Delta Boeing 747-400 tail seen from a Dreamliner – Photo: David Parker Brown
THE DETAILS
This week, Delta Air Lines announced a major change to their Skymiles frequent flier program, while many in the industry speculated was coming. The changes to the Skymiles program will see an end to their current (and, some would say, traditional) points earning process, to now be a revenue-based model.
Similar to airlines like Jetblue, Southwest, or Virgin America, it no longer comes down to how far you fly, but rather how much you spend.
As of January 2015, Delta will move from a ’œ1 mile flown = 1 point earned’ model, to a new revenue-based system where for every dollar you spend on your airfare you will receive 5 points (though they are still using the term ’œmile’ for some reason). As with the current program, the higher your elite status, the more miles you get as a reward. By using a co-branded Delta credit card, you can earn yourself a few extra points as well.
But we wanted to share our opinions from both the perspective of a miles and points junkie (Mal) and someone who doesn’t really care about miles (David).
Noses of a Boeing 747 and 727 – Photo: Caleb Howell | Flickr CC
This guest post was written by Andrew Vane (@pipelinedrew) for AirlineReporter.
Recently I saw that someone posted pictures of old Northwest 727s and DC-10s in North Carolina and I became curious. This is my home turf and I was not aware of any tri-holers “enjoying” their retirement years nearby.
I quickly started looking up Google Earth images and was able to confirm that, sure enough, there was what was left of some vintage aircraft stored in an out-of-the-way airfield somewhere in my home state. Now, how to get out there to see them.
Laurinburg-Maxton Airport (KMEB) is nestled in the pine barrens of the south-central part of North Carolina, off of US Highway 74 about halfway between Charlotte and Wilmington. Originally a U.S. Army Air base for glider training during World War II, this small airport currently is the home to the U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team, has a nice local Fixed Base Operator (FBO) for civil air service, and also holds something not often seen in the eastern U.S.; a commercial airliner salvage yard.
When you normally think of aircraft storage, the first airports that come to mind are Victorville, California and Tucson, Arizona. Now add KMEB to that list.
A Lufthansa 747-8 Intercontinental inside the Boeing Factory – Photo: David Parker Brown | AirlineReporter
When I first started this blog about five and a half years ago, the word “AvGeek” did not exist. The people still existed, fans of aviation, but we didn’t get the attention that we enjoy today. Now, we are seeing more and more “legacy,” media covering who we are and what makes us tick. I am honored and thrilled that Thom Patterson, who writes for CNN, not only took the time to come to Aviation Geek Fest, but he also wrote a story talking about who we are. I wanted to share his story and here is an excerpt with a link to the full story – David
Everett, Washington (CNN) — Sprawled out before us sits the exterior of the world’s biggest building by volume. They make airliners here. Big ones.
“Let’s go see some airplanes!” says our Boeing VIP tour guide.
I remind myself: This doesn’t happen very often.
Yeah yeah yeah, Boeing offers public tours of this 98.3-acre airliner factory north of Seattle every day. This ain’t that. This is special.
As part of a convention of aviation fans called Aviation Geek Fest, we’re gaining ultra-exclusive access to the factory FLOOR. The public tour is limited to the balcony. We’re about to walk knee-deep where Boeing gives birth to some of the world’s biggest and most advanced airliners, including the 747-8 Intercontinental, the 777 Worldliner and the 787 Dreamliner.
Read the rest of Thom’s story on CNN…
Nothing like being just a few feet away from a wide-body aircraft taxing by
While I had the chance to cover the first Japan Airlines 787 at YVR, the Vancouver Airport Authority took me out about 30 minutes prior to the arrival. This gave me a chance to do some spotting since I always love getting airside access when I can. Here is a small gallery of some of the traffic that travels through the airport. Enjoy!
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It has been over a week now since Aviation Geek Fest Seattle and many of us still are having a hard time wiping the grins off our faces. We are still waiting on the photos from Boeing (coming soon) and when we get them, we will be sure to share.
For now, we wanted to get feedback from those of you attended and those of you who were not able to attend; What do you want to see at Aviation Geek Fest Seattle 2015? The sky (well, maybe shallow space) is the limit. What did you like? What didn’t you like? What dates work best for it? You can be honest – no feelings will be hurt.
AvGeeks endure the rain to get close to a Dreamlifter next to the Future of Flight during AGF14 Photo: David Parker Brown | AirlineReporter
Take a moment and share your thoughts in the comments, as well as read other comments and see what you think. We want to make sure the next AGF is bigger and better than ever!
Thanks to Ian (@ikluft) for making the AGF15 banner
