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Simple Flying Aviation News Podcast
#287: Pilots' Animals Sounds On ATC, Southwest Airlines New Airport Lounges
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Hello, I'm Channing Reed. Welcome to a brand new episode of the Simple Flying Podcast where we'll give you the lowdown on the latest news from the world of commercial aviation. Here's what we have for you this week. Coming up today, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines pilots are making headlines after meowing and barking on an air traffic control frequency. And the Internet is pretty divided over the matter. Explain. Then United Airlines CEO proposing a merger with its rival American. Where exactly does it stand? Find out what some experts are saying. Southwest Airlines appears to be one step closer to debuting airport lounges. I'll explain which cities are likely to see the new spaces first. If you're flying with Lufthansa this week, you've probably experienced some disruptions. The latest on the strikes hindering the carrier's operation. And finally, Alaska Airlines is facing a hefty lawsuit after an in flight incident that occurred three years ago. I'll share with you just how much one family is seeking in damages. So now that you know what's in store, let's get on with the show. And thanks for joining me this week. As you can tell, we've got a jam packed podcast. Tom is out on assignment this week at the Aircraft Interiors Expo. Looking forward to him joining us next week. I'm sure he has a lot to report on, so we will be looking forward to that. But in the meantime, I do want to get to all that we have to cover today on the podcast and we'll first begin with. Yeah, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines pilots making what some could say is their best animal impressions. All caught on audio and a now viral air traffic control recording. The pilots can be heard meowing and barking and well, it didn't sit well with one controller. According to the turbine traveler on X, the Incident occurred on April 12, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C involving two Bombardier CRJ pilots conversing on the guard frequency. Take a listen. Yeah, well, you can hear one of those controllers say, you guys need to be professional pilots. But that didn't stop the pilots from continuing with their impressions as the recording goes on, prompting the controller to blast the pilots with stealth. Somewhat of an insult.
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This is why you still flying, rj. It was funny the first five minutes. Pretty big riddling, don't you miss?
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Now the guard frequency is reportedly a frequency reserved for emergencies only. These transmissions of course, disrupted normal communications. All commercial aircraft monitor the guard frequency, making it critical for distress calls and urgent broadcasts. But it also has reported developed a reputation for misuse, including prank transmissions and Non essential chatter. And with that there has been some ongoing frustration among aviation professionals who rely on it for safety. One former US Air Force KC10 pilot and current Boeing 737 captain commented on the matter in a post on X saying quote, the frequency they meow on is our guard frequency supposed to be reserved for emergencies. This is a common thing, unfortunately and is stupid. I support penalties for these pilots. Just because you can't hear an emergency doesn't mean ATC can't and you are blocking them. Now with this story blowing up. Of course on social media, the Internet seems to be divided. Some say the kind of behavior has no place on a live frequency, while others are arguing that pilots deal with non stop pressure and deserve a few seconds to joke around. Also, some are just confused over the controller's comments on why the pilots, quote still fly an RJ well, RJ refers to regional pilots which are traditionally operated by less experienced pilots or those early in their careers. In this context, the phrase could be seen as an industry specific insult implying a lack of professionalism or advancement. It also reflects the underlying hierarchies within aviation and the cultural emphasis on discipline and progression. Nonetheless, the incident underscores the importance of communication between pilots and air traffic control and the overall safety of airports. ATC staffing or lack thereof here in the US has been scrutinized due to several close call incidents over the past couple of years and deadly incidents which have involved airports in both Washington D.C. and New York. And we know that those are among the most congested airspaces in the country. And to see something like this, and to hear something like this for that matter, it could raise ruffle the feathers among some just again in the name of professionalism. But what do you think about this? I'd love to hear what our listeners have to say about this. Do you think pilots should joke around on their air traffic control frequencies or should it all be remain professional and for work communication purposes? It would be very interesting to see what people have to say about this, but again the Internet pretty much divided over this and we'll have to see if you know, Delta or American will impose any type of penalties on these pilots