#288: 2 Close Calls In 48 Hours, AIX 2026 Review, & SkyTeam's Newest Lounge

Summary

Simple Flying Aviation News Podcast – Episode 288 Summary

Episode Title: 2 Close Calls In 48 Hours, AIX 2026 Review, & SkyTeam's Newest Lounge
Date: April 23, 2026
Hosts: Tom Boon & Channing Reid

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Tom and Channing cover a dramatic spate of near-miss incidents in US airspace, review innovations and highlights from the 2026 Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, spotlight major investments at JFK’s Terminal 8 and take listeners inside the new SkyTeam lounge at Frankfurt Airport. The episode concludes with a deep dive into the Delta TechOps-LATAM Brazil component repair alliance and how maintenance partnerships shape the industry.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Two Major Near-Miss Incidents in 48 Hours

[00:45–06:11]

• JFK Incident:

  • Two Embraer E175 regional jets (American Eagle Flight 4464 and Air Canada Express Flight 8554) came alarmingly close on parallel runways at JFK.

  • The American Eagle jet, arriving from Indianapolis, went off its approach path and initiated a go-around, flying within 2/3 of a mile horizontally and just 250ft vertically of the Air Canada Express jet from Toronto.

  • Pilots responded to TCAS collision alerts and air traffic control (ATC) instructions, narrowly avoiding disaster.

    "Air traffic control recordings captured the tense moments as controllers urgently directed both aircraft to climb and change their course." — Channing Reid [02:10]

• Nashville Incident:

  • A controller mistakenly directed an arriving plane into the path of a departing Southwest Airlines flight.
  • Aircraft came within about 500ft; pilots’ quick reaction averted a collision.

• Key Takeaway:

  • Both incidents underscore persistent ATC challenges, with staffing cited as a major safety concern. The Department of Transportation’s modernization efforts, while welcome, are insufficient without adequate human resources.

    "The Department of Transportation can do all that it can to replace old infrastructure, but you’re also going to need the human power and the staffing to be on top of things and to make things a little bit more safe in the industry." — Channing Reid [05:30]

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2. AIX 2026 Hamburg: Passenger Experience Innovations

[06:24–15:45]

• Tom’s Expo Report:

  • On-the-ground insights from the Aircraft Interiors Expo.

  • Standout innovation: Collins Aerospace "Sky Nook" — a reimagined rear cabin concept featuring a convertible table (for baby carriers, assistance dogs) and a partial privacy door in the difficult-to-utilize back row seats of 787s.

    "I would argue it turns one of the worst rows in Economy into one of the best rows in Economy." — Tom Boon [08:58]

  • Air Canada’s new A321XLR Business Class: The “Aurora” seats, offering social or private configurations and clever use of space.

  • Double-decker seating (Chaise Long): Noted for becoming "much more finished—premium," with real world possibility for differentiation in economy.

  • Emerging seat manufacturers: Companies like Unum (flexibility, willing to take small orders) and Expliseat (ultra-light carbon & titanium seats) making inroads against industry giants.

  • EasyJet’s new seats: By Miras, praised for comfort and design highlights.

• Notable Reaction:

  • Hosts express fascination with real innovation in economy seating, hoping to see these concepts in widespread passenger use.

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3. American Airlines Terminal 8 Transformation at JFK

[15:45–21:27]

• Overview of Upgrades:

  • Terminal 8’s overhaul introduces 60+ new dining, retail, and experiential spaces, including 20 local New York brands for a true NYC ambience.

  • New Burroughs Food Hall, premium check-in, expanded lounges, upgraded gate areas, and a unique speakeasy (Blinded Tiger).

    "Everything we do at Terminal 8 is designed around one goal: delivering a better experience for our customers." — Amanda Zhang, VP of Corporate Real Estate, American Airlines (quoted by Channing Reid) [17:25]

• Terminal’s Role:

  • American’s key international gateway in NYC, supporting 14M+ passengers annually.
  • The broader JFK modernization effort involves multiple terminals.

