The Seat 1A Podcast
by Geoff Dahl and Vinod Viswalingam
With more than five million miles flown on 6 continents - Seat 1A is a journey into how to use this experience to your flying advantage. Join Geoff Dahl and Vinod Viswalingam as they share travel experiences, tales, tips and interviews.
Episodes
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Experience 083. Three-quarters of an RTW done. Checking in from Germany. The Seat 1A Podcast.
Geoff checks in from Germany, while in the middle of another Round-the-World trip Firstly, thanks to millionpodcasts.com who have recognized Seat 1A as one of their 25 Best Travel Hacking Podcasts. Geoff checked in from central Germany, a day after arriving in Frankfurt from Bangkok via Muscat,...
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Experience 082. Island Hopper & Round-the-World. Wrapping up 2024 Experiences.
The podcast is back, and Geoff is flying solo for the first time in 6 years. Thanks Vinod for everything you brought to the podcast. Geoff takes a look back at his 2024 round-the-world trip and other Canadian aviation experiences. Geoff checked the Island Hopper off his bucket list, travelling…
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Experience 081. Summer Travel Plans With a Chance of Turbulence.
In this experience we review some recent travel along with a overview of our summer travel plans. Severe turbulence has been in the news recently in various locations around the world. Turbulence is always there and always has been there and always will be there. Remember the words that Vinod…
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Experience 080. A Special Interview with a Six-Million-Mile Flyer
In this experience we are happy to bring you a special interview with senior leadership advisor Marco Villa. Over three decades Marco has flown more than 2800 flights and 6125000 miles. Geoff and Marco flew together in 2022 on internal flights in Mozambique complete with a crazy trip to Nampula...
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Experience 079. Furry Fliers. Flying with Pets and Animals.
We're happy to be back after a few months of hiatus. In this experience we examine pets and other furry fliers, and Vinod shares a couple of trip reports. We have talked about animals as cargo in previous experiences. Airlines should know that there is an animal in the plane. Vinod remembers a…
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Experience 078. Swiftly Getting Through Airports. Why is This Airport so Busy Today?
In this experience we look into the reasons why airports may get much busier than normal. We start out the podcast with a trip review of Vinod who recently flew to London-Heathrow. It was his virgin flight on an Airbus 350. There was no free seat selection with the ticket that he purchased. When...
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Experience 077. Can anyone help me? Issues with customer service.
In this experience we look into the world of customer service and examples when the experience goes sideways. We review the situation of the passengers who were flying from Paris to Singapore with a farting and drooling dog in premium economy. Singapore airlines finally got the issue resolved and...
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Experience 076. That's the Ticket. Another Look at Bookings.
In this experience we take a trip into the show's archives and review tickets and booking. We start out with a review from Vinod about his flight in the summer with Porter from Toronto to Vancouver. As people are looking for good fare prices, this is a good lead-in to a discussion about…
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Experience 075. Celebrating 75 Episodes in Person. 2023 Summer Travel – The Analysis.
In this experience Vinod and Geoff are both in Toronto, recording in person and celebrate the milestone of 75 episodes. We proceed to do an analysis of travels in July 2023. Geoff had a trans-Atlantic adventure, with flights to Germany, Austria, and Turkey. Geoff's trip was from Toronto to...
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Experience 074. Summer Skies. 2023 Plans for Vinod and Geoff.
In this experience we take a look at our summer 2023 travel plans, and also look at trips we took in June. It's a very different summer than that of 2022. We're getting closer to how things were pre-pandemic with higher amounts of staffing, however now we have to really search again for cheap...
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Experience 073. Flew to a Room. A Deeper Look at Airport Hotels.
In this experience we take a deeper look at the world of airport hotels. Sometimes hotels can be the best thing but can also be the most horrible desolate places on the planet. We've discussed many different types of hotels in previous experiences, from the incredible to the incredibly terrible....
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Experience 072. Complicated Connections. Multiple Stops for Cheaper Fares.
