The Next Trip - An Aviation and Travel Podcast · Doug and Drew

Boarding Pass 329: Air Taxis and Oil Prices

·54 min·2 clips

Spirit's close-in fares rose 124.3 percent, so a $29 fare became roughly $60, while Delta and American each added $400 million in fuel costs.

1. The Next Trip's Boarding Pass 329, recorded March 23, 2026, covers FAA air taxi testing, Southwest's exits from O'Hare and Dulles, and Atlas Air's 28-aircraft A350F order. 2. Doug is an airline pilot who flies the 767 and 777 and Drew is an airport ops manager and private pilot trainee, and together they claim more than 50 years of industry experience. 3. The main segment pairs the partial government shutdown affecting TSA pay with Middle East conflict oil prices, citing an NBC headline that flying "is about to get more expensive and less fun." 4. The FAA picked eight proposals to test air taxis in 26 states, carrying about four passengers up to 50 miles, while Drew points out that United's electric aircraft order dates to 2021 and compares the wait to drone delivery. 5. Southwest leaves O'Hare and Dulles in early June after serving Dulles since 2006, and Drew says a Southwest supervisor told him the airline had only four Dulles flights, while the airline still flies 271 daily flights from DCA and BWI. 6. The FAA and DOT said the proposed O'Hare summer schedule of 3,080 peak flights, 400 above the 2025 peak of 2,680, would stress runways, terminals and air traffic control, and Doug argues O'Hare's 12-month look-back gate allocation drove United and American to overschedule. 7. Atlas Air's 28 A350F order is the largest ever for the type, and Doug speculates that United may have shifted delivery slots, noting the A350 now has 102 orders against 50 for the 777-8. 8. Jet fuel averaged $3.99 a gallon, Delta and American each expect $400 million in added costs, Cathay Pacific raised its fuel surcharge from $72.90 to $149.20, and SAS is cutting 1,000 April flights. 9. Delta CEO Ed Bastian said eight of its ten highest sales days came within recent weeks with bookings up 25% year over year, and Drew notes that San Francisco's contract screeners are still being paid during the shutdown, with 400-some TSA agents reportedly quitting elsewhere. 10. Aviation fans and frequent travelers following airline news will get the most from it.

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