The Seat 1A Podcast

Vinny misplaces his passport the first time - and it ended up where? How did it get reconnected to him? Have you ever misplaced your passport at the airport? Vinny did at FRA - and what happened after that is absolutely bananas. What should you copy and keep with you and checklists if you lose your passport. Your passport expired but what happens with active visas? Say cheese - passport photos. It's not just lost passports that need to get replaced. How many American passports are lost/stolen per year? How strong is your country's passport? Flying fish with ANA and meal selections from the EU. Bibimbap as an food option to ICN while in economy. Multi-billion renovations open at LGA. New terminal in MCT. The wild ride with WOW, Iceland Air, and Indigo - possible intercontinental ULCC possiblities? Listener shoutout.

If you have a passport story, question or experience that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience we discuss the fact that this summer many people will be flying but the prices for direct connections are often fairly expensive. Often multiple connections are a way people find to save costs.

These multi-stops remind Vinod when planes had to stop due to the lack of range. But unlike times in the past today you can see all the travel details related to your trip.

As people change their ticket purchasing habits, it can mean a change in the way that they layover. Iceland was one of the first countries that promoted a free layover.

Sometimes you can’t find the flight to book even though you have been able to find it on a booking site.

There have been some pretty cool milk runs.

Vinod shares his experience with the Hawaii Interchange, as passengers from the North American West Coast all changed in Honolulu on their way to Australia and New Zealand.

Geoff shares his experience from northern Norway on Public Service Obligation flights flying along the coast.

We look at double stop flights and how Dutch airlines have connected to Alberta this way.

There is also the Pacific Island Hopper, which led to Vinod wondering how a United 737 made it to Tokyo.

A former route that was well beloved was Cathay Pacific's flight from Hong Kong to Vancouver to New York JFK.

When you see a cheap flight, pay attention to how long the connection time is. Do you have a chance to get out of the airport to see the city? Will your passport or visa allow you to do so? Will your layover get eaten up by a terminal or airport switch? Are you travelling alone or with family?

When you add it all together, even if the ticket is cheaper, how much are you spending to manage through it? Are two one ways cheaper? If you’re connecting to a smaller airport is it easy to take another form of transport if things go sideways?

Airlines are doing their best to figure out load factors without the last few years of data.

If you're liking this episode experience, you may also enjoy Experience 024. "Into the mailbag - Part 1. Inflight meal service and free overnight accommodation." It's available wherever you listen to your podcasts.

We also look at Europe to Asian runs, with a critical moment that did not go well. Vinod shares his family connection with it.

News Items:

• simpleflying.com article Pairing Music With Food: The Story Of British Airways' Sensory Menus
• flyertalk.com article United Reveals Historic Expansion of Service in South Pacific

If you have a story about complicated connections, upcoming trips, or other experiences that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you wish to support the show financially, we are on Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience we look at airline and airport staff security. What do they go through to keep you safe?

When you walk around an airport, you see all sorts of different coloured passes. What do they mean?

Generally, getting an airport security pass is not a small thing. There are high levels of security checks that are done before as pass is issued. There are different levels of security pass that are also issued, and biometric data is recorded when issuing these passes.

A passenger could experience similar levels of clearance if they are applying for a frequent traveller program. Geoff and Vinod share eye scanning stories.

At most checkpoints there is some sort of screening component. At some airports, there isn't the volume of traffic or infrastructure, so rudimentary security checks are done instead – including crossmatching to lists. Sometimes security clearance has to be completed upon landing and transfer. Some country's crews had to clear security a second time.

If you're flying at a home base for an airline, you may not even see the crew at the gate – they'll clear at their crew centre and then are transported to the plane.

Suppliers have to go through the same check, as do their vehicles.

In remote locations (such as the Canadian Arctic) sometimes security check ins aren't needed for certain destinations. A similar situation could apply for private planes with a fixed-base operator (FBO).

However things can go very wrong with security. Drug smuggling, money and diamond heists – some of the situations even end up as famous movie scripts.

There are some airports that have interesting approaches to security – like alligators in Orlando, Florida.

In the days of ID cards, there were many places attempting to fake the ID. Vinod shares his experience of a famous location in Bangkok...they even had a catalogue!

Depending on the country, some airports will permit crews to use the crew line, even if they're not in uniform.

Vinod shares a story of crew liquids exemptions in Dublin and having to unpack his bags at security.

Just remember, all the staff you see will have been through a check – maybe even an hour ago.

