Best PaxEx Podcasts (2026)

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154 LGA - United fairly tale, Qatar-ish premium economy, SeatGuru farewell, Hanoi underground tension, ORD forever taxiing 2:29:57

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6d ago2:29:57

2:29:57

Alex finally boards a Qatar Airways flight, and finds how to get a premium economy seat in this airline that doesn't have premium economy (not through that ethernet port though). Paul completely changes his mind about United, a true Christmas miracle (and a possible playbook for BA), what an incredible crew. Farewell to SeatGuru, nothing truly repl…

1
153 ROLLS-ROYCE - Inside Rolls-Royce: engineering excellence, how airplane turbine blades are born at the edge of science 2:20:53

1M ago2:20:53

2:20:53

We are at Rolls-Royce, exploring the engineering marvels behind aviation engines, the inner workings behind the quiet hums of those incredible machine. We dive into the importance of expertise, heat management, and innovation in ensuring engine durability and performance. Most importantly, we talk to the people, as this is as much craftsmanship as …

1
152 ZNZ - Is Premium Economy premium, when BA was Emirates, Precision Air approximation, caravaning Cessna, Emirates A350 2:26:08

2M ago2:26:08

2:26:08

Paul & Paolo are guinea pigs, they enter a bar, only that it's Paul's living room (but there's actual beer!), to talk, in length, about the state of BA, what is premium about their premium economy, and if it can compare to Emirates' one (or Virgin's for that matter). Paul calls BA the Emirates of the 80/90s (he felt inadequate flying them back then…

1
151 WDH - Skeleton Coast driving, Canada wide-body bingo, Namibia airfields, Airlink Embraer, SWISS chocolate, ZRH dance 2:59:37

3M ago2:59:37

2:59:37

Paul goes to Namibia to check the cute WDH airport, and drive 3000km+ — and yes, before you all ask, driving the Skeleton Coast is everything you dream it to be (this country is stunning, and the NamibRand is perhaps the most beautiful place he has ever seen). He falls in love with Airlink (from their Embraer to their extensive safety talk, and the…

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150 CND - cookware security, voltage chaos, airline excellence truths, boarding Tetris, the one real European business class 2:22:19

4M ago2:22:19

2:22:19

Thanks to everyone who have stuck with us for 150 episodes, you're the air beneath our wings — as a gift to you, and since so many have asked for it, we've brought you VIDEO: subscribe on Spotify or YouTube (or YouTube Music) Landing at an abandoned primary school netball court. Power banks safety, because nothing says "relaxing flight" like monito…

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149 TYO - Narita rave, airline soundtracks, arrivals hell, Tokyo's airport of tomorrow, LEGO MUC, pre-recorded captain 2:13:23

5M ago2:13:23

2:13:23

From raves at Narita, airline sonic signatures, to the sound of engines (and a car alarm) during the recording — this episode is music to the ears of Paul and Vinod, unlike the arrivals hell of some airports (should I write which one Vinod will talk about? Nah, you'll find out!). Vinod's way back from Costa Rica, or when nothing goes your way. The …

1
148 JTR - double upgrade bug, Hoper islands copters, BA transatlantic variance, 747s of the seas, easyJet Plus, Air India tragedy 2:19:16

7M ago2:19:16

2:19:16

Paul and Alex compare notes on their transatlantic British Airways experiences — from the really bad, to the truly great, the airline needs to dig for those latter gems, its future foundation is here (the IT bugs don't help however, trust ground staff). The cot strategy of the bulkhead seat (not if you're lucky to get a double upgrade though). Do n…

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147 LIR - new JAL 350 to Haneda, ode to the 757, cockpit cigars and whisky, ATL golden hour, exclusive airline statuses 2:23:06

8M ago2:23:06

2:23:06

JAL takes Paul on a wonderful flight to Haneda in their new 350-1000 business class (that amenity kit too!). The new HND approach is everything (but HND T3 isn't). The aircraft guide for kids, by Vinod (and how wonderful are those Delta pilots!). An airborne Wifi setup that is so long, it will get you sober. An ode to the 757, they really don't mak…