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4. SkyTeam’s Newest Lounge at Frankfurt Terminal 3

[21:27–27:33]

• Significance:

  • First and only SkyTeam-branded lounge in Europe.

  • Fills a gap for SkyTeam carriers at Frankfurt where no member has enough traffic for a standalone facility.

    "Among the seven members flying non-Schengen, there was none that were strong enough to have their own lounge. So that's why it was a good opportunity to have SkyTeam." — Patrick Roux, SkyTeam CEO quoted by Tom Boon [22:48]

• Lounge Features:

  • 550 m², 126 seats, divided into zones: relaxation room, VIP section, live cooking, fully staffed bar, showers.

  • Floor-to-ceiling windows with panoramic views, including the Taunus mountains — regarded by Tom as the "best airside views at Frankfurt Airport." [24:48]

    "I would confidently argue that this single lounge gives the best airside views at Frankfurt Airport." — Tom Boon [25:19]

• Expansion Possibilities:

  • Patrick Roux hints at potential future SkyTeam-branded lounges in Europe, Australia, Asia, and South America, dependent on the "stars aligning."

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5. Delta TechOps & LATAM Brazil: Pioneering A320 Maintenance Collaboration

[28:10–33:53]

• Scope of Partnership:

  • A first-of-its-kind, integrated A320 component repair collaboration.

  • Delta TechOps acts as sole commercial interface; repairs performed at LATAM’s Sao Carlos MRO facility in Brazil.

    "Expanding our commercial relationship with LATAM Brazil allows us to leverage our complementary strengths and broaden the maintenance solutions available for global customers." — Elaine Bellamire, President International Delta Air Lines (quoted by Channing Reid) [31:35]

• Benefits:

  • Enhanced support for A320 operators globally, reflecting increasing demand for world-class maintenance in the context of the broad A320 fleet.

  • Signals the spirit of technical partnership and "co-opetition" in aviation: rivals collaborating on maintenance for mutual benefit.

    "In the grand scheme, it’s like, oh, that’s interesting — competitors, but they’re still going to help each other. So I guess in a sense you could say that we’re all in this together, but competition still is a big part of the industry." — Channing Reid [33:21]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On ATC Close Calls:

  • "Controllers urgently directed both aircraft to climb and change their course." — Channing Reid [02:10]
  • "Learns make aviation that little bit safer." — Tom Boon [06:11]

• On Sky Nook’s Innovation:

  • "Let’s turn this awkward gap into profit… if somebody’s actually trying to do that and make a brand new product, I think it’s really cool." — Tom Boon [08:00]

• On Lounge Design & Philosophy:

  • "SkyTeam’s approach is trying to convey the spirit of the international touch of what the alliance represents… always with a local touch." — Patrick Roux, via Tom Boon [25:55]

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:45] — FAA investigates two close calls in 48 hours
• [06:24] — AIX 2026: Passenger experience innovations and trends
• [15:45] — American Airlines’ JFK Terminal 8 transformation details
• [21:27] — Exclusive look at SkyTeam’s new Frankfurt lounge
• [28:10] — Delta TechOps & LATAM: Joint A320 component repair agreement

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Tone & Style

The episode maintains the hosts’ personable, energetic, and geeky enthusiasm for all things aviation. Frequent first-hand anecdotes from Tom’s industry experience add an insider’s depth, while Channing’s accessible explanations and reflections bring clarity for all listener levels.

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Summary

This episode gives listeners a whirlwind tour of critical safety issues, passenger innovation, and network infrastructure shaping the future of aviation. Whether you’re a frequent flier hungry for seat upgrades, a lounge connoisseur, or an industry observer keen on safety and logistics, Tom and Channing provide a tightly packed, insightful, and entertaining news round-up.

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For more news and deep-dives, visit simpleflying.com.

Transcript

[A]

Hi, my name is Tom Boone.

[B]

And I'm Channing Reed.

[A]

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.

[B]

Coming up today, I'll look at two near misses under investigation from the FAA while Tom looks at some of the coolest things he saw at AIX last week.

[A]

Chun talk about what American is doing at JFK while I look at a brand new lounge not operated by an airline.

