The Professor’s Minute Minute – August 19 2025

 

From Silicon Valley cabals to engine headaches and Qantas smackdowns, the day spans power, punishment, and punctuation.

1. The Palantir mafia worries me

   The WSJ maps out the network of ex-Palantir staff fueling Silicon Valley’s hottest startups. Influence and capital flow are undeniable — but so are the risks of concentrated mindsets.

   Read more.

2. Ford’s EV bet, Doug Field’s dilemma

   Ford’s strategy to catch Tesla involves heavy EV investment and an Apple alum at the wheel. But can scale and supply chains keep up?

   Read more.

3. Qantas fined $90 million — more than a wrist slap

   Australia’s flag carrier must pay for illegally sacking 1,800 workers. Beyond the fine, the reputational cost lingers.

   Read more.

4. USA dominates — and Europe worries

   The U.S. stock market’s overwhelming share is now deemed an “emergency” in Europe. Financial gravity is shifting east of the Atlantic.

   Read more.

5. Engines of discontent — but a glimmer remains

   Pratt & Whitney pushes Industry 4.0 to fix its GTF engine woes, while LEAP battles its own demons. Hope, but hard work ahead.

   Read more.

6. Quirky: Can you spot AI — or just my overuse of dashes?

   Jon Ostrower pokes at the over-em dash era, a human tick that AI hasn’t quite mastered yet. Yes — I confess, I too use too many dashes.

   Read more.

📣 Don’t forget:

The Professor’s Minute Minute → https://tinyurl.com/ynvpddfw

The OFFICIAL Professor Sabena Blog → https://tinyurl.com/j9x8cmhm

Explore the old archive → https://tinyurl.com/njj9z6p4

#Tags:

#Travel #Aviation #Airlines #Tourism #Palantir #SiliconValley #Ford #EVs #Qantas #LaborRights #StockMarkets #Europe #Finance #PrattWhitney #LEAP #Engines #AviationTech #QuirkyTravel #EmDash #AI

NOTE NORMAL SERVICE WILL BE DISRUPTED

 The Professor is speaking at the ASATA Conference in Cape Town, South Africa. I will try and post continuously but certain days may be off/ Back to normal August 25th. 

Thank you

The Professor’s Minute Minute – August 18 2025

 

Loyalty currencies morph into financing tools, airlines wage war on gatekeeping, and behind it all lie giants losing their edge — with a slice of legal herbal irony to close things out.

1. AirBnB hooks you—with installments

   AirBnB introduces “Reserve Now, Pay Later,” nudging users toward bookings via a financing model. The line between loyalty and leverage just blurred faster.

   Read more.

2. Booking.com keeps the free coffee flowing

   Booking.com debuts its own credit card – a direct push to lock in reward spend, not just reward travel. Disintermediation via plastic.

   Read more.

3. The sad soul of Boeing

   A hard look through The Atlantic lens: how failures of culture and manufacturing left Boeing unrecognizable from its glory days. A cautionary aerospace tale.

   Read more.

4. Porter pilots unionize—shouldn’t fix strategy

   Porter Airlines pilots vote to join ALPA. Yes, it’s not shocking—but unionization alone won’t solve Porter’s bigger fleet and network challenges.

   Read more.

5. Safety slack? Not so fast, says ICAO

   Latest safety stats from ICAO show improvement—but also a persistent reminder: aviation can’t coast. Renewed vigilance needed now.

   Read more.

6. Quirky: The law says ‘no kava in NYC’ — but why not on a plane?

   A NYC ban now prohibits the selling of kava drinks in cafes, citing health risks. Admittedly bizarre—but I wonder if the skies remain open…?

   Read more.

📣 Don’t forget:

The Professor’s Minute Minute → https://tinyurl.com/ynvpddfw

The OFFICIAL Professor Sabena Blog → https://tinyurl.com/j9x8cmhm

Explore the old archive → https://tinyurl.com/njj9z6p4

#Tags:

#Travel #Aviation #Airlines #Tourism #AirBnB #Fintech #BookingDotCom #Rewards #Boeing #Aerospace #PorterAirlines #UnionVote #ICAO #Safety #QuirkyTravel #Kava #FoodRegulation

The Professor’s Minute Minute – August 17 2025

Sabre’s woes deepen (are they the new Starbucks), CFOs hedge their bets, tech gathers in Seattle, and the industry dares to imagine clean slates — capped off with an oddly weighty passenger in aviation history.

1. Sabre still navigating the toilet

   Q2 aftershocks continue as Sabre struggles to convince investors it has a viable path forward. Analysts aren’t buying it.

   Read more.

2. Start here — what can be done with Sabre

   Felix Dannegger offers a thought-provoking LinkedIn series on how to reboot Sabre’s PSS/GDS platforms from the ground up.

   See the post.