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146 CUR - KLM timeline, Starlink is airborne, Doha First ceilings, Heathrow fire, UK ETA, bubbly for the pilot 2:08:12

9M ago2:08:12

2:08:12

Here's the trick on how to forget you don't have a window seat: spend an entire flight doing speed tests on Starlink. Another trick? How to actually get a mobile boarding pass on BA's ever-buggy app. When business becomes first, or the final trick to access the Al Safwa First Class lounge in Doha. KLM gives you a timeline of service on the IFE, and…

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145 KUL - AF001 fragrance, long-haul family, blue liveries, Jewel bathtub plug, hidden runways, what is premium economy 2:24:55

10M ago2:24:55

2:24:55

What is it like to travel with a kid on long-haul journeys to Asia, from Singapore, to KL, to Taipei and more (and the secret bathrooms, which one would you choose?). AF001, the Air France fragrance (only the French!). Should KLM talk to Korean about the new livery? (And where is the red? LH kept a Pantone code at least). The runways hidden in plai…

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144 10Y — A Decade on the Air, Emirates Zero-Gravity First-Class pinnacle, Virgin Avgeek fan, Finnair joy, BA loyalty controversy 2:07:50

11M ago2:07:50

2:07:50

A decade on the air and in the air, thank you all for your loyalty (we don't offer Tier Points). Loyalty is what we start with, as British Airways shakes the world of revenue based loyalty with a rather abrupt shift (meh it was coming, says Alex, whilst Paul defends BA), but what program should we now put our miles in?! Alex flies to peak pollution…

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143 LBG - De-icing YVR, from Air France panache to roomy Ryanair, the retro-future of CDG T1 & the Concorde 2:16:11

12M ago2:16:11

2:16:11

A European flying tour from North America, a symphony of alcohol (with two specific colors), a flight sim in an airport (well, nearly), the Paris Olympics from the inside (Paul is jealous), the alternative timeline of CDG T1 and Concorde (we want to switch to it!), an appreciation for Ryanair (nope, we're not in another timeline). getting sea sick …

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142 KTM - From Ukraine to Nepal, war zone and sky trails 2:24:36

1y ago2:24:36

2:24:36

Two tales of adventurous (and at time turbulent) travels: Paul embarks on a long train ride to Ukraine, while Alex soars above the Himalayas. One ventures into the heart of a conflict-stricken Kyiv, the other navigates the heights of Annapurna aboard a Ukrainian-built plane. A blend of sobering exhilaration and uplifting challenges that come when t…

1
141 OKA - When building a flying itinerary to Japan and beyond is like building a LEGO set 1:51:23

1y ago1:51:23

1:51:23

Alex tells us all about flying to Okinawa's Naha airport (via Tokyo), Hawaii (717s being flown like NYC cab drivers), the Philippines (that loop to Clarke airport), and more. We have one more Concorde to visit (next, a Millenium Falcon), we dream of Japanese airlines on-board experience (that "Italian" food, though?), we calculate the length of DXB…

1
140 AKL - Everything flight planning, future fares, premium leisure growth, BA Fly no more, LHR T1 secret, the return of the 380? 2:14:34

1+ y ago2:14:34

2:14:34

What's next for the aviation industry? The post-pandemic rejigging of air travel with less business travel, and more leisure travelers in the front (who want, like most of you, to experience the full array of premium travel), more often off-season. Will fares keep increasing (it's the economy, stupid!), the unstoppable rise of ancillary revenues (g…

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139 YEG - From ground crew to flight attendant, via two pandemic Olympics: Vinod's AvGeek chronicles 2:42:36

1+ y ago2:42:36

2:42:36

Ever wondered about the life of a flight attendant (and ground crew)? This is the episode for you. Paul welcomes his good friend Vinod for an episode full of fun aviation and travel stories — a long episode, with the laughs taking quite some of that length. From Edmonton to Vancouver, via Calgary (and its keys!), the many airports he worked at (Pau…

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138 AUH - Chic new Abu Dhabi, all business BeOnd, MAX flying challenge, humane low cost, wireless lavatory IFE 2:05:43