for those Comets. So we'll continue to watch this story, but we're gonna move on to our next big development this week and I feel like we're really being transported back to 2010. As we all know now, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has proposed the idea of a potential merger with rival American Airlines. That suggestion, if acted upon, would create the world's largest airline now. A combination of that size hasn't been attempted in the U.S. however, waves of industry mergers starting about 20 years ago have left American, United, Delta Airlines and Southwest airlines, the big four, in control of about 80% of the domestic market share, according to CNBC. Kirby has said the next phase for U.S. carriers is figuring out how to better compete on a global stage. Now, on Ben Thompson's Straight Cherie podcast in January, the executive said United has passengers that fly the carrier, quote, almost all the time or they fly Delta, but when they go to the Middle east it's fragmented enough that they fly on Emirates. He went on to comment that if United is bigger and has more offerings then it would make it possibly more rational for people to fly with the airline when they go to the Middle East. United has not commented further on the merger and American is also staying tight lipped on the matter. Kirby used to be an executive at American before making the jump to United and over the past several months we reported on the fierce competition between the two carriers, specifically at their shared Midwest hub, Chicago o' Hare International Airport. Several industry analysts and experts don't really believe the merger merger has any ground as it would severely diminish competition and cause fares to rise. However, one thing that we do know is that American has been struggling financially and captain Dennis Tager, the spokesman for the Allied Pilots association, which is the union representing 16,000American Airlines pilots, told CBS News that a United American merger is, quote, certainly intriguing. In a statement, Tajor said, we have been very open about our concerns regarding American Airlines financial and operational and customer service underperformance under the current management team. He went on to say, we are always interested in and welcome ideas that will turn around our airline. Now, regardless of the chatter, the Trump administration is also staying quiet, at least for now. On Wednesday, the White House told reporters that it is not weighing in on the merger talks at this time. And I actually was on my weekend when I saw this development and just thinking to myself following especially just within the last six months or so how it seemed like United really has been trying to show who is the superior carrier compared to American Airlines, especially in Chicago with just the fierce competition and the turf war, if you will, it's almost surprising to see Kirby in a sense take a 180 almost on his stance. Now we're looking at combining as opposed to competing towards each other. It's a very interesting development and there's a lot that has to be weighed in this, of course, and that's something that the department of transportation I imagine will do if this merger actually does get traction. But one of the other things that you have to take into account is yeah, airlines need to do what they can to stay afloat and we know that a lot of airlines are struggling right now. Kirby actually mentioned back at the United Airlines elevate event at LAX that I covered a few weeks ago, he mentioned that he wouldn't be surprised if airlines would introduce furloughs and cancel more routes just because of the financial strain from the situation in Iran and those high fuel prices. He even commented that some airlines may not survive. Even I believe he was more so talking about those ultra low cost carriers. Spirit airlines of course we know is struggling in a major way. But also JetBlue. We've talked about how United and JetBlue, there's been rumors about a merger. We know that they have their new partnership set up. United has since expressed that they're not interested in merging with JetBlue. But again, things could change. This industry is very fluid. This example of Kirby's comments about American is a perfect illustration of that. It just seems to me very 180A completely different direction. We will definitely follow this but again, White House staying pretty tight, tight lipped about this. And if they do come out with any statement or again if these talks garner more attention even from American to see what they have to say, of course we will be able to report on that. But an interesting development nonetheless and we'll have to continue to watch the space on that one. We're going to move on to another development making headlines. Southwest Airlines said it's pushing ahead with a plan to introduce lounges. An update to our original reporting late last year. Now of course this underscores how the carrier is really focused on a complete corporate makeover despite enduring higher costs from those surging fuel prices that I just mentioned. Now according to Bloomberg News, CEO Bob Jordan said the effort is a quote, near term pursuit as the airline attempts to attract higher paying and premium seeking travelers to boost revenue. Now where could these new lounges pop up? Southwest is reportedly looking to secure spaces