3. Uncertainty remains — “very mixed,” says a CFO

   Aviation finance leaders voice cautious outlooks. Growth exists, but so do storm clouds. “Mixed” sums it up.

   Read more.

4. Seattle Tech Week brings the tech universe together

   From AI to green tech, Seattle becomes the nexus of future-focused conversations across hundreds of events.

   Watch here.

5. If you had a clean sheet, how would you start?

   Distribution visionary Felix Dannegger poses the ultimate thought experiment: if airline systems were rebuilt from scratch, what would they look like?

   Join the debate.

6. Quirky: The heaviest man ever to fly

   In 1941, Robert Earl Hughes — who would weigh over 1,000 pounds in his lifetime — took a short airplane flight. Pilots reportedly described the takeoff as “memorable.” Aviation has carried elephants, cars, and spacecraft… but this human record remains a quirky footnote in flight history.

   Read more.

📣 Don’t forget:

The Professor’s Minute Minute → https://tinyurl.com/ynvpddfw

The OFFICIAL Professor Sabena Blog → https://tinyurl.com/j9x8cmhm

Explore the old archive → https://tinyurl.com/njj9z6p4

#Tags:

#Travel #Aviation #Airlines #Tourism #Sabre #GDS #PSS #AirFinance #SeattleTechWeek #TechInnovation #AirlineDistribution #QuirkyTravel #AviationHistory #RobertEarlHughes

The Professor’s Minute Minute – August 16 2025

For the Professor's celebration of the latest trip round the sun here are some tidbits for you. 

From loyalty currencies to luggage lessons, artificial horizons and digital borders—plus one bovine bucking gravity.

BA redirects its festive routes, Spirit Airlines’ fallout offers winners and losers, London’s chic meet-ups for travelers, AI rollout friction, Hawaiian route realignments—and one historic cow gets airborne.

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1. BA rings in festive cheer, flight-by-flight AVIOS only

   British Airways will operate select flights to Cape Town over the busy holiday season via Avios-only bookings—your points might finally fly you somewhere exotic.

   Read more.

2. Who wins in a post-Spirit world?

   IdeaWorks Company’s latest highlights the creative, often unexpected, revenue strategies gaining traction amid Spirit Airlines’ turbulence. Worth your coffee time.

   Read more.

3. The absolute latest must-have travel accessories

   Transport for London unveils a chic collection that will make your business trip Instagram-ready. Ready to carry your commuter cred?

   Browse here.

4. ChatGPT rollout still a mess

   CNN reports persistent hiccups, from login fails to hallucinations—reminder that “beta” in AI is often painful, live, and public.

   Read more.

5. Sayonara FUK

   Hawaiian Airlines pulls underperforming Japan routes—keeping only Australia connections. Hawaii to Japan: gone.

   Read more.

6. Quirky: Elm Farm Ollie — the first cow to fly in a plane

   In 1930, a Guernsey cow named Elm Farm Ollie soared over St. Louis, milked in-flight and dropped to eager crowds below. Aviation’s most udderly unexpected groundbreaker.

   Read more.

📣 Don’t forget:

The Professor’s Minute Minute → https://tinyurl.com/ynvpddfw

The OFFICIAL Professor Sabena Blog → https://tinyurl.com/j9x8cmhm

Explore the old archive → https://tinyurl.com/njj9z6p4

#Tags:

#Travel #Aviation #Airlines #Tourism #BA #Avios #SpiritAirlines #AirlineRevenue #TravelAccessories #LondonTravel #AI #ChatGPT #HawaiianAirlines #RouteChanges #QuirkyTravel #AviationHistory #ElmFarmOllie #FirstCowInFlight

The Professor’s Minute Minute – August 15 2025

 Airlines under pressure, travelers demanding more, and a mystery pilot who fixes what he steals

Spirit flirts with asset sales, new ideas surface for revenue growth, Silicon Valley whispers darkly, ICE flights spark debate, Heathrow hacks dig deep, and a quirky tale straight out of aviation folklore.

1. Spirit’s troubles are getting worse

   Spirit Airlines is weighing asset sales and sharp cost cuts after another bruising quarter. Investors hear “substantial doubt.”

   Read more.

2. Love Jay’s stuff — grab a coffee and take a gander

   IdeaWorksCompany shares eight clever revenue-boosting tactics for airlines. From à la carte upsells to loyalty nudges, worth the read.

   Read more.

3. Want to work for the dark side? Then this might be the place

   Andreessen Horowitz’s latest moves in travel tech raise eyebrows. Depending on your view, it’s opportunity — or empire-building.

   Read more.

4. Who is flying the ICE detainees?

   A CNN investigation shines light on flights transporting immigration detainees, exposing routes and the operators behind them.

   Read more.