[B]

Very interesting. And finally, I'll explore how Delta and Latam are cooperating on a component repair agreement.

[A]

So now you know what's in store. Let's get on with the show and chatting. Two near misses in a week. That sounds a bit dramatic.

[B]

Yeah, dramatic indeed for commercial flights narrowly avoiding collisions within a 48 hour span here in the U.S. the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a near miss between two Embraer E175 regional jets at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. The close call happened earlier this week on Monday afternoon when an American Eagle E175 missed its attended approach path and aborted its landing. The agency said that move caused it to fly dangerously close to an air Canada Express E175 that had been cleared to land on a parallel Runway. Both aircraft reportedly responded to onboard collision warnings and narrowly missed each other. Now, a short time later, the planes were able to safely repeat their landing attempts at the airport. At the time of the near miss, the American Eagle flight was performing a go around, which is of course a standard procedure after a plane aborts its landing. The FAA saying that the information around the incident so far is preliminary, but data From Flight Radar 24 shows American Eagle Flight 4464, operated by Republic Airways, taking a hard left after coming close to hitting Air Canada Express Flight 8554, which was oper operated by Jazz Aviation. The American Eagle flight had come from Indianapolis while the Air Canada Express flight was arriving from Toronto. The jets were around 2/3 of a mile apart horizontally at one point with a vertical separation of only 250ft, according to data. Air traffic control recordings captured the tense moments as controllers urgently directed both aircraft to climb and change their course. The Air Canada flight, call sign JAS8554, which had been cleared to land when the American Airlines jet strayed off its assigned path. The controller can be heard saying Jaz 8554 climb and maintained 3000. That was followed by the pilot's response climb and maintain 3000 Jazz 8554 Moments later, the pilot reported TCAS RA that refers to an onboard collision avoidance alert. The second a second controller contacted the American Airlines flight call sign Brickyard 4464. The pilot acknowledged saying were correcting Brickyard 4464. The controller then replied and Brickyard 4464, Roger, I understand that you are correcting. Do you have the field in sight sir? The pilot responded, we're going around brickyard4464 in a statement on Wednesday, Republic Airways said the crew compiled with the advisory and consistent with our training and procedures and executed a go around to land without further incident. Jazz Aviation said in its statement that the flight crew took immediate action after receiving the onboard warning as well as direction from air traffic controllers. Now, as we mentioned at the top of the podcast, this is the second time in recent days that two jets came close to colliding. The FAA is also investigating a close call between arriving and departing Southwest Airlines flights over Nashville International Airport. On Saturday evening, preliminary reports and data revealed that an air traffic controller mistakenly directed an incoming plane into the path of a departing aircraft. The planes came within about 500ft of each other as pilots responded to onboard collision alerts. One flight aborted its initial landing and then landed safely on another attempt while the departing plane continued safely to its destination. The Department of Transportation on Monday outlining progress on its air traffic control modernization efforts, including replacing decades old radio systems. In a statement, a spokesperson for the department said the tools that are being developed will be incredibly helpful to air traffic controllers. And again, this is why we think the airspace will not just be more efficient, but it will be a lot safer. So this story definitely making headlines here and it is a little startling, a little dramatic when you talk about just how the different stories that we've reported so far this year in the aviation industry with close calls and deadly incidents, a lot of that is linked back to air traffic control staffing. I've been reading a lot of of our comments from our readers and on other forums online saying that the staffing issue with air traffic control really needs to be addressed and that's one way that you can also make the skies safer. The Department of Transportation can do all that it can to replace old infrastructure, but you're also going to need the human power and the staffing to be on top of things and to make things a little bit more safe in the industry. So we'll follow this and we'll continue to see if the FAA has any more information about this and if there will be other things implemented to make things safe and to ultimately avoid a collision like this over a major international airport and of course, in one of the busiest airspaces in the country.

