Podcast
Contrail | Aviation News
Short episodes on the airline news that actually affects your trip, from Contrail, the aviation news site for everyday travelers.
Each Contrail Episode takes one story and breaks it down in plain English: strikes and delays that could hit your flight, new rules at the airport, what you're owed when things go wrong and honest reviews of what it's really like to fly different airlines. Most episodes run under 10 minutes, so you can catch up before you board.
Hosted by Zach Benitez, a college student and journalist who flies hundreds of thousands of miles a year and has reviewed airlines in more than 50 countries. As seen in Business Insider.
Live updates, reviews and more at thecontrail.org
- Aviation chart
- #31
- Episodes
- 2
- Releases
- Daily
- Typical length
- 7 min
- On air since
- 2026
- Latest episode
- 1 day ago
Episodes
2 episodes, newest first
-
10 min
The Florida Jet That Broke Apart in the Air: What Investigators Just Said
Show notes
A business jet headed to the Bahamas fell from 35,000 feet into a Florida neighborhood on Sunday, killing all nine people on board, including an Austin family with two young children. On Monday, federal investigators said they have evidence the plane started breaking apart before it hit the ground.
In plain English, Zach explains what happened in the plane's final minutes, how ice and storms can do that to a jet, what the NTSB is looking at now, and what his grandfather, a former deputy chief of New York's air traffic control center, thinks failed.
Full story and live updates: https://www.thecontrail.org/florida-learjet-crash-ntsb/
NTSB audio courtesy of the NTSB.
-
5 min
France Shuts Down Thursday. Here's How Not to Miss Your Flight
Show notes
France's biggest unions walk out on Thursday, Nov. 5, with train, airport and aviation authority workers all involved. Your flight might take off just fine. Getting to the airport could be the hard part.
In this Contrail Episode, Zach breaks down what's confirmed, whether air traffic controllers could cancel flights (even ones that only fly over France), how to get to Charles de Gaulle and Orly if the trains stop, and what you're owed if your flight is canceled.
0:00 What's happening Thursday
0:30 Who's striking
1:20 Will your flight be canceled?
2:40 Getting to the airport
3:14 Taxis and backup plans
3:36 Your rights if you're canceled
4:12 More strikes across Europe this month
Live updates: https://www.thecontrail.org/france-strike-november-5-flights/
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