It’s the bombshell the aviation industry never saw coming, one that has shaken the sector to its core: after five and a half years at Australian Aviation, renowned luminary and thought leader Adam Thorn is leaving Momentum Media. Over the course of his tenure, Adam has seen COVID-19 shutdowns, travel chaos, and the collapse of multiple Australian airlines – and while he’ll still be leading the print magazine, in many ways it’s the end of an era, a seismic shift rivalling even the exit of Alan Joyce from Qantas in 2023. Co-hosts Jake Nelson and Benjamin Foster join Adam to reflect on half a decade at the helm of Australian Aviation and what comes next. Plus, the Ansett brand has been resurrected – but is an “AI-powered” travel booking site really the best use for it?
--------
50:07
--------
50:07
Are power banks a flight risk?
They’ve become an indispensable part of our modern digital lives, but airlines are increasingly wary of portable lithium batteries and power banks, which can have an alarming tendency to catch fire if damaged or short-circuited. Though power banks are already required to be carried in cabin luggage to ensure easy access if something goes wrong, some carriers have gone further, banning their use and charging entirely during flights – and Virgin Australia may be next, after a bag burst into flames in an overhead locker on a flight to Hobart. As in-seat charging ports become more common, Adam and Jake plug in to the issue and ask: is banning in-flight power bank use a reasonable safety step or an overreaction? Plus, regional airports are becoming international gateways as travellers and airlines look to bypass the big city hubs, and how can we bring the “glamour” back to aviation careers?
--------
51:25
--------
51:25
Qantas hits the jackpot on Sydney slots
Sydney Airport has a new slot manager, one with no ties to the big domestic airlines … and yet, Qantas Group has still nabbed the majority of available take-off and landing slots over the end-of-year peak, with Virgin a distant second. With 52 per cent of the slots allocated to Qantas and Jetstar, the Flying Kangaroo’s dominance at Sydney continues – but might this put to bed the idea that the old slot manager was too cosy with the major airlines? Adam and Jake dig into the data and ask whether the great Sydney slot debate will ever go away. Plus, what went wrong in a disastrous Melbourne drone show two years ago that saw 427 drones plummet into the Yarra?
--------
44:56
--------
44:56
Scattered Spider catches Qantas in its web
It’s been just over a week since Qantas suffered a major data breach, with cyber criminals stealing a trove of customer data from a call centre including names, email addresses and frequent flyer numbers. The reputational shellacking is one the Flying Kangaroo certainly didn’t need, but has the backlash been fair, and what has Qantas been doing to protect customers in the wake of the attack? Adam and Jake are joined by special guest David Hollingworth from Cyber Daily to discuss the impact and aftermath of the hack, and how you can protect your data. Plus, Huey Award laureate Hinterland Aviation is up for sale – who might snap up the much-loved regional carrier?
--------
37:14
--------
37:14
Qantas XLR-ates its fleet renewal
After a long wait and a marathon ferry flight from Hamburg, Qantas’ first A321XLR, VH-OGA, has finally touched down in Australia, a significant step in the Flying Kangaroo’s “Project Winton” fleet renewal. It’s the beginning of the end for Qantas’ ageing 737-800 fleet, even as the airline looks to acquire a few more “mid-life” 737s to tide it over as it waits – and with a range of 8,700km, compared to around 5,000km on the 737-800, might the A321XLR fleet fly internationally as well as domestically? Adam and Jake discuss the latest on Qantas’ fleet changes, including plans to replace QantasLink’s Fokker 100s with Embraer E190s, and what the A321XLR might do for the national carrier beyond Australia’s shores. Plus, a “rain bomb” blows a massive hole in Sydney Airport’s schedule – is the new two-hour recovery period enough to mitigate the disruptive effects of wild weather?
The official podcast network of Australian Aviation – where we unpack all the latest insights and developments plus the big issues impacting Australia’s aviation sector.
Australia