[A]

Yeah, definitely. I mean, it's not been a great month for ATC in New York, sadly, but every little bit of Lear makes aviation that little bit safer.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

I wanted to really switch gears and talk about passenger experience because I spent. As you may have. As you may have heard, if you're a regular listener to the podcast. I wasn't on the podcast last week because I was very busy running around Hamburg like a headless chicken. And I did, I think about 40,000 steps in the space of three days or something crazy like this, which was fun, but also a bit like, wow. And I was at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, so I wanted to talk a little bit about that because, you know, it's always a fun time and we've had a lot of stories already on simple flying. We got some more stories to come, but what really stood out to me there? Well, that's a good question. There were some really interesting concepts on, on the show floor this year, I would say. One of the ones that I think was most fascinating was something that Collins has been building. It's called the Sky Nook, and it's coming to a carrier near you soon with a 787 fleet. But you. They won't say which one yet, so watch this space. But what is the Skynet? Well, essentially, you know how when you get to the back of the aircraft, you have these, these areas where there's not enough space, space for free seats. So you've got two pairs and then there's this awkward gap.

[B]

Yeah, absolutely.

[A]

So the idea is like, let's turn this gap into profit. So it's kind of like a two part solution. The first part is in this gap, you get a sort of table, convertible table thing I want to call it, that pops out from the side of the seat and you could put say a baby's car carrier on there. Or if you're traveling, an assistance dog. The assistance dog could go underneath in like a little nook, or you can also fold it away if, if you don't want that. So I thought that was a really cool concept because it makes sense and I haven't seen anything like it before. But then it's also partnered with essentially a door for this row of seats, you know, because one of the Number one complaints they said they get is that people who are sat in the back row are disturbed by catering trolleys coming through, people standing for the toilets, etc. So this kind of just separates them a little bit and, you know, you can close the door for a little bit more privacy. It's not like a suite because it only goes down the side and the back corner, but, you know, it's it. You know, I would argue it turns one of the worst rows in Economy into one of the best roads in Economy. So definitely look at our coverage on simpleflying.com to see what that looks like because I'm not doing it justice in my explanation.

[B]

I'm just interested to see which airline this is.

[A]

Yeah, me too. I mean, I, we tried, we tried everything to get the, the name out, but unfortunately we had no luck yet. But, you know, sooner or later we will find out. Another cool thing that Collins had to show was the new Air Canada business class cabin for the A321XLR. And this is a plane that I am following like a hawk because, as you know, last year I visited Aix with Air Canada and one of the days we visited the A321XLR being built and you know, it's really cool just to see this become a full circle moment. You know, last year it was half a plane and we were sticking our head in and, you know, it looked nothing like an aircraft. Now it's flying and we've now seen the cabin that it's going to get on board. So John Moody, who was explaining overhead seat bins to me last year, was instead this year showing me the new business class seat. I think it's called Aurora and it's essentially, you know, everyone has their back to the window facing into the aisle, but it's, it's designed as a sort of, you know, it can either be a private retreat or it can be a sort of social space with different places to lean and sit and gaps in the wall that are makeable. And they've also done something really clever which is just adding like a little bubble to the end of the seat so it doesn't really impact the aisle space at all, but it just gives that little extra one or two centimeters if you're lying flat that on the beds. Of course, you know, that's just Collins. A couple of other interesting things that I saw. Our friend Alejandro, who does a lot of our passenger experience writing, was there with his Chaise Long product, which is the double decker seating that you've probably seen Quite a lot of. And it was really cool to see this this year because previous concepts have, you know, or models that they've taken. You can see it's very much a work in progress. Whereas this year's model that they had was very much, you know, like much more finished premium. You could actually see this seating people model and you know, I think it's always fascinating just to see there's so it's so difficult to differentiate the economy class seat these days. So you know, if somebody's actually trying to do that and make a brand new product, I think it's really cool to see the development and progress that's going on with that. And I would say a couple of final sort of call outs to cool stuff that I saw at the, at the show were seats coming from the sort of. I want to, I'm going to call them the up and coming manufacturers because obviously you've got the big heavyweights like Riccaro Collins, etc. Who account for probably 90% of the seat market. But then you've got this 10% of up and coming people and you know, it's, it's, it's fascinating because I think I've been going to the show since 2019 now, so seven years or so and you've, I've really seen these companies develop. So for example, we had saw Unum who are developing a new business class seat. They call it business class without the weight. And part of that is because they are, you know, they don't have big backlogs of orders so they, you can get in there easier. And one of the things that Chris, who's the CEO of Unum highlighted to me was that they want to be able to very basic basically like they never want to have a no bid situation. You know, if you only want one aircraft, you can just get one aircraft with them. Whereas some manufacturers might want you to have, I don't know, like 50 minimum, for example. There was also explicit, I met their CEO Amaury, who I've seen a couple of times. I remember my first air show, they were really like kicking things off. Not air show, but Expo. They were really kicking things off. Now they've got several customers from Air France to Air Canada and also Jazeera Airways. And they're saving over a ton of weight on Jazeera Airways, A320s for example, because these are lightweight seats that are made from carbon fiber and titanium. And you know, you're thinking these are more expensive materials. Yes. But then when you look at the weight saving and what else it allows you to do. There is a business case for these airlines. And then finally, because I'm going on a bit now, it was cool to see Miras because they are working on the new EasyJet seat and they had that in the back and I was, I got to sit on it and you know, it was exciting. It felt very comfy. But obviously the proof will be in the pudding once thousands more bottoms have sat on it. But I really love the colors because it's. The orange is very, you know, if they made the whole seat orange, it would get dirty very quickly. But they've really, you know, like the stitching is orange in certain places and it just adds that little EasyJet highlight without being sort of in your face like other low cost airlines operating in Europe might be. So, yeah, those are some of the things that I thought were really cool at the Expo this year, but there's so much going on there, it's impossible to capture everything in a single. However long we talk on the podcast.