at airports in Honolulu, Nashville and Denver. Jordan said you wouldn't be taking steps like leasing space if we weren't near term active. It definitely gives you an idea of how close we could be seeing a full press release and concept art, if you will, of Southwest Airlines first ever airport lounge. Now as we reported, the Dallas based airline has been on a mission to transform its business model, adding premium seating and introducing bag fees and moving away from its longtime open seating system. But its strategy has since been tested by a sharp rise in fuel costs. Global energy markets disrupted by the Iran war have resulted in a raised cost for airlines at a time when demand has otherwise held up. The increase has been forcing carriers to examine just how much they can hike ticket prices and other fees, such as checked bags, without dampening their bookings. Southwest seems confident that its new initiatives will stay on top. Jordan told Bloomberg that the airline is incredibly well positioned to adjust financial pressures in the industry. He said, I feel really good about the fact that we have billions in revenue tailwind from all of these new initiatives. It's a great time for that to happen right now with these rising fuel prices. Again, another story that is garnering a lot of attention here. And I will have to say it's very interesting to see the change that Southwest has had just even in the past year. And then you look at the past five years, past decade. I mean, a lot of people saying it's a completely different airline. I've seen comments of people saying that the heritage of Southwest is gone and there was a lot of turbulence with that. Of course, we reported on the influence from Elliott and how a lot of people were also calling for Bob Jordan to step down as CEO. Clearly that hasn't happened. He's still around. I just find it very interesting with the lounges now becoming a part of this future and this vision of the new Southwest, what other premium experiences are we going to see on board? Right. Will the carrier eventually introduce first class and what will that look like and how much money will that cost? Because right now they're retrofitting their aircraft to have more leg room. And personally I feel like, and maybe this is just because being used to flying on the Big three, if you're flying in a premium cabin, you usually have lounge access and that's also just more of an incentive for passengers. So it'll be very interesting to see if Southwest will eventually roll out first class. I can tell you right now I wouldn't be too surprised if they did given that they are really focused on copying the model of the Big three and other just full service carriers that have those premium cabin offerings. We'll have to see about that. And this comes again as Southwest is focused on expanding its route network. I believe they just started service to Anchorage or that service will be coming soon. I think one of those cities is from Den, maybe Las Vegas as well. I had to go back and check, but that's a very, very long flight and it would be nice to have something a little bit more than extra legroom, right? Maybe a bigger seat, food on board, things like that, especially if you have a lounge experience to complement that. So we will follow this. It's very interesting, but according to Bob Jordan, seems like it is just around the corner until we see their first announcement of a new lounge. Exciting Something that's not so exciting Pilots with Germany's flagship carrier Lufthansa have announced plans to once again go on strike on Thursday and Friday after a two day strike earlier this week led to the cancellation of hundreds of flights. The airline is also facing a cabin crew work stoppage on Wednesday and Thursday. By the end of this week, Lufthansa's twin labor disputes with its pilots and cabin crew trade unions will have led to major strike disruptions on six consecutive workdays. According to Flightradar24, Lufthansa canceled 935 flights on Wednesday. That represents more than 80% of its operation. Andres Pinero, the president of the pilots union, said on Tuesday that the strike so far had not altered Lufthansa's position. In a statement, Pinero said the situation remains unchanged. There has been no movement whatsoever on the part of the employers. He went on to say neither Lufthansa or Lufthansa Cargo has presented an offer regarding the company pension plan, nor is there a viable offer from Lufthansa City Line for a new collective wage agreement or from euro rings regarding the company pension plan. Well, the second strike is set to begin on April 16 and will end on April 17 at 11:59pm local time. Flights departing from German airports during this period will be affected. However, due to the current situation in the Middle east, flights to the following destinations remain exempt from the strike. That includes Azerbaijan, Egypt, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Yemen, Jordan, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. So this is an ongoing situation and we will continue to follow it, but I'm sure it's likely a headache for a lot of left handed passengers flying in and out of Germany and strikes are something that we have covered on several different airlines across the industry and the hope is that they come to an agreement. It is also just not that well timed considering