In this experience we discuss the fact that this summer many people will be flying but the prices for direct connections are often fairly expensive. Often multiple connections are a way people find to save costs. These multi-stops remind Vinod when planes had to stop due to the lack of range. But...
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Experience 071. Silver Wings. Flying with Seniors.
In this experience we look at the realities of flying with seniors. Vinod and Geoff realize that soon enough they will be in this demographic. As populations age, airlines will have older populations on flights and the challenges that go with it. Since some of today's seniors lived through the...
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Experience 070. Snow, cold and delays. 2022 holiday travel stress.
In this experience we look back at our travel experiences over the December 2022 holiday season. We got where we were meant to go, and fortunately did not incur any of the long delays that many other travellers encountered. December 2022 saw serious weather systems in North America. That was...
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Experience 069. That Club. Miles High in the Sky.
In this experience we discuss that infamous club a mile high. We look back to the golden age of travel with beautiful flight attendants and pilots and exotic locations. Now add that to four- and five-star hotels, and crews from around the world it can lead to romance and attraction. Don't screw…
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Experience 068. Listener Interview. A Saga of Lost Luggage in Lisbon.
In this experience we are happy to share an interview with a fan of the show, Stephanie, about her experience with a flight from Vancouver to Montreal to Lisbon. This took place during the summer 2022 travel chaos. Stephanie was travelling to Lisbon, mixing business and pleasure. When her and her...
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Experience 067. Gift Ideas. World of inflight essentials.
Vinod and Geoff have taken some long flights in 2022 and have taken various items onboard. Our take-on items have evolved over the years. As we recorded this experience the 2022 holiday season is approaching, and we wanted to share our inflight recommendations for yourself - or perhaps as a gift...
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Experience 066. Connecting at the curbside. Airport options with your flight.
As we continue on from Experience 065, the wayfinding and signage often leads us to the curbside. Vinod and Geoff think back to their childhoods and how much the curbside has changed. Even with all the changes, people can still get all twisted around at the curb in their own backyard. Geoff…
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Experience 065. I Saw the Sign. Wayfinding at Airports.
As seen in the Northern Hemisphere summer of 2022, many travellers have returned to travelling. However, quite often passengers check in their brains and don't bring their brain into the airport. This is why wayfinding and signage is so important. Sometimes there is common signage across a…
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Experience 064. Reviewing 2022 Summer Travel. A Look at Vinod and Geoff's Adventures.
Vinod and Geoff have returned from their summer adventures, and their meetup in London Heathrow for Experience 063. After all of the concern we had for meeting up at Heathrow, it ended up being very anticlimactic. Vinod shares some interesting insights into how providing certain destination...
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Experience 063. A quick one. Live from Heathrow
Vinod and Geoff met up and recorded this special experience live from London Heathrow Terminal 2. Heathrow on a Friday afternoon was much calmer than Vinod and Geoff had expected. Vinod has never been through immigration at Heathrow faster, and Geoff was quickly through the e-gates. Vinod's bags...
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Experience 062. Into the Chaos. Summer 2022 Travel Plans.
Vinod and Geoff are jumping into the travel chaos this summer – and are getting ready for the backlogs and delays that could ensue. Outside of the airport and airline backlogs, there are backlogs with passport offices around the world. Vinod had to get a new first passport for his child in...
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Experience 061. A Very Special Interview. Selling Airbus in China.
In this experience we are happy to bring you an interview with a wonderful guest Dee Leon. Dee met Vinod while working at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. When he told Vinod that he had sold Airbus in China, Vinod knew an interview was a Seat 1A priority. Dee worked for Airbus in the 1990s as…
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Experience 060. We Appreciate Your Patience. Wait Times and Customer Support.
As the Northern Hemisphere arrives at summer 2022, many travellers are getting things figured out. Travel is back – but it's a madhouse. People have had long delays and wait times to rebook their plans. From 2020 to 2022 it has been a toss up of who or what is providing support to customers. Take...
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Experience 059. Flight Into the Closed Loop. Round-The-World via Beijing.