[B]

Yeah, I feel like I would just be like a kid in a candy store wanting to go and try and look at all of the different things that were on display there. But I love to see the innovation with, with economy seating in particular. So because Air New Zealand, did they introduce the Sky Nests, Right. Was that at the Expo or was that before?

[A]

Yeah, so actually that wasn't at the Expo, that was somewhere else. So they.

[B]

Oh, interesting.

[A]

Yeah, this I found fascinating because there's this massive cabin. Cabin expo going on and you're gonna launch your new cabin product not as a cabin expo, you know. Yeah, yeah, so yeah, that was a bit of an odd one, but yeah, yeah, very interesting.

[B]

I'm looking forward to see all of these innovations come to life and to your point, see how they fare when passengers are actually experiencing that. So more to come with that. But we're going to go back to New York actually, and if you're flying out of American Airlines, or on American Airlines, rather out of New York, JFK Airport, expect some new changes. The carrier celebrated the grand open of the newly transformed passenger experience at its Terminal 8 on Tuesday, marking a major milestone in the airline's ongoing investment in modern world class travel experiences. The enhanced Terminal 8 delivers a best in class international gateway designed to make travel more comfortable and welcoming from curb to gate. The opening reflects the airline's continued focus on elevating the passenger journey at every step. Now it introduces more than 60 new dining, retail, duty free and experiential concepts, delivering a significantly enhanced Travel experience for travelers flying through the airport. With roughly 20 local brands included, the curated program brings the culture, flavor and creativity of New York City and the Queens neighborhood into the terminal, offering travelers a strong sense of place from the moment that they arrive. In a statement, American's Vice President of Corporate Real Estate Amanda Zhang said, everything we DO at Terminal 8 is designed around one goal, delivering a better experience for our customers. This opening represents a major step forward in how we serve customers traveling through jfk, bringing together modern design, improved amenities, and thoughtful details that make travel feel safer and more enjoyable. And I do remember I was just at the airport back in December and went through Terminal 8 and I saw a lot of this under construction and I was wondering when all this would be open. So it is nice to see that it's open and they're welcoming passengers to this new experience. I do know that JFK in general is going through a very big modernization process and I think Terminal 8 is set to see more improvements, if I'm not wrong. But I also know that. But other terminals, I think Terminal 1, we published a story on this. And Terminal 2, they're in Terminal 6. I think pretty much all the terminals at the airport, they're getting a pretty big remodel there, which is good. The airport is old and that infrastructure can definitely use the updating. But back to Terminal 8. The heart of the transformation is at the Burroughs Food Hall, a dynamic culinary destination showcasing a mix of New York York institutions and emerging local favorites, alongside a reimagined duty free and retail environment featuring both luxury and lifestyle brands. I'm looking at some of these pictures that American posted and it kind of looks like it almost gives you the feel that you're not necessarily at an airport. And I think that's what they were going for. I remember when I went to London last year, last summer, and that was my second time at Heathrow Airport. But I was so taken back over how once you get past security and it just doesn't feel like you're in an airport, you just feel like you're in a mall. And I think that's kind of the goal. At least that's what it looks like that American was going for at Terminal 8. But there are also unique touches like the Hidden Blinded Tiger Speakeasy. It's supposed to raise the bar for the Terminal 8 experience end to end. Terminal 8 will also include a premium check in, expanded lounge offerings and baggage infrastructure, and upgraded gate areas with improved seating. So those of our listeners who are experts of JFK Airport you'll have to let us know. Is this the second speakeasy? Because I have been to one other one at jfk. It's