Our new season of Airplane Mode takes you exclusively behind the scenes with Singapore Airlines, Airbus, British Airways and more
If you know me, you know how much I love planes, and as an AvGeek to the core, it gives me joy to share my love of everything aviation.
Through a desire to unveil some of the most fascinating aspects of aviation, I started to draw on contacts from all over the industry, honing in on some famous topics as well as some lesser-known ones. We landed on six exciting different stories, gathered a team and set off across the globe to pull back the curtains.
These six episodes will premiere on The Points Guy Departures YouTube channel. If you're flying from an American airport, you might even be lucky enough to catch the episodes on the many screens at the gates via the Reach TV network.
Our six episodes include stories from Singapore Airlines, British Airways, Barra Airport, Airbus, Icelandair and Wisk. They begin rolling out today, and you'll catch the rest of the episodes releasing between now and January.
Subscribe to the channel now to ensure you don't miss out.
Here's a little teaser of what's in store:
How Singapore Airlines creates the best first class in the sky
TPG awarded Singapore Suites "Best International First Class" at the 2022 TPG Awards. I went behind the scenes to understand how Singapore Airlines creates this world-class experience.
You get to see it all, from the $37 million investment in lounges at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) to the rigorous service staff training. You'll also learn about the preparation that goes into each element of the onboard service inside the revolutionary suites.
First-class training and afternoon tea in the sky with British Airways
I'll take you on a journey to understand how BA's famous Afternoon Tea in the sky is created. It starts in the bakeries of the DO&CO catering facility at London's Heathrow Airport (LHR) before entering the new first-class training program at BA's Global Learning Academy.
There, I got to learn the intricate details of the onboard service, and I was examined by BA's trainers while serving afternoon tea to my ex-BA cabin crew sister.
Beluga — the mega-plane that transports Airbus wings around Europe
Airbus manufactures the different parts of its planes in locations all across Europe. But how does it bring everything together in one plane to build a whole aircraft? Enter the Beluga.
In this episode, I'll take you behind the scenes at the colossal Airbus facility in Broughton, North Wales, where Airbus makes almost all of its wings for the hundreds of planes it produces each year. The giant Beluga jets fly multiple times a day, swallowing wings in their cargo hold before flying off to destinations like Hamburg, Germany, and Toulouse, France.
Barra Airport in Scotland — where the runway disappears twice a day
Join me on my quest to understand how this Scottish airport operates when the runway disappears twice a day due to the high tide. Loganair operates multiple flights daily from Glasgow, Scotland, to the Scottish island of Barra, with only a public beach to land on.
How does Icelandair get Icelandic fish onto plates in the US so fast?
Follow the journey of a fish from the cold waters of Icelandic seas all the way to a dinner plate in Boston. I start on board an Icelandic fishing boat (but thankfully, no one caught the full effect of the seasickness on camera).
I then go behind the scenes at the fish processing plants and the Icelandair cargo center before flying to the U.S. with the fish; I then eat that fish in Legal Seafood's flagship Boston restaurant. The Icelandair operation brings fresher fish to those very plates than most American fishing boats can.
Wisk — the first pilotless 4-seater electric-powered air taxi
In our final episode, we get exclusive behind-the-scenes access to witness the cutting edge of the future of aviation. I'll take you to see a test flight of this iconic aircraft at the Wisk's Silicon Valley base. You won't want to miss seeing a taxi that can fly with vertical takeoff and landing abilities and doesn't need a pilot.
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