Airline Reporter

A Place to Share Your Passion for Airlines. Home of the AvGeek!

  • Breaking: Major Manufacturing Errors Found On a Boeing 777

    April 2nd Author’s Note : Thanks for enjoying a bit of April Fools’ fun with us. You AvGeeks know that that’s NOT what a 777 looks like. But fake news is a problem out there. And so to make sure nobody gets confused we’re putting in this disclaimer to make it clear to everyone. The embattled aircraft […]

  • Learning to Fly With Francis: Maintaining Currency

    This is a continuation of my multi-part series on learning to fly. You can read the whole Fly With Francis series here. It’s been a good while since I’ve done a Learning to Fly post. Since the last time, I’ve completed my first biennial flight review, which is a mandatory mini-checkride done every two years with […]

  • Singapore Airlines’ Upper-Deck A380 Business Class, Melbourne to Singapore

    Singapore Airlines knows what it’s doing. No airline is perfect, but Singapore earns its status as a fan favorite for frequent fliers. Flying one of their long-haul premium cabins has been one of my AvGeek dreams for a while. So when I snagged a lucky award ticket during a trip to Asia/Australia — and on […]

  • LAX planespotting: A winter classic

    A sunny break from the Pacific Northwest’s typically gloomy winter weather is always a pleasant opportunity. Last month I ventured south from Seattle for a couple days seeking some sun and planespotting. My wife and I stayed at our favorite LA hotel, the H Hotel Los Angeles. It’s walking distance from the airport and to […]

  • How to Get an Empty Middle Seat Next to You

    I love flying with a middle seat open next to me (who doesn't?) and I get to do it quite a bit. I wanted to give you advice on what has worked well for me, so that you too can fly high with an empty middle seat! This is not one of those “how to” stories that is just clickbait and will tell you “use your miles to upgrade” or “give chocolates to the flight attendants.” Nope… this is all from my own personal experience. You won't need to do anything unethical, it isn’t that hard, and it often pays off. It will take some time and it will require you to stay engaged from the moment you book your ticket until you board the plane. But I think it is totally worth it... and if you are an AvGeek, I bet you will enjoy the process as well. Why should you trust me? Well, I would say that 85%+ of the time that I follow the steps below, I end up with a open middle seat next to me... I like those odds. See for yourself and follow these steps to increase the chance of getting an empty middle seat...

  • Our Favorite Stats and Other Nerdy Stuff of 2023

    Ahhh yes, this is the time of year to take a look back, before taking a look forward. I like to dive into AirlineReporter's analytics and see what stories were the most popular and where you readers are from. Some of you maybe thinking "well heck David, there haven't been as many stories this year." Well, you would be right. I do not want to make any sort of grand statement that we will soon be back to the days of having a daily new story... but I hope we find a happy place in the middle. And for those who love to see our new stories, but aren't sure when they post, make sure to sign up for our newsletter and we will send you an email when we publish a new story (sweet self plug, right?). Let's take a look at the most read stories, what cities and countries our readers are from, and some other nerdy odds and ends!

  • My Three Favorite Aviation Adventures

    I have been running AirlineReporter for over 15 years now and over that time I have been very lucky to experience some pretty rad things and I genuinely treasure all my adventures. Every now and again, someone will ask me which trip was my favorite and often my answers will differ. That said, there are three that consistently stand out. Since I was recently reminiscing about those good times, I figured why not share... #1 - RWANDAIR'S FIRST 737 DELIVERY FLIGHT (September 2011) During the delivery of RwandAir's first 737, I remember being out on the flight line in Renton (where all 737s are built) and there were about five for Southwest Airlines. Getting a new 737 for an airline like that is just your typical Tuesday and there is no big fanfare. However, Rwandair's 737-800 delivery was very different.