actually hidden in the AMX Centurion Lounge. It was very, very, very cool to go in there. So I wonder if this will be the. Anybody listening and you know that information, feel free to let us know. But Terminal 8 serves as American's primary international gateway at JFK and plays a critical role in connecting New York to destinations across the US and around the world. American carries more than 14 million passengers through New York City annually on more than 240 daily flights to over 95 destinations. The expansion has enabled American or many of American's partner airlines to co locate in Terminal 8 with existing Terminal and One World Partners. The grand opening underscores American's long term commitment to New York and to delivering a premium travel experience that reflects the scale and global reach of the airline. So pretty exciting news there. And Terminal 8 is one of those. You've got your main terminal, but then there's also a satellite terminal as well and you have to to go underground to get there. So it is a pretty big facility.

[A]

I mean, at least underground is better than that weird little bus lax.

[B]

Yes, agreed. Agreed for that. But also in the bus you kind of get some cool views of the airfield. But I guess it might be a little bit better to travel underneath a taxiway knowing that you've got a very heavy aircraft taxiing right above you. That's a cool fact.

[A]

Well, I wanted to move from American airlines lounges to SkyTeam lounges. And specifically I wanted to talk about something cool that I got to do this week because it's one of those stories that sits right at the intersection of aviation, business and the actual passenger experience. And it gave me a chance to sit down with someone I've wanted to interview for quite a while. So on April 20th, Monday this week as we're recording this, SkyTeam officially opened a new lounge at Frankfurt Airport's Terminal 3. And this isn't just any lounge. It's actually the only SkyTeam branded lounge in the whole of Europe. As I said, I was there for the opening ceremony and I got a chance to speak with SkyTeam CEO Patrick Roux about the thinking behind it. So first little bit of context, there's three major global alliances. You've got SkyTeam, Star alliance and OneWorld. And they all have networks of several hundred passenger lounges that passengers can access with the right ticket, class or status. But you know, the Number of lounges actually operated by Alliances themselves is much smaller and you could count for each alliance the number on two hands. One World has two and I think SkyTeam and Star alliance each have six now, so it's not many. But these are spaces where the alliance, rather than a member airline, is running the show. And SkyTeam's new Frankfurt facility is thus joining a very short list. So why Frankfurt? Why now? The answer is Terminal 3. The new terminal gave SkyTeam a blank canvas, a chance to build something purpose designed rather than being shoehorned into an existing space. But Ru told me there was another key factor and that was the mix of airlines. There are seven SkyTeam carriers operating non Schengen flights from Frankfurt. That includes China Airlines, China Eastern, Korean Air, Saudia, Middle East Airlines, Delta and Vietnam Airlines. Now this group is collectively strong, but none of them individually really has the volume to justify their own standalone lounge. As Rue put it to me directly, among the seven members flying non Schengen, there was none that were strong enough to have their own lounge. So that's why it was a good opportunity to have SkyTeam. It's a neat little illustration of what the alliance infrastructure is actually for. Now the lounge itself, as I mentioned, is in the non Schengen area of Terminal 3. So only long haul non EU passengers will have access this. It's 550 square meters, seats 126 guests and is divided into distinct zones including a relaxation room and a VIP area. There's a live cooking station, a staffed bar and showers. Now the roll up to the seven airlines is being phased. China Airlines, China Eastern, Korean Air and Saudi Air passengers will get access from the 23rd of April, which is tomorrow as we record this. Middle East Airlines is joining on May 5th and Delta and Vietnam Airlines are joining on May 19th. Now when I walked around the space, there was one detail that stood out to me most. And any guesses what that might be?

