006 BCN - Google Flights, Bombardier CS300, mobile passport, Airwolf, MH370
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SHOW NOTES

Two shout outs this week. First to TheDesignAir for going live with their brand new podcast, The Aviator), it's really great and you should all subscribe!

Second to our own Alex who just released the first episode of his video travel show, Attaché. Take a look at the London episode). Paul attended the filming of Barcelona this week—what fun we had!

I. News of the week

WOW goes transatlantic

Iceland's WOW air prepares fo new transatlantic routes — Alan Dron, ATW)

Ryanair to add cheap transatlantic flights, WiFi and more in the next three years — Kayla Hertz, IrishCentral)

The economic impact of Emirates Airlines in Europe

Emirates Airgues Why It's Good for Europe's Economy — Deena Kamel Yousef, Bloomberg)

Boeing and FedEx support OpenSkies

Boeing, FedEx battle back vs US airlines on Gulf competition — Reuters)

Bombardier flies its CS300

Bombardier schedules CS300 first flight for 26 February — Mavis Toh, FlightGlobal)

SouthWest misses inspections

Southwest Airlines grounds 128 Boeing 737 airplanes for missed inspections — Terry Maxon, The Dallas Morning News)

Southwest for Now Can Use Planes That Missed Inspection — David Koenig, ABC News)

United is brutally honest with its pilots

United Airlines Officials Highlight 'Near-Misses' in Safety Message to Pilots — Dan Good, ABC News)

A new biggest plane ever made

This Will Be the World's Largest Plane — John Wenz, Popular Mechanics)

Inside The Roc's Lair — Guy Norris, Aviation Week)

A 747 Gobs Solar Impulse From Switzerland To Abu Dhabi — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers)

The restoration of the first 747

From rust bucket to showpiece: Volunteers are rescuing the first Boeing 747 — Ron Judd, The Seattle Times)

 

II. Innovation in AirTech, PaxEx and Design

#MWC15: IBM showcases iOS app for airline industry

Next IBM MobileFirst for iOS Apps Unveiled — IBM)

Apple - IBM Partnership Sprouts Latest Set Of Apps At Mobile World Congress — Ron Miller, Techcrunch)

#MWC15: Virgin goes smartwatch

Virgin Atlantic is testing Sony SmartWear, including EyeGlass, for engineer collaboration — Dave Neal, The Inquirer)

JAL Tests Smartwatch Broadcasts at Tokyo Haneda — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers)

#MWC15: American Airlines' Hackathon

WearableWorld Success Story)

Ryanair goes mobile-first

The new Ryanair - a mobile-first travel retailer — Martin Cowen, Tnooz)

Options Away' future ticket lock

Options Away, an airfare lock startup, raises $3.5 million — Sean O'Neill, Tnooz)

A mobile passport to get into the US

Second Airport Offers Travelers Access to Mobile Passport App — Benet J. Wilson, Airways News)

Faster Airport Entry Into the USA with this Selfie iPhone App — Paul Papadimitriou, Layovers)

Starwood and Uber join loyalty forces

Starwood Is Giving Out SPG Loyalty Points to Uber Riders — Serena Saitto, Bloomberg)

Google Flights is out of beta

Google Flights comes out of beta, but still isn't profitable — Sean O'Neill, Tnooz)

Here's what Google's super-fast flight search reveals about its product strategy — Jillian D'Onfro, Business Insider)

Use ITA codes on HipMunk

Bet You Didn't Know: Using Hipmunk to book ITA Matrix flights — FrequentMiler)

Airbus goes AirWolf

Airbus' New Composite Helicopter Is A Billion Dollar Bet — Chris Clarke, Jalopnik)

 

III. App of the Week

Turbulence Forecast)

 

IV. Debate of the week

One year into MH370's mysterious disappearance.

The Vanishing — Sean Flynn, GQ)

'Nobody cares any more': the relatives who went looking Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 — Jon Ronson, The Guardian)

MH370 hunt covers 40% of search area — Flightglobal)

MH370: Australian PM Abbott hints at scaled back search — BBC News)

How crazy am I to think I actually know where that Malaysia Airlines plane is? — Jeff Wise, NYMag)

To Keep Airplanes on the Map, Track Them from Space — Loren Grush, Popular Science)

Airlines Make Baby Steps on Flight Tracking a Year After Flight 370 Vanished — Scott Mayerowitz and David Koenig, AP)

SigFox)

 

V. Question of the week

What seat would you recommend? Window, middle or aisle? by Deanne De Rego Hunter in Kent, UK.

It is often said that window seats are made for dreamers, aisle seats for workers and aisle for no one. Turns out both Alex and Paul are in for the experience and explain the reasons why. 

 

VI. Airport of the week

BCN.

Barcelona-El Prat airport has ambition. Alex and Paul talk about their experience there.