Lufthansa is going through their 100th anniversary at a time where the airline and crew members, employees alike, they're focusing on the past, the heritage, the legacy of the carrier and dealing with likely poor morale at this rate if the strikes are going to continue. So we will have to hope for the best here and follow all of latest developments But I'm sure a lot of passengers you may need to pack your patience and expect for more disruptions to come. Well onto our final story this week. Imagine flying on a cross country flight three years ago and you're allegedly being you're burned by hot tea in flight and now you just file a lawsuit. Well, that's the reality for one Rhode island family. The parents of an 8 year old Alaska Airlines passenger are suing the carrier after their daughter allegedly suffered serious burn to her legs, abdomen and genitals after she was served an unlidded cup of hot tea. According to People. The civil complaint was filed on behalf of the girl's parents, Megan and Ryan Continee and Rhode island superior court on November 17, 2025. Well, the incident allegedly occurred on November 17, 2022 when the eight year old girl along with her five year old sister and their parents were on Alaska Airlines flight from Boston to Portland, Oregon. Ryan, the father sat with the eight and the aisle and the middle seat respectively while with Megan the mother, the five year old girl. They were reportedly seated directly behind them. About 45 minutes before the landing, the flight crew allegedly offered one last drink service for the passengers. Ryan asked the flight attendant for a cup of hot tea for his daughter and a cup of decaffeinated coffee for himself, the complaint says. Ryan reportedly said that he when he received the tea he placed it at the center the of of the of his daughter's tray table, quote, in an effort to avoid the tea from tipping off. The complaint alleges that the flight attendant did not provide a cover for the hot tea nor did she advise either of the two that the tray table needed to be cleared or that the tea needed to be placed in a shallow divot in the tray table that is designed for drinks. While the flight attendant left to get milk for the family's beverages, the passenger seated next to the eight year old allegedly quote, jolsted the tray table on which which the tea was placed which then knocked the drink into the eight year old girl's lap, according to the complaint. It goes on to explain that her pain was excruciating and that the girl immediately started screaming. She then reportedly ran to the bathroom and began vomiting due to the severity of the pain. The flight crew allegedly requested an onboard doctor and the passenger who's a physician advised that the girl be transported to an urgent care facility as soon as possible due to the severity of the burns and their proximity to her general genitals. Today the girl is now 11 and reportedly has permanent scarring in the area of her burns, some of which is visible at and around her bathing suit line, the complaint says. Alaska Airlines is named as the sole defendant in the complaint. The girl's parents are demanding a trial by jury and are seeking damages in excess of $75,000. And this is somewhat of an unfortunate story, but it does make you think, who really is at fault here? Is it Alaska? Is it flight attendant? Or is it that passenger that knocked over the beverage itself? There's a lot of different factors here, and I'm sure that this lawsuit will bring all of that about with the jury. But when you think about it, the flight attendant had left, right? And the lawsuit does allege that the flight attendant didn't tell them where they should place the drink or didn't have a lid on the drink. But then also you have the passenger who actually knocked it over. So again, to my question, who is at fault? But then you also have to think about it. The flight attendant made the beverage and heated up the beverage. So is Alaska at fault for how hot the beverage was? Yeah, there's a lot that goes into this story. And given that it did happen three years ago, some people might say, well, this is old news. Well, three years later, the girl allegedly still has burns that are visible and permanent. So we will have to see where this story goes and if Alaska Airlines will have any comment on the litigation. Typically, defendants don't necessarily have comments. Just depends on what's going on. But we'll have to see if Alaska Airlines will come out with a statement regarding this. But I do wish all the best to that girl and the family as well. Regardless of whose fault it is, something like that happened, getting on board can be a very traumatic experience. And if something that you never want to see, but unfortunately, burns from hot beverages, that does happen and it does make you think maybe you need to think a little bit twice about ordering one of those beverages on board and handling them appropriately. Well, that is going to do it for our podcast this week. We hope you enjoyed it and we welcome any feedback that you might have@editorialimplifying.com thanks again for joining me. For more great content, you can visit our website@simplifying flying.com or find us on social media. Simply search for simple flying. And if you enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a rating on your favorite podcast player. Thanks for listening.