[B]

Channing, maybe. Well, the first thing that I thought of was a loo with a view. But going back to your lounge concept, but no, I don't think that's, I don't know, maybe a 380 picture.

[A]

Well, they do have a desk with a view, so I'll give you half that. But the view is really what I was going with there because they've got floor to ceiling windows along the far wal hall and these windows during the day they flood the room with natural light. But the thing that I didn't expect and you know I've Been in lots of lounges at Frankfurt Airport. Now, I would confidently argue that this loud, this single lounge gives the best airside views at Frankfurt Airport. One of the things is you've got the Taunus Mountains visible in the background, so it gives kind of a new depth to the airport view that I've never noticed before. Looking the other way and for a lounge, I think that's a pretty impressive setting.

[B]

But I guess you can't see a real life a380 though, right? Because then. Are there a380s that go to Frankfurt?

[A]

There are a380s that go to Frankfurt. I'm not sure if you would see a SkyTeam A380 there. I know Korean does have a 380s, it's whether they send them, but definitely emirates has a 380s and they will be operating from the new terminal. And also Singapore Airlines over the other side of the airport definitely brings a 380s in. So, you know, you might see an a 380, you might not. Now, Ru was also keen to talk about the philosophy behind the design and he described SkyTeam's approach as trying to convey the spirit of the international touch of what the alliance represents. So this is a balance of calm, efficiency, food and drink, but always with, as he put it, a local touch. So every SkyTeam lounge, he said, aims to source locally, bring in local culinary influence, so that international passengers get something that feels rooted in the destination. The natural follow up question was, is this the start of something and could there be more SkyTeam lounges coming in Europe? On that, Roo was candid, but careful. He mentioned that SkyTeam has operated a lounge at Heathrow in the past and that was actually the Alliance's first lounge. But in the end, carriers moving terminals brought an end to that, that. He did say that the aspiration is to eventually co locate all sky team members at Heathrow, again, particularly with the new Runway development. But a new lounge could potentially follow there? He didn't say that, but I guess it could. Now, beyond Europe, he pointed to Australia as a market that could get a second SkyTeam facility and also highlighted Asia and South America as target regions. But the message was clear. The stars need to align, as they did in Frankfurt. I think it was a good opening and it's a genuinely impressive space, so definitely worth a visit. If you're passing through Terminal 3, I'll

[B]

have to check it out for sure. I don't think I've ever been to a lounge operated by an airline alliance actually I think I've been to the Star alliance lounge at lax, but that was years ago. That was when US Airways was around. So. So yeah, I'm very intrigued to see how these Airline alliance lounges differ from the airline lounges themselves. And we'll definitely have to check out that view. Now we just have to get a loo there too. Lou with a view.

[A]

Yeah, the loos don't have any view, they've just got walls, sadly.