  • Singapore Airlines A350-900ULR to New York… Going the Distance in Style

    The world's longest flight. A few routes have held that honor over the years. But right now the unquestioned champion is Singapore Airlines' service between Singapore Changi and New York JFK, weighing in at an impressive 9,537 miles. I've been dying to get onboard since it launched. And at long last I got my chance. The Airbus A350-900 ULR was the clear star of the show. The "ULR" stands for ultra-long range. And the plane absolutely earns that title, handling 18-hour flights with ease. During our time in the sky with the ULR we appreciated the adaptations that allow it to handle routes that no other commercial craft currently can. And Singapore Airlines' masterful inflight service touches made the time in the sky fly by. Read on for the full story -- with plenty of photos and window-seat views -- from the world's longest-distance flight.

  • Tokyo Haneda’s Excel Hotel: An Excellent Place For Planespotting

    Here at AirlineReporter we write a ton about aircraft. We write a lot about airports. We've dabbled in train reporting. We don't usually publish stories about hotels. But for the right type of place, we'll make an exception (HotelReporter?!). During a trip to Tokyo we spent a night at one of the world's best hotels for planespotting, the Excel Hotel at Haneda Airport. You don't have to take our word for it: the hotel is frequently named in lists of the best places in the world for AvGeeks to stay. And boy did it deliver. Watch our video report below for the deep dive, and/or read on below for more details. There's plenty more to the story, read on below.

  • From the Taxiway: Spotting at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport

    When you get a VIP invite to spend an afternoon spotting airplanes from the taxiways at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA), you do not say "no". You say something along the lines of "HECK YES!" AirlineReporter Director of Photographry Francis Zera and I prepped our gear (and plenty of sunblock) and went with a group of around 15 other AvGeeks to enjoy this special time. After getting our neon PPE, badges, and a security rundown, we were escorted to a few vans waiting for us on the tarmac (I think the words "herding cats" was mentioned a few times).

  • Something Fishy Arrives to Seattle on Alaska Airlines

    I recently had the opportunity to welcome some VIP fish from Alaska to the lower 48. Did I enjoy the experience because of the Copper River salmon? Yes, it was quite entertaining seeing all the people wanting to kiss a 34 pounder at 8am in the morning (I typically don’t kiss fish before noon). For […]

  • LaGuardia’s Skybridges are Great for Planespotting

    To everyone who gave up hope for New York’s airports, I can see why you did. For way too long, JFK, LaGuardia, and Newark were congested outdated disasters. But at long last the powers-that-be are investing in massive renovations. We wrote about JFK’s New Terminal One project, which broke ground a few months ago. But […]

  • PHOTOS: Hanging Around Paine Field

    Living in the greater Seattle area has its advantages. Being able to go pretty much any time and drive around Paine Field Airport (KPAE) is for sure one of them. Plus, if you book yourself a night at the Hilton Garden Inn, you are very likely to get a room that looks over the airport. Heck, you can even spot from your room and/or car and have yourself a bit of an AvGeek hootenanny. I recently did just that and my pal Jeremy joined me. Although this story might mostly be photos, I am likely to add a snarky comment here or there. I decided to do a little blast from the past and use my "real" DSLR camera instead of my iPhone. It is amazing for the close-ups, but I think I might need a refresher course. Jeremy ended up taking a few of the photos, but I was too lazy to label them properly. Just assume if one looks like someone with talent took the picture, it was him. Here we go...

  • JAL’s 777-300ER Business Class, New York to Tokyo

    Sometimes it’s hard to beat a classic. Japan Airlines’ 777-300ERs are the heavy lifter of their long-haul fleet. And although the current premium cabins have been flying for around ten years, they’re still a fan favorite. I had my first chance to fly JAL’s Sky Suite business class on a flagship route from New York […]

  • Breaking News: Elon Musk Purchasing a Majority Stake in American Airlines

    April 2nd Author’s Note : we hope everyone appreciated this April Fool’s joke (or at least realized it was a joke by the third line in). Fake news is a problem, so to make sure nobody gets confused, we wanted to drop this disclaimer to make it clear that this is not a real story. […]