In this experience Vinod shares his experience of flying to and from Beijing in the first quarter of 2022. Due to Chinese regulations he was required to be in a closed loop separate from the general public. That included flights. In pre-pandemic times there are many flights between Vancouver,...
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Experience 058. Arm doors and cross check. Inflight safety checks.
In this experience we look into what happens during inflight checks. We hear those announcements "the crew are doing their checks." What does this mean? And what about "arm doors and cross check"? Before passengers are even allowed to board the flight a crew has to do preflight checks - the...
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Experience 057. Staff Accessing the Airport. Security at Checkpoints.
In this experience we look at airline and airport staff security. What do they go through to keep you safe? When you walk around an airport, you see all sorts of different coloured passes. What do they mean? Generally, getting an airport security pass is not a small thing. There are high levels…
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Experience 056. In-flight entertainment. Sit Back and Pass the Time.
In this experience we look at in-flight entertainment (IFE). What is its history, how has it evolved, and we share our experiences. People board a flight with the intent of being entertained while in flight. Vinod remembers back to his youth and seeing the projector as he boarded the plane – he...
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Experience 055. Do you fancy anything from Duty Free?
In this experience we look at the world of Duty Free. What exactly is duty free, and what is it not? As we picture a classic duty free shop, there's a reason why so many of them look so similar – there are a small number of operators handling most of the duty free business. Vinod remembers his...
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Experience 054. Lighting Up. History of Smoking on Flights.
In this experience we look at the history of smoking on flights. Geoff and Vinod remember smoking on flights, the ashtrays in the seats, and the turning off of the no smoking sign. A question that Vinod was (and still is) asked is, "Are the smoke detectors in the lavatory real?" Absolutely. The...
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Experience 053. Official Protocols. Government and Royalty on Flights.
In this experience we look at the world of official protocols and flights. With elections and world leader gatherings, there are official protocols for flights. Different governments have their own aircraft. The most famous of the aircraft is Air Force One. Other governments have official…
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Experience 052. Citius, Altius, Fortius. Flying with Teams.
In this experience we look at the world of teams and flights. As we learned in Experience 051, Vinod flew back to Vancouver with the Canadian Olympic Team. What a great atmosphere it was for him to enjoy. This is not the first time that he has flown with Olympic athletes or teams for that matter....
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Experience 051. Return from Tokyo. Destination Vancouver.
In this experience, Vinod shares his story of his flight back from Tokyo to Vancouver after the Summer Olympics. As mentioned in previous experiences, Vinod acquires a lot of stuff when returning from the Olympics. He had a lot more luggage than when he left for Tokyo. He arrived at Narita…
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Experience 050. Konnichiwa. A Golden Milestone in Tokyo.
Seat 1A reaches a milestone of fifty experiences. In this experience, Vinod joins us from Tokyo! That's why he had been waiting in the lounge at Vancouver. One of Vinod's side gigs is working for the Olympic Games. He received a special exception to travel to Tokyo. Getting on a flight to fly...
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Experience 049. In the Lounge at YVR. Overseas Flight in Seat 1A.
In this experience we are happy to come to you from the Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge at Vancouver International Airport. Vinod is returning to the air for the first time since February 2020 – making a splash with his first overseas flight since the summer of 2019. Vinod shares his experience of...
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Experience 048. Glossary of Aviation Terminology. Kilo to Zulu. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we continue study time with Vinod and Geoff. So sharpen your pencils as we continue with the second of two experiences with aviation terminology. In this experience we're covering Kilo to Zulu. When you fly or read about aviation, often you hear or see terminology used by…
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Experience 047. Glossary of Aviation Terminology. Alfa to Juliett. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience it's study time with Vinod and Geoff. So sharpen your pencils as we start with the first of two experiences with aviation terminology. In this experience we're covering Alfa to Juliett. When you fly or read about aviation, often you hear or see terminology used by pilots…
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Experience 046. Eating Around. Airport Food Strategies.
In this experience we take a look at the need to eat when you're at the airport. Food and flying has changed so much in 40 years – it used to be that you would get a full meal on the plane included with your ticket. These days...not so much. When most people think of airport food they get a sour...