1+ y ago2:05:43

2:05:43

It's Alex and Paul, and it's another Alex (you've met her in 133!). She tells us all about BeOnd, the new all business class airlines that flies ex-EasyJet (!) 319s (!) to get you to the Maldives (did she enjoy the plane more than the beach?!). Humane versus non-humane low cost carriers: a new definition for IATA? The MAX flying challenge, or how t…

1
137 SAI - The Great Tour of Cambodia and Vietnam, with a cup of water from Cambodia Angkor Air 2:21:09

1+ y ago2:21:09

2:21:09

Paul is joined by Paolo, one his best friends, to compare notes on a big tour of Cambodia and Vietnam (Paul flew to Cambodia, Paolo flew to Vietnam and Cambodia) with many airports, and airlines along the way (not sure about the water on-board a Cambodia Angkor Air). Paul had his worst fly ever (it was no fault of Etihad, just his own!!) and circle…

1
136 DXB - Vegan First Class, lounge bouncers, jet stream rush, intermittent flying fasting, improper JFK 2:01:12

2y ago2:01:12

2:01:12

Is Emirates low key encouraging membership to the high mile club? (And how Alex and Layovers saved Paul's Emirates First upgrade. The controller goes "oh that sucks", or why Alex keeps listening to ground whilst traveling (but he always gets the last bag delivery ever). Lounge bouncers (not exactly, but lounge double dipping is a thing). Going agai…

1
135 RAK - Epic tropical lounge, composite burn, full row downgrade, going veg, MAXed out Boeing rant 2:07:32

2y ago2:07:32

2:07:32

Qatar'd? No, that new Al Mourjan Lounge at Doha is stunning — one thing we can't say about that RAK one. Turkish'd? Not really, when a downgrade gets you full emergency exit rows — though that 333 seat made Paul act like an animal. Boeing has gone full MAX for its windows openings (ok, ok, poor one, but come on Boeing, do better!) — the new 350-100…

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134 HKG - All business class 321neo, biometrics AI airports, Qatar 2.0, boarding group 0, IFE gold standard 2:02:55

2y ago2:02:55

2:02:55

Alex tells us all about his return to Hong Kong, with Cathay setting a new gold standard in IFE over Emirates (Greg flew China Southern, and, errr, well). Paul flies the all business class 321neo from La Compagnie from Orly to Newark (road traffic was key to that story, but traffic there is none to board, how crazily fast is that, kudos La Compagni…

1
133 ALA - Bundling the unbundling, Condor Brewdog, BER secret door, overhead bin booking, inaugural JetBlue, LH sneakers, with Alex Vukolova 1:51:41

2y ago1:51:41

1:51:41

So small, cozy, cute, a very special airport, that was Tegel, not BER: can the finally (nearly) finished Berlin Brandenburg measure up to the "poor but sexy" German capital? At least the cleverly named lounges have an even cleverer backdoor (and, hey, it's not a poor bus station like Schoenfeld). Bundling the unbundling: a (great) rant by Alex (Hun…

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132 BLQ - Finnair hippos, IST hugeness, fast track lounge, Super NES passport, Midfield Tom Cruise run 1:49:33

2y ago1:49:33

1:49:33

Paul tries multiple Italian airports, Alex finally visits the new Istanbul (and flies Turkish for the first time!). The passport blowing border official trick (it doesn't work better than the Super NES cartridge blowing). BA will soon introduce water bottles the size of mini bar vodkas (at least it seems so). The Magical Finnish hippos, another fir…

1
131 NRT - The Amazing Zipair Race from London to California to Tokyo to Osaka and back 2:12:31

2+ y ago2:12:31

2:12:31

Combini, tamago sando, Skyliner, vending machines, ekiben, baseball Suica cards, yes we discuss Japan, where Alex was earlier this summer. And yes we talk (err, Alex talks) about air travel too, British Airways, Southwest, Hawaiian, ANA, and, drumroll, Zipair — not in that order, and with hops at London Heathrow, San Jose, San Francisco, Tokyo Nari…

1
130 MSP - Cheap travel and the hamster wheel of miles and status in the post-Covid devaluation times, with Kyle 'Hello Kitty' Potter 1:49:21