[B]

But hey, in the future when we open up our own lounge, everyone will flock to it. Well, I wanted to talk about before we end our podcast today, I wanted to talk about Delta Tech Ops. I had mentioned them a few weeks ago on the podcast and they are continuing to grow with their partnerships which will ultimately help its customers and other airlines around the world, in this case Delta Tech Ops and Latam Airlines Brazil introducing a first of its kind, Airbus A320 Component Repair Collaboration designed to support Delta's fleet and the growing needs of third party airline customers, the agreement expands Delta Tech Ops global maintenance network and delivers a more integrated A320 component repair portfolio, reinforcing a shared commitment to world class maintenance, repair and overhaul capabilities. Now under this new agreement, Delta Tech Ops serves as the sole commercial interface for an initial portfolio of a 320 component repair services that is expected to expand over time. Supported at latam's arm MRO facility in Sao Carlos, Brazil, customers will have a single point of access supported by Delta's engineering standards and quality oversight while expanding overall repair capacity through LATAM's MRO capabilities, one of the largest and most experienced maintenance operations in Latin America. Now the collaboration builds on Delta Tech Ops long standing technical relationship with Latam and reform reflects a shared vision to support airline customers as a global Airbus A320 demand continues to grow. Delta's relationship with LATAM is built on a strong foundation of technical collaboration. Delta Tech Ops, which is North America's largest MRO provider, has long supported Latam Group with engine and component repair services. This agreement further deepens that relationship beyond the joint venture. It reflects how the partnership extends well beyond just moving passengers and cargo seamlessly and effectively. It rather highlights a shared commitment to finding new ways to work together and deliver even more value for customers, elaine Bellamire, the President International Delta Air Lines and Chairman of Delta Tech Ops, said in a statement. Expanding our commercial relationship with Latam Brazil allows us to leverage our complementary strengths and broaden the maintenance solutions available for global customers. With fleet growth accelerating across our industry, TechOps is committed to meeting Customer demand for high quality component repair. Customer demand responsibly, including leveraging partnerships that uphold our rigorous standards while delivering long term value for Delta and our customers. Now with more than 12,000 aircraft in service, the Airbus A320 family, of course is one of the most widely operated narrow body aircraft in the world. Delta's A320 family includes the A319s, A320 and A321s and they play a central role in the airline's domestic and short haul international network. Latam, on the other hand, operates one of Latin America's largest Airbus A320 fleets, giving its maintenance teams advanced and specialized expertise that strengthens the partnership's ability to support growing demand. We did get a statement from Jerome Kadier, CEO of Latam Airlines Brazil. It says this agreement with Delta Mart an important step in strengthening Latam Airlines Brazil's maintenance capabilities and expanding the role of our Sao Carlos facility, the Latam rmo, as a leading MRO center in Latin America. It reinforces our ambition to establish the region as a strategic hub for aviation maintenance, engineering expertise and innovation. And then the industry leading component performance on the A320 fleet is essential to Delta's everyday operation and to the airline customers who rely on techops for component support. Expanding global repair capability through partners such as Latam directly supports the reliable, seamless travel experience customers expect and the operational excellence Tecops delivers. So this is exciting news and again, given that Delta is is one of the largest A320 family operators here in the US you can imagine how much support it can provide for LATAM and other airlines specifically. But overall, I just think it's very interesting that these airlines essentially help each other and Latam and Delta are partners. But I mentioned before how I believe TechOps was supporting other airlines such as Hawaiian Airlines. And when you look at it in the grand scheme, it's like, oh, that's interesting competitors, but they're still going to help each other. So I guess in a sense you could say that we're all in this together, but competition still is a big part of the industry. And I know last week talking about Spirit Airlines and I think later this week on Simplifying, we're going to explore how much of that, if A Spirit, Spirit Airlines were to to shut down, how much that would affect competition specifically. But very interesting nonetheless and good to see that this partnership will move things forward in terms of maintenance and repair and overhaul services.

[A]

Yeah, definitely. I mean, I know Lufthansa Technik does a lot of A380 work in the Philippines for British Airways, Emirates and others. So, I mean, at the end of the day, if someone's paying you, why not?

[B]

That's very true. That's a very good point there.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Well, that's all that we have for today's podcast, and we hope you enjoyed it. And we welcome any feedback that you might [e-mail] for more great content, you

[A]

can visit our [e-mail] or find us on social media. Simply search for Simple Flying.

[B]

And if you enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a rating on your favorite podcast player. Thanks for listening.

[A]

Bye.