5. Aviation hacks dissect Heathrow’s future

   The Window Seat podcast takes apart what’s next for London Heathrow — expansion, constraints, and a few home truths.

   Read more.

6. Quirky: The mystery pilot who steals planes — and returns them better

   In California, a vintage 1958 Cessna Skyhawk keeps vanishing from its hangar — only to reappear after unauthorized flights, sporting fresh repairs and new gear. Aviation’s strangest Robin Hood?

   Read more.

📣 Don’t forget:

The Professor’s Minute Minute → https://tinyurl.com/ynvpddfw

The OFFICIAL Professor Sabena Blog → https://tinyurl.com/j9x8cmhm

Explore the old archive → https://tinyurl.com/njj9z6p4

#Tags:

#Travel #Aviation #Airlines #Tourism #SpiritAirlines #AirlineRevenue #AndreessenHorowitz #TravelTech #ICEFlights #Immigration #Heathrow #AirportExpansion #Podcast #QuirkyTravel #MysteryPilot #Cessna #VintageAircraft

The Professor’s Minute Minute – August 14 2025

 From AI breakthroughs to airline brinkmanship — with a Beatles-style route twist and tomorrow’s quirky waiting in the wings

Claude gets an upgrade, Air Canada and its crew square off, a payments scandal raises alarms, Gen Z names its impossible travel wishlist, and AirAsia X adds a new long-haul link.

1. New Anthropic version out now

   Claude Opus 4.1 has landed, promising more nuanced reasoning and better context retention. The AI race just got another nudge forward.

   Read more.

2. Air Canada plays hardball — too bad about the passengers

   A looming strike and lockout battle with flight attendants threatens to disrupt schedules nationwide. Labor relations meet passenger patience.

   Read more.

3. If you use Zelle, this might be a concern

   New York is suing Zelle over alleged security lapses that led to $1 billion in fraud losses. Digital payments just got another cautionary tale.

   Read more.

4. Isn’t this what every traveler wants (but can never get)?

   Gen Z travelers say they value freedom, flexibility, and transparency. The gap between expectations and delivery remains wide.

   Read more.

5. Hum a bit of Beatles… you say goodbye, and I say hello

   AirAsia X launches a new route to Istanbul — expanding its long-haul network and giving travelers another East-West link.

   Read more.

6. Quirky: Oslo — the Nordic city making “Not Hot” lists for the right reasons

   Intrepid’s “Not Hot List” names Oslo one of 2025’s most unexpected travel picks: vibrant nightlife, accessible art culture, scenic fjord access—and, believe it or not, “beautiful locals.” Bonus: affordable flights and budget‑friendly eats are on offer too.

📣 Don’t forget:

The Professor’s Minute Minute → https://tinyurl.com/ynvpddfw

The OFFICIAL Professor Sabena Blog → https://tinyurl.com/j9x8cmhm

Explore the old archive → https://tinyurl.com/njj9z6p4

#Tags:

#Travel #Aviation #Airlines #Tourism #AI #Claude #Anthropic #AirCanada #LaborDisputes #PassengerRights #DigitalPayments #Zelle #FraudPrevention #GenZTravel #TravelExpectations #AirAsiaX #Istanbul #RouteLaunch #QuirkyTravel

The Professor’s Minute Minute – August 13 2025

From AI in banking to robot antelopes in the Himalayas — today is all about tech that’s real, absurd, and everything in between

AI finds its footing in finance, Gulf carriers keep raising the bar, clean fuel dreams falter, an internet relic finally bows out, a nostalgic ad stirs old anxieties, and a quirky conservation effort trots in from the high mountains.

1. Yes – REAL world

   CB Insights maps out practical, revenue-generating applications of generative AI in financial services — proof the hype can have substance.

   Read more.

2. You really should try these

   Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways are doubling down on premium cabins. Expect more suites, better service, and pricing to match.

   Read more.

3. Airlines’ clean fuels — a failure worth reading about

   Reuters breaks down why sustainable aviation fuels haven’t lived up to the promises. Spoiler: it’s not just about the technology.

   Read more.

4. So long, farewell — yes, REALLY long farewell

   AOL is finally ending dial-up internet service. For some, it’s a joke from another era; for others, it’s the last click of a long, slow modem handshake.

   Read more.

5. The memory lingers — and might still make you anxious

   That airline safety video you remember all too well is still out there, and yes, it can still raise your pulse.

   Watch here.

6. Quirky: Robot antelopes in the Himalayas — but for a good cause

   Chinese scientists have built robot antelopes to help study and protect wildlife in the region. Equal parts bizarre and brilliant.

   Read more.

📣 Don’t forget:

The Professor’s Minute Minute → https://tinyurl.com/ynvpddfw

The OFFICIAL Professor Sabena Blog → https://tinyurl.com/j9x8cmhm

Explore the old archive → https://tinyurl.com/njj9z6p4