like, the airport you love, the airport you feel yourself in, the airport you need to visit — play the airport game with us (and feel free to tweet us your answers!). The new Air France lounge at CDG T2F is beautiful, as can be CDG …when it works (you'll probably need to taxi on a country drive to…

Friend of the show, and very long time listener (since episode 1!), Hakan Yılmaz, aka @LAFlyr on Twitter, grew up wanting to go early at the airport to see the planes, and collect avgeek paraphernalia, and never stopped being a kid, by still going early to the airport to see the planes, and a career that led him to American Airlines, Turkish Airlin…

Ed Parsons, the Google Maps guy, is our guest today. He's heard the Concorde prototype noise as a kid, flown on the Concorde before it got retired, explored all the Concordes in existence around the world since — a true fan — and we discuss it all, from the history to the conspiracy theories, to a certain nostalgia about a future that's now in the …

Alex has a joyful experience to Oslo with Norse Atlantic Airways (he flies to Stockholm too, the Nordics know how to handle snow, whilst the UK clearly doesn't). Finland sees record traffic to meet Santa Claus, whilst Air Greenland celebrates a new 330neo. France says NO short haul flights, the EU says YES to mobile networks in flight, the UK says …

"What are you going to Saudi Arabia for?" asked the puzzled flight attendant — Paul was flying to Jeddah, to then drive 8 hours, to reach one of the places of his dreams: the Nabataeans tombs of Al-'Ula. From sand to copper, the massive new Jeddah terminal is impressive, and big, and really big, and has the highest airport tower in the world, and t…

Alex needed to be in Quebec City, so he obviously flew to Montreal — that made him try Air Transat (is that a controversial airline, Canadian friends?). Our friend Greg sadly never got to fly WestJet however …and Paul still hasn't been to Canada. Qatar is getting ready for a massive amount of daily shuttle flights for the FIFA World Cup (1.5 millio…

Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, three cities, three cultures, and three airports that correspond them well — Paul flies in and around Pakistan (flying out was not a given on one of those trips!). The retro liveries of PIA and QR. Japan opens up on October 11th, ticket prices skyrocket, also as the USD rises against pretty much every other currency, mak…

No, the other La Paz — the Southern/Baja California Alex Hunter 2022 Tour, with Megan as a VERY supporting avgeek act (aka Alex is the supporting act, Megan is the star, but you all knew that already). Emirates refreshes its fleet on a crazy tight clockwork upgrade schedule. Air France reveals its PORTE FRANCAISE* business seats (*French door). Luf…

Berna Félix is CTO at Imaginedby®, the Venture and Incubation arm at Butchershop® Global. While Berna originates from Northern México, his present day life is set in Guadalajara, a city that enchanted him in his early twenties for its wide-ranging cultural environment. He is someone who wants to try all the world has to offer, as an entrepreneur an…

Alex lives and sweats the travel chaos, trying to get to Valencia with Vueling (what was he thinking?!) with an epic (FAIL) journey that ended up with Easyjet saving the day. Paul develops some Apple AirTag anxiety. The A380 is back with a vengeance, though Tim Clark wishes he had a two-engine 380, or a 350-2000, or anything BIG (meanwhile his tick…

Brace brace brace, travel chaos ahead — from staff shortages, to strikes, to supply chain issues, to a global recession, it's going to be a messy year (and more) ahead. The mess will however make for an interesting wet-lease global puzzle (Mel Air for Air Nostrum as Iberia??), and the experience of using buses instead of airplanes (not sure how we …

Olivia Crandall is a Senior Copywriter at Butchershop® Global. Olivia’s thoughts can be found on different parts of the internet, whether it's a reality TV recap on "Vulture", behind the voice of a brand, or in her own newsletter where she muses about pressing topics like snackcakes. A fierce feminist whose words only get sharper with each line. Fr…

A Round the World conversation with our friend Mark Vanhoenacker for the launch of his new book 'Imagine a City, A Pilot Sees the World', a sequel to 'Skyfaring'. We talk about our love for cities, the small ones of our birth, the big ones of our dreams, the ones visited once (even only at the airport), the ones we feel home at, the ones that shine…

Gabs Sánchez is a Digital Project Manager at Butchershop® Global. Whether it is a new site, app or a little cactus, Gabs loves to help things grow. An emotional professional football player who puts camaraderie and love at the center of his values. From professional football fields to BC headquarters and back to your garden, Gabs makes every one of…

From sunset to sunrise: Virgin Atlantic to the Caribbean and back, Paul is finally no longer a Virgin virgin. Flying from SLU over St Lucia, its Pitons, in an Airbus Helicopter (well, Aerosptiale). The (mysterious) Cathay white liveries. The 777X is delayed for the 500th time. Who's flying the Air France 777? Also, Paul has an echo, Alex has trees …

Emirates, Emirates and more Emirates, in First, in Business, on 380s or 777s. To Male and seaplanes for Alex, to Dubai with a blank at deplaning for Paul. But also some SWISS (the savior), some BA (when it's not cancelled), the new longest route in the world (who's currently flying it??), the QR Airbus saga, Athens airport (Alex, not Paul, this tim…