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Experience 045. Hot and High Takeoff in San Jose. Our Review and Analysis. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we are happy to share an interview with one of our avid listeners, Danny, about his flight from San Jose, Costa Rica to Charlotte, North Carolina to Cleveland, Ohio. Danny's flight rolled out to the runway and the engines spooled up. Then the wind died, and they cut the power....
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Experience 044. Sleeping Around. Maximizing Your Rest at Airports. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we look at those situations with travellers who end up sleeping in an airport or a train station. Sometimes we end up with awkward flight combination pairings – controlled or uncontrolled – you have a long break between flights. Do you take the time to stay at a hotel? Maybe…
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Experience 043. The Kids (and Parents) are Alright. Flying with Children. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we look at flying with children and the unique situations that this causes for parents and crew. Over the last 4 decades, that world of air travel has changed for children. No longer can a child look forward to the excitement of going up to the flight deck and seeing all the...
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Experience 042. Is There a Doctor on Board? Medical Emergencies in Flight. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we look at what happens when there is a medical emergency in flight. The incident that will often cause the classic announcement over the public address system: "Ladies and gentlemen, if there are any qualified medical personnel on board please indicate by hitting your flight...
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Experience 041. What are you Shipping? The Complex World of Air Cargo. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we look at the complex world of air cargo. Though there are not a lot of passenger flights happening so far in 2021, the need for air cargo continues. Large planes are still landing at airports around the world as airlines need the high revenues from cargo. If airlines still…
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Replay Experience 038. Layover with a Special Guest. An Interview with Paul Papadimitriou. The Seat 1A Podcast.
Vinod and Geoff hope to have a new experience recorded and posted soon. Until then, we present a replay of our very popular experience with guest host Paul Papadimitriou - from the Layovers podcast. In the experience, Paul mentions a previous Seat 1A recording - that would have been experience…
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Experience 040. At the movies. Hollywood and aviation films. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience (congratulations to us on reaching 40!) we know that during the holiday season, people will be watching movies. We decided to take a look at a number of aviation movies. How can we make a connection to aviation films and our fortieth experience? The classic comedy Airplane!...
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Experience 039. Crew Life Between Flights. Crew Layovers. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we explore what happens to crews between their flights when on a layover. There is the glamour of a layover that we see in movies. The reality is usually quite different. It's a good tip to know and appreciate what happens with your crew in destinations. For a number of years,...
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Experience 038. Layover with a Special Guest. An Interview with Paul Papadimitriou. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we are extremely fortunate to have an incredible guest and extend warm greetings to Paul Papadimitriou. Paul is a global keynote speaker, futurist and TV/Radio/Stage host based in London, UK. Avgeek podcast listeners will also know Paul from the Layovers podcast. We review our...
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Experience 037. Sharing Love for the Crew. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we recognize incredible crew and in-flight experiences we've had. We start the news articles. Since the situation is still not too good these days, we get the bad news out of the way first. News Items: South China Morning Post article "Cathay axes record 5,300 Hong Kong jobs…
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Experience 036. Epidemic Unplugged. What's happening and what does the future hold? The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this special edition we look at the current status of aviation and travel. Our travel habits that we grew so accustomed to have either entered a state of hibernation or a world of surrealness. We look to when we last flew in 2020 and Vinod shares nostalgia of seeing 747s and L-1011s out the...
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Experience 035. Beating the queue. Lining up strategies at the airport. The Seat 1A Podcast.
In this experience we look at the different queues and lineups that one experiences when at an airport and how to make the best of them. In this era of COVID-19, people have settled into a new normal of queuing up. It goes hand-in-hand with the airline and airport experience. Please note that we...
About this show
With more than five million miles flown on 6 continents - Seat 1A is a journey into how to use this experience to your flying advantage. Join Geoff Dahl and Vinod Viswalingam as they share travel experiences, tales, tips and interviews.
Hosted by
Geoff Dahl and Vinod Viswalingam