Flight Detective’s Top 10 Posts of 2018

Once again, it’s been another year of over 300 posts, so I figured it was time to delve into the statistics and look at the most popular posts for the year.

All of these posts received in excess of 5,000 unique views, with the top two receiving over 25,000 views apiece. You can click on the heading to read the particular article if you haven’t already.

10. Review: American Airlines Boeing 787 Main Cabin Extra

In May I had the pleasure of taking American Airlines from Dublin to Chicago. With my oneworld Sapphire status, I was able to select Main Cabin Extra seats for no extra cost.

Pictures include the cabin, the meal services, toilets and whatever else I can snap. This is a prime example of how I review a flight and you can see all the flights I have reviewed here.

9. Does Anyone Remember The ‘American Concorde’, Boeing 2707?

File this under what could have been. The United States had a Supersonic transport that was supposed to compete with Concorde. However, it was eventually cancelled.

With a video from the excellent Mustard channel on YouTube, it showed what happened and why it was cancelled. It’s generally thought that if the Lockheed L-2000 had been chosen originally, history may well have been different.

8. Does Anyone Remember The Double-Deck Boeing Stratocruiser?

Each Sunday, I write about a vintage airliner, usually featuring a video or two. Trying to find good colour shots of the aircraft for the main image can be challenging in some cases.

Luxury was the name of the game with the Stratocruiser, with world class airlines such as Pan American and BOAC sending it spanning the globe. The “Does anyone remember…” series has proven popular with readers.

7. Is British Airways Same Day Flight Change A Secret?

People purchasing Plus or Plus Flex fares on British Airways flights in Europe can change their flights for free. Obviously this only applies when there are multiple flights per day at a particular city.

This is something not really publicised, so it was news to me when I happened upon it. Apparently it is not common knowledge judging by how many read the article. Very handy to know if you’re a business person who may have finished up early.

6. Does Anyone Remember The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar?

Lockheed’s L-1011 TriStar was just the second post in the “Does anyone remember…” series and the most popular. While I knew it was a beloved aircraft, I never realised how much until this article went live.

With another video from the excellent Mustard channel on YouTube, it garnered a large amount of comments as well. Many who worked on it or flew on board took the time to write in about it, which I really appreciate. Thank you to all the readers who comment!

5. American Airlines Employees Select New Uniform Design

Uniforms are very important to an airline’s brand identity, so the news that American Airlines had selected a new design was interesting to many.

Keep an eye out throughout 2019 as both British Airways and Aer Lingus are due to debut new uniforms as well. The new designs will of course be covered here in the blog. I’m looking forward to seeing them!

4. British Airways Announces New World Traveller Catering

Everything old is new again, with British Airways enhancing their catering down the back on long haul sectors. Looking at the improvements, I daresay people will be pleased with them.

Airlines should always remember that those who have a good flight will tell everyone about it. A person is also more likely to trade up if they have a good experience in the cheap seats. Keeping the majority of passengers happy is very important.

3. What Is A380 Upper Deck Like In World Traveller On British Airways?

My friend Vincent travelled British Airways for the first time, so I asked if he would do a guest post for me. He snagged upper deck seats in World Traveller, which is international economy class on BA.

His thoughts pretty much mirror mine, however I’ve never had a main meal that was as bad as his was. Luckily he took pictures, so it’s all there warts and all. Thanks Vincent!

2. Know The Secret Middle Seat Trick When Booking Flights?

There is a way you can increase your chances of having the middle seat free on a flight when travelling as a pair. As long as the flight is not full, of course!

For frequent flyer types, this is not news. However, if you are a once a year traveller, this advice may come in handy, giving you extra space on your flight.

1. Do You Know The Unwritten Seating Rules On Flights?

Seating continues to be an important consideration when booking flights. Where should you sit and why? When someone is in the middle seat, what do you do to ensure they can maximise their comfort?

Various reasons as to why you should select a window or aisle along with advice regarding cabin baggage is in this piece. Hopefully it will make your travel experience a little more enjoyable.

What About The Rest?

Above are the Top 10 posts of those I published in 2018. Of course, I have been writing since 2016, so there are a lot more articles in the mix.

The actual one that received the highest views in the year was “You can now upgrade a British Airways flight after check-in” from November 2017 with over 35,000 views. Next highest was last year’s number one post, “Review: British Airways World Traveller Plus”, originally published in June 2016! The Top 5 posts in the above list came next.

Overall Thoughts

Another year has flown by for the Flight Detective. Hopefully there will be a lot more interesting things I can write about throughout 2019 for you to read.

Thank you to everyone who has read and commented during the year. It really is what keeps me going when I am sitting at my desk struggling to think of something to write. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and all the best for the new year!

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All my flight and lounge reviews are indexed here so check them out!

Featured image by Jordan Sanchez via Unsplash.
9. Image by Boeing via BBC Future.
8. Image by Boeing.
7. Image via Financial Times.
6. Image by Jon Proctor via Wikimedia Commons.
5. Image by Brandon Wade/Courtesy of American Airlines via Chicago Business Journal.
4. Image via British Airways.
3. Image via British Airways.
2. Image by captainflorent via Instagram.
1. Image by Tim Gouw via Unsplash.