Caroline Jones is a Senior Designer at Butchershop® Global. If the work rings retro or infuses strong pops of color, Caroline might be the culprit. Caroline grew up in Dallas before moving to San Francisco, where she draws a lot of inspiration from the city’s architecture. A self-proclaimed enemy of the 80’s aesthetic and critic of other creative i…

We're back, Alex having taken the time to hack a 747 seat belt sign, Paul having played too much Airportle. We talk about the non-reclining business class from Finnair (it's divise, but we think it might be a winner), the new Qatar Q suite which isn't a Q suite, and the big winner of this pandemic world: premium economy (non-operable seats notwiths…

Diego Rodríguez is Butchershop® Global's VP of Development. Born in Mexico City, with over 10 years of experience in agency work, he oversees 40+ developers in our company’s digital arm. Diego refers to himself as a failed YouTuber and a streamer. A man that is motivated by enjoying the simple things in life, including food, beer and traveling the …

It’s time for another Layover Talks! In this episode Sara Cobaugh, Whitney Keller, Marnie Abraham, Maribel Araiza and Max Arias tell us what it takes to create a realistic and effective roadmap between Strategy, Development and QA to ultimately achieve each project’s goals and why staying flexible throughout that process is often what leads to the …

Welcome back to Layover Talks. In our second episode, Alex Calderon, Ashley Botros, Claire Williams and Priscila Anzures discuss what it takes to be an effective builder of relationships, both internally and externally, and the importance of communication, no matter the language, when keeping a project moving forward.…

Welcome to Layover Talks, an honest conversation charting the course of what it takes for a hundred and fifteen (and growing) multidisciplinary creatives, technologists, producers, executives and project managers to come together and build something completely new. While the route and experiences will be different for all of us, the destination has…

Alex tours the US, from Denver to San Francisco to Las Vegas to Oakland to Hawaii, and gets to experience his first 737MAX, and the Great Pacific (aka lyrically talking about ZOA KZAK Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center). We discuss the state of travel in this weird era, not yet post-Covid, still pandemic-ish but not yet endemic, a weird middl…

In episode 40, Rachel shares a touching story about how the space in friendship allows room for compassion to bloom.Join The Layover at thelayover.com to receive notes, book recs, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast

In episode 39, Quincy shares a story about his journey to a little slice of heaven named St. Helena.Join The Layover at thelayover.com to receive notes, book recs, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast

In episode 38, Kyelaya shares a story about finding freedom in the foreign and comfort in the uncomfortable.Join The Layover at thelayover.com to receive notes, book recs, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast

In episode 37, Sahmia shares a story about a transformational solo trip abroad.Join The Layover at thelayover.com to receive notes, book recs, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast

Rae tells a story about how a budding long-distance relationship was a push to find love on the other side of fear.Join The Layover at thelayover.com to receive notes, book recs, and a new story to your inbox.Door The Layover Podcast

Alex gets cancelled (not him, the flight!). Duty free to nowhere (and no good pricing anyway). No kidnap fee, a new product by Ryanair. Plague terminal at LHR. Amber, the color of confusion. Genomics quarantine. Digital health visas (aka Covid passports, what a silly name). The travel bubble that refuses to happen. BOOM, our supersonic hopes, the P…

Shainah shares a story about how coming to the end of old ways is sometimes the surest gateway to new beginnings. Join The Layover at thelayover.com to receive notes, book recs, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast

Alex outsmarts a diversion, using all the on-air WiFi. Paul talks Scrabble (he clearly spent too much time on the ground). Flights to nowhere and airplane food to your door are not for us, even if it's BA First. 2 Boeing 2 Airbus, Pandemic Drift. ITA, Italy's Troublesome Arrangement (we've come up with a better acronym in the episode). The Singapor…

Paul and Alex meet again. They haven't seen each other in a year. Recorded live, no edits, no music, no notes. Mentioned in the show: Seat 1A podcast, episode 038, with PaulDoor Alex Hunter, Paul Papadimitriou

Sosina shares a story about extending the alms of her own kindness, and forgiveness, to her younger self.Sign up at www.thelayover.com to receive notes, book recommendations, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast

Swazi shares a story about her struggle with forgiveness following the end of an unfaithful marriage.Sign up at www.thelayover.com to receive notes, book recommendations, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast

In episode 32, Chineze shares a beautiful story about the arduous journey to choosing and cherishing her body and blackness.Sign up at www.thelayover.com to receive notes, book recommendations, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast

In episode 31, Teni shares a story about dispelling past projections about her body that she unconsciously carried into the future.Sign up at www.thelayover.com to receive notes, book recommendations, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast

In episode 30, Bat'sé navigates the different thoughts and feelings about her changing body, while simultaneously changing countries.Sign up at www.thelayover.com to receive notes, book recommendations, and a new story to your inbox every Thursday.Door The Layover Podcast