2+ y ago1:49:21

1:49:21

Kyle Potter, Executive Editor at Thrifty Traveler, all-around awesome(ly smart) dude, Hello Kitty enthusiast (well, it's that EVA Air flight, you'll see!), and (very) long time Layovers listener and friend, tells us all about why MSP is the best thing ever, like everything in Minnesota — but also whether cheap travel is still possible in the curren…

PaxEx Podcasts

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Layovers - Air Travel podcast

Paul Papadimitriou

1
154 LGA - United fairly tale, Qatar-ish premium economy, SeatGuru farewell, Hanoi underground tension, ORD forever taxiing 2:29:57

1
153 ROLLS-ROYCE - Inside Rolls-Royce: engineering excellence, how airplane turbine blades are born at the edge of science 2:20:53

1
152 ZNZ - Is Premium Economy premium, when BA was Emirates, Precision Air approximation, caravaning Cessna, Emirates A350 2:26:08

1
151 WDH - Skeleton Coast driving, Canada wide-body bingo, Namibia airfields, Airlink Embraer, SWISS chocolate, ZRH dance 2:59:37

1
150 CND - cookware security, voltage chaos, airline excellence truths, boarding Tetris, the one real European business class 2:22:19

1
149 TYO - Narita rave, airline soundtracks, arrivals hell, Tokyo's airport of tomorrow, LEGO MUC, pre-recorded captain 2:13:23

1
148 JTR - double upgrade bug, Hoper islands copters, BA transatlantic variance, 747s of the seas, easyJet Plus, Air India tragedy 2:19:16

1
147 LIR - new JAL 350 to Haneda, ode to the 757, cockpit cigars and whisky, ATL golden hour, exclusive airline statuses 2:23:06

1
146 CUR - KLM timeline, Starlink is airborne, Doha First ceilings, Heathrow fire, UK ETA, bubbly for the pilot 2:08:12

1
145 KUL - AF001 fragrance, long-haul family, blue liveries, Jewel bathtub plug, hidden runways, what is premium economy 2:24:55

1
144 10Y — A Decade on the Air, Emirates Zero-Gravity First-Class pinnacle, Virgin Avgeek fan, Finnair joy, BA loyalty controversy 2:07:50

1
143 LBG - De-icing YVR, from Air France panache to roomy Ryanair, the retro-future of CDG T1 & the Concorde 2:16:11

1
142 KTM - From Ukraine to Nepal, war zone and sky trails 2:24:36

1
141 OKA - When building a flying itinerary to Japan and beyond is like building a LEGO set 1:51:23

1
140 AKL - Everything flight planning, future fares, premium leisure growth, BA Fly no more, LHR T1 secret, the return of the 380? 2:14:34

1
139 YEG - From ground crew to flight attendant, via two pandemic Olympics: Vinod's AvGeek chronicles 2:42:36

1
138 AUH - Chic new Abu Dhabi, all business BeOnd, MAX flying challenge, humane low cost, wireless lavatory IFE 2:05:43

1
137 SAI - The Great Tour of Cambodia and Vietnam, with a cup of water from Cambodia Angkor Air 2:21:09

1
136 DXB - Vegan First Class, lounge bouncers, jet stream rush, intermittent flying fasting, improper JFK 2:01:12

1
135 RAK - Epic tropical lounge, composite burn, full row downgrade, going veg, MAXed out Boeing rant 2:07:32

1
134 HKG - All business class 321neo, biometrics AI airports, Qatar 2.0, boarding group 0, IFE gold standard 2:02:55

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133 ALA - Bundling the unbundling, Condor Brewdog, BER secret door, overhead bin booking, inaugural JetBlue, LH sneakers, with Alex Vukolova 1:51:41

1
132 BLQ - Finnair hippos, IST hugeness, fast track lounge, Super NES passport, Midfield Tom Cruise run 1:49:33

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131 NRT - The Amazing Zipair Race from London to California to Tokyo to Osaka and back 2:12:31

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130 MSP - Cheap travel and the hamster wheel of miles and status in the post-Covid devaluation times, with Kyle 'Hello Kitty' Potter 1:49:21