News Items:

• simpleflying.com article "A Boeing 707 For $2,500? Kenya To Auction 73 Abandoned Planes."
• skift.com article "These 4 Airlines Made More From Upsells Than Ticket Sales in 2020."

If you have a story about crew security, or other experiences that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If you wish to support the show financially, we are on Patreon. Show notes are available online at http://podcast.seat1a.org/

In this experience Vinod shares his experience of flying to and from Beijing in the first quarter of 2022. Due to Chinese regulations he was required to be in a closed loop separate from the general public. That included flights.

In pre-pandemic times there are many flights between Vancouver, Canada, and various cities in China. Currently there are none. So...how do you get a Canadian (and others working with Vinod) into China?

Due to complexity of the situation, Vinod only got his booking confirmation four days before departure. He needed to follow very specific timelines for COVID testing. The routing had three stops: Vancouver to San Francisco to Tokyo-Haneda to Beijing-Capital. All of his timings for entrance were based off the final leg of his flight. His flights took place in January 2022, while airspaces were still normal. The flight into Beijing was restricted without any general public on them.

Due to China being the end destination, online check-in was not possible. As he departed Vancouver with Air Canada, the region was still under the impact of the Omicron variant and the airport was eerily quiet. When he arrived in San Francisco, it was as if there was no pandemic at all. Then Vinod boarded an ANA flight to Tokyo-Haneda. The amount of legroom was amazing on an incredibly clean plane with impeccable service. Vinod had a very early arrival into Tokyo. He had stayed at Haneda in the summer of 2021. Then he left for Beijing on Japan Airlines and was blown away by the service, an incredible premium economy seat and one of the best in-flight economy meals Vinod has had in a long time. As the plane took off, Vinod could see his hotel room from Summer 2021. The plane took a very scenic route with beautiful views of Tokyo and Mount Fuji.

And then, he landed in Beijing.

Terminal 3 was sequestered for Vinod and other flights coming into the closed loop. There was throat and nasal COVID tests -- Vinod has never had a worse nasal test than this one. Surface sanitizing was everywhere, the ramp crew was all wearing PPE, and all that sanitizing had aged the new terminal vey quickly with corrosion and white gunk everywhere. Plexiglass became opaque -- which made for a humorous moment at immigration. He picked up his bag and boarded a bus.

As an avgeek, the experience was incredible Vinod -- riding airside at Beijing Capital. As they travelled on the highway the bus had a police escort. Two hours later Vinod ended up at his hotel and waited for his test results, at which point he was able to continue in the closed loop.

38 days later...

It's time to go home. There were limited slots and passenger load factors available for Chinese flights. Based on these limitations, Vinod had a round-the-world return to Vancouver -- of about 39 hours door-to-door. Beijing to Doha, Qatar, to Toronto, to Vancouver. Upgrades were available for a reasonable price, so Vinod took the upgrade. And three days before departure, he learned that the Qatar Airlines flight had an upgraded interior. Leaving China was much easier than arriving. Yet again, the airport was empty -- with no services open, except for one solitary water fountain. They boarded early. In Vinod's words, "When I stepped on that [Qatari] aircraft, I thought I was going to cry."

He had a suite with a door with incredible levels of service and quality. The bed, the food, even the lavatory -- Vinod had a pinnacle level of experience. Then he arrived in Doha for early morning transfer rush hour. Vinod had to stand aside for a few moments and let his brain recalibrate.

After some duty free shopping, he boarded his very long Air Canada flight 059 to Toronto. It was February 24, 2022, and normal routing was no longer available over Ukraine. Once the flight reached the Red Sea, it made a hard left turn and then flew up through western Turkey. The flight kept going and going and going...eventually landing in Toronto.

Canadians can be chosen on landing for a random COVID test...Vinod was chosen. Now what? "I have to do the test, but I have connection bags." His bags may have been a bit over the limit and his carry-ons were maxed out. Oh no, Air Canada has a sizer and scale! But he was connecting -- issue solved. After being in a zombie-like state on the last domestic Air Canada leg, Vinod finally arrived home in Vancouver.

News Items:

• skift.com article "Canada’s WestJet to Buy Sunwing Airlines."
• simpleflying.com article "Woken From Deep Sleep: Lufthansa Resumes Airbus A340-600 Flights."

If you have a story about travel to China during COVID-19, round-the-world trips, or other experiences that you would like to share, please email us at stories(at)seat1a.org or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and