Swapping Countries & Planes!

Had a very passionate young guest on this episode, a fascinating conversation with Giacomo Gheda, a Gen Z avgeek from Italy. Giacomo spoke about his dreams and hopes for the industry and its future. These two words of his stayed with me: Dream & Do! The dreamers who are the doers will be the aviation professionals of the future. ✈️ Hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I did! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Passtination takes loyalty beyond the flight! Connecting travellers with local restaurants, cafés, hotels, experiences and businesses through an airline-branded digital pass.It gives travellers a reason to discover local, gives local businesses access to international visitors, and allows airlines to remain part of the journey long after the aircraft has landed.On this episode of Sky Lounge, I am joined by Safir Jamal, CEO of Passtination, to talk about loyalty, local discovery and why the destination could be the next big opportunity for airlines.and BTW if you are wondering how Passtionation got it's name;Passtination is a combination of pass + destination. The “pass” reflects the digital wallet pass passengers use to access local benefits, while “destination” reflects the idea that the relationship continues after the passenger lands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello everyone, and welcome to The Sky Lounge Podcast!In this episode, Alex & self sit down with Tero Taskila, CEO of Beond, the airline redefining travel as the world’s first premium leisure airline.Beond is far from a traditional carrier, and this conversation explores what it really means to build an airline around luxury, leisure, and a completely different business mindset. From business model innovation to the future of premium travel, this is a wide-ranging discussion packed with fresh insights and bold ideas. And yes, they do have ROUND THE WORLD tickets, if you want to go BEOND the grind of normal travel.For more information on Tero, do check out his Linkedin profilehttps://www.linkedin.com/in/terotaskila/Recommend reading this article from Tero on Linkedin, especially if you are setting out on an entrepreneurship journey or have an innovative idea that you want to see come to life;Every New Thing Is Born Into Doubthttps://www.linkedin.com/pulse/every-new-thing-born-doubt-tero-taskila-cxjqf/?trackingId=YNp6Tid5QXOeaLELC%2FOjqg%3D%3DTero’s article argues that every genuinely new idea or innovation inevitably faces a predictable cycle of resistance—starting with skepticism, then often turning into cynicism, before eventual acceptance if it proves its value. The core message is that doubt is not a signal that something is wrong, but rather a natural and necessary filter that all meaningful progress must pass through. Instead of avoiding criticism, innovators should expect it, endure it, and use it as validation that they are doing something truly new; in this sense, persistence through early doubt is what separates ideas that fade away from those that ultimately reshape industries or thinking.Tero ends the article with this "Most companies do not fail because the doubters were right. They fail because the founders and/or investors ran out of patience before the evidence arrived."Tune in & enjoy the conversation. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You’re about to step into the world of airport lounges, but not as you know them. The lounge experience is being reimagined. And leading that change is the Plaza Premium Group, the independent hospitality brand that democratized (this is a word you will hear very often in the episode) airport comfort.In this episode, we take a very comfortable & relaxed lounge chat with Jonathan Song, Chief Commercial Officer at the Plaza Premium Group. We explore whether lounges belong in city centers as well, how partnerships with premium brands shape the traveler journey, and what it really takes to build an ecosystem across lounges, hotels, and dining. Plus — three words to describe Plaza Premium’s internal culture. If you’ve ever rushed past a lounge entrance wishing you had access, this conversation is for you. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The final 2025 episode of The Sky Lounge Podcast – where Alexandra & David talk about the Dubai Airshow, long haul narrow body aircraft, the 777X flying at the Airshow (but when will it truly fly?);They then talk about Beond & it's US expansion, global airport growth ambitions and much more!A question for 2026 - Will fast & free onboard WIFI be a criterion for you to choose which airline to fly?Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season and the very very best for the New Year! Both of us will be back in the new year, with a very new interesting format for SKY LOUNGE! Stay tuned! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode had more that it's fair share of focus on low cost airlines. Wizz Air Abu Dhabi has packed up and left, Spirit has filed for bankruptcy… again, and we share a few stories from our own recent trips on budget carriers. Of course, you can’t talk low-cost without mentioning their favorite workhorses—the Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s and woo hoo, we may have a new market #1 soon!Alex also tells us about her not-so-smooth experience trying to use the United Airlines app from outside the U.S., and David comes back buzzing with passion and connections from the ICAO NGAP conference in Durban.To round it all off, we chat about airlines, brand value, and why airlines rank so low in global brand rankings!Here's a quick quizzer for you - I made a factual mistake in the PODCAST. Can you point out what it is? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have lost family and friends in the recent Air India AI171 accident in India.In this episode, Alex and David had plenty to catch up on—especially with David just back from his U.S. travels. He was absolutely raving about the United Airlines app, calling it “H-appy” with good reason! Meanwhile, Alex couldn’t get over Air France and their delicious ground-based food experiment. They also dove into the latest Boeing and Airbus forecasts—yes, there are lots of planes on the horizon. Plus, the recent IATA conference delivered some fascinating insights and statistics.https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-speeches/2025-06-02-01/ Enjoy the episode! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Alexandra shares her recent trip to the U.S. aboard Air France—complete with a whole row to herself and a glass of champagne! Meanwhile, David is gearing up for his own long journey—fingers crossed for some empty rows on his flight too.We also dive into the retro charm of the TWA Hotel, the complexities of airport security, and more. Tune in and enjoy the journey! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We talk about Alex’s “almost” India experience and why she had to go to Indigo’s Plan B! David’s trip to Kazakhstan just seemed to “Wizz” by ! Oh, and we touched on Alex’s current airline crush!This airline for this episode was “F” – one of the world’s oldest airlines – and they do have a unique seat (hint). We also had a quick shout out to the world’s most profitable airline – you guessed it right.David was excited about Disney coming to Abu Dhabi – and planes in Disney livery! But he will need to wait! We ended with Lounges – that’s what the Sky Lounge podcast is all about! Nice relaxing discussions in a relaxed comfy lounge! What would Ian Kay say about that? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Travel demand remains strong, but could tariffs be the turbulence ahead for aviation growth? Let’s not dwell too long on that—because we’re also celebrating a terrific birthday for the airline that starts with “E”! Can you guess which one? Tune in to the episode to find out!In this week’s episode, Alexandra and David dive into a mix of quirky and serious aviation updates:·From Finnair’s non-reclining business class AirLounge seat (yes, really!),To reimagining Eurowings catering carts with built-in coffee machines as… champagne & wine fountains?And of course, April 1st wouldn’t be complete without a few clever fake headlines and light-hearted fun.On the topic of tariff turbulence, we also explore Roger Hall’s insights on turbulence of the airline kind. Check out the article here:https://www.xflashsystems.com/alerting-monitoring/turbulence-det-route-plus/Plus, a sweet cargo story! Mangoes & Apples! Andrew Tan reported on Air India Cargo’s fruity endeavor with over 3,000 varieties of mangoes, along with the airline’s recent integration of Apple AirTags for baggage tracking (and maybe mango tracking too?) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.