John Walton

Update #24: New transatlantic narrowbodies, Air Canada’s big fleet rejig, more Lufthansa news, and the airline civility debate… Iberia and Air Canada make A321XLR (and MAX) moves, Air Canada swaps planes with Rouge, Lufthansa's new livery and new FRA first class area, and we're back to "civility" on board…

OUT NOW: @theupfront.media Update: what you need to know about #PaxEx this week.

Iberia and Air Canada make A321XLR (and MAX) moves, Air Canada swaps planes with Rouge, Lufthansa's new livery and new FRA first class area, and we're back to "civility" on board…

theupfront.media/update-24-ne...

genuinely amused at the two of us starting lists of innovative chefs and getting entirely separate lists, and not even getting into the current generation of well-estabished French chefs in their 40s-50s or the newer generation in their 20s and 30s

mais j'adore les rares bites

lmfao yeah no great innovative chefs in france since 1935, absolutely no modern influence whatsoever, bocuse/trosigros/vergé/chapel/guérard/oliver who

and since he died France has generated at least four easily identifiable food movements, from 1960s nouvelle to 1980s postmodern haute to to 2000s internationalist to 2010s localism whill still having all of Escoffier and cuisine traditionelle to lean back on

I mean tbh this looks like French « macédoine de légumes » mayonnaise/remoulade based salad x British "Savoury Cheese" (cheese & onion) sandwich filling.

…dammit i am in brussels and want a savoury cheese sarnie

My hand holding a shortbread cookie in the shape of an airplane. There are red sprinkles in the pattern of the survivorship bias plane.

A plate of the same cookies.

Does anyone want a survivorship bias shortbread

Ukraine’s Iron People: The Railway Crews Who Don’t Stop, Even Under Russian Fire Explore how Ukraine's railway has transformed into a vital lifeline during wartime, ensuring transport and humanitarian support amid ongoing challenges.

Thousands of railway “iron workers” keep Ukraine moving under Russian bombardment, evacuating families and sustaining the nation’s lifeline.

Massive respect, even with it transposed down (a third or so?).

The US used to have Service Merchandise, truly the Pacific Rim jäger of mall stores.

Beyond just the "Safran to build seats for Emirates in UAE" press release rewrites you read last week: I spent some time on the phone with Safran's EVP sales to figure out what's actually going on, including the relationship with Safran's new S-Lounge seat and its previous Skylounge…

Text: It would be a brave company that expected approval for what some might perceive as offshoring to the UAE of key French production at any time. It would be an especially courageous move right now. And in this particular case, that production is currently based in a rural town whose economy is strongly linked with that manufacturing — and whose longtime MP was just appointed the minister responsible for “foreign trade and economic attractiveness”. As Sir Humphrey Appleby, the fictional senior civil servant in the British TV series Yes Minister once said: “Controversial only means this will lose you votes. Courageous means this will lose you the election”.

Aviation is an international business. But all politics is local.

So some of Safran's upcoming productions plans are brave, from the perspective of French political observers.

Or, at least — and not to mix any Angevin metaphors — that's what Sir Humphrey would say.

— plus why Safran might be risking getting in the hot water to make French union soup.

Dad pun allegations not going away, no sirree.

Beyond just the "Safran to build seats for Emirates in UAE" press release rewrites you read last week: I spent some time on the phone with Safran's EVP sales to figure out what's actually going on, including the relationship with Safran's new S-Lounge seat and its previous Skylounge…

I'm a fan.

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How do you solve a problem like Lufthansa? Airline, brand and passenger insights from its group Capital Markets Day, Part 1 Lufthansa is consolidating its 12–14 airlines, leaking out a new Lufthansa Group Lounge and brand concept, growing in longhaul and leisure — and there are passenger experience implications throughout

Although, noting the press release: "The most important sub-fleets of Lufthansa will receive their own special livery" — got to say, if I happened to work on some of the *other* sub-fleets of Lufthansa, I might a bit left-out.

theupfront.media/how-do-you-s...

*taps sign*

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when u are an A340-600 and are STILL IN SERVICE yet you do not get a nice livery

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this tweet definitely not written by an A340-600

Rendering: Those 6 aircraft types with the white crane on dark blue aircraft livery already announced for the 787

JA BITTE.

Lufthansa's fantastic 100th anniversary livery will be painted on SIX aircraft types — the 787, 747-8, A380, A350-1000, A350-900 and A320neo.

More of this please.

"No and forsooth — I am never going to give you up, never going to let you down…"

Or — plot twist — NO MURDERS. Suddenly Simon Feximal is copypasted, name swapped Jane Austen.

In an internal document I obtained, Avelo’s head of flight ops said they had to bank a lot of cash this quarter, may be seeing that with this NWSL charter. He also indicated the ICE flights haven’t been as profitable as they’d hoped, and they may not make it through the first quarter of 2026.

Excellent thread!

Nice thing about a city like Seoul is that by doing things and going places you inherently go by train. Wins all round!

Oh, those are sell a *body* expensive. Those designers are doing an incredible job.

Christmas in Sri Lanka: The remarkable journey of the California Clipper, Part 4 The crew of the California Clipper are forced to spend Christmas in Sri Lanka. While there, their thoughts turn naturally to home.

Also out today: part 4 of 5 of @garius.bsky.social's remarkable history of the California Clipper, the feat of commercial aviation that brought a Pan Am flying boat the wrong way around the world from Auckland to LaGuardia.

This time: it's Christmas in Sri Lanka.

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