A Fireside chat with Jason from Fly&Dine

Welcome to a new Sunday series that will be a bit like a fireside chat. I count it a privilege to be a part of an amazing group of Travel bloggers here at BoardingArea.com. But just how well do you know “your” BoardingArea writers? Are you reading all the blogs you should be each day? This series will help you get to know them one by one. Now on to this weeks chat.

If you are a regular BoardingArea reader you have seen so many exciting and world class bloggers joining the ranks of BA! One of those you need to add to your daily read is Fly & Dine. I don’t know about you, but to me the dining goes with travel like a full tank and diving (ok some will get that and others, not so much). Anyway, I am so excited to share with you a new blog you may not have had time to check out on BA. Time to get to know Jason and Fly & Dine!

Rene – Hi Jason, thanks ever so much for taking time to chat with me. I know you have been blogging for while but are new to BA. Tell us, just what is Fly & Dine all about?

Jason – First, thanks for having me here. I never miss a chance to be next to a fire. Fly & Dine is the first blog dedicated to providing a direct look at food in terms of air travel. I cover dining in the air, at the terminal, and on the ground. If there’s a new menu on American for business class flyers, I’ll cover it (and there will be in January!), if there’s a new restaurant opening at DFW, I’ll cover it. If a hotel brings in a new chef to redesign their culinary program, I’ll cover that, too. Basically, I’m a one-stop shop for foodie travel news.

Rene – Oh, I so need to make time to join you on some trips. I am no “foodie” pro but I want to learn from you as most of us who spend a ton of time in the air DESPERATELY need your help. The next question is one I ask often but I think is important. There are many places to call home on the web – why BoardingArea?

Jason – I’ve been writing professionally for a while (Bon Appetit, Food Republic, Sunset Magazine, etc.) and when I really got into the frequent flyer mileage game last Spring, I decided I wanted to have my own little corner of the online world. Unfortunately, I have no coding skills whatsoever and when I saw that BoardingArea was looking for writers and that they took care of the technical side of things, it appeared to be the perfect fit. Now that I’m up and running, I know that I made the right choice. The BoardingArea folks have been incredible to work with and so supportive.

Rene – WOW! I so feel jr. league when it comes to food & your credentials! Many who read BA blogs have no idea what a great team we have that do support us to do what “we do”. I am so happy you are on the “team”. Next big question, everyone has diner’s favorites when it comes to food. Are you a multi- culinary focus or more carnivore or vegan slant?

Jason – I eat just about everything, unless we’re talking about eyeballs and the more extreme end of offal (organ meats and such). I think we’re going to start seeing a lot more offered in the way of special diets in relation to air travel, whether that means vegan or gluten-free or anything else. I’ll be trying just about everything, though, so rest assured that your Fly&Dine pilot will have the whole spectrum covered.

Rene – Neat. It is great to get all sides covered but I still love your plane logo with all the “cuts” on the fuselage, wings and tail. Really great! Next question. There are a LOT of choices worldwide, is your readership USA focused or all over?

Jason – I love that logo, too! I came up with the idea and then BoardingArea’s resident graphic designer Denny was able to implement exactly what I wanted. In terms of geography, I’ll be covering everywhere and I’m really only limited by my own travel schedule. I’m based in the US, so a lot of coverage will be focused on America, but you can expect global posts anytime I fly internationally as well.

Rene – Got it! Another question I am sure readers will want to know. What about reader input. Clearly I am trying every spot that is a Delta hub and get lots of feedback from Delta readers of what is their favorite spot. Do you welcome input and suggestions from readers and can they contact you with requests and such?

Jason – I love reader input! I’m just one person, so I obviously can’t eat everywhere. I’d love to hear where readers like to go or their favorite dish at certain airports or why they fly one airline over another in terms of the food. I want Fly&Dine to be the number one resource for dining as it relates to air travel and I’m not going to get there all by myself.

Rene – What about hotels? Jason, there are hotels that are so good when traveling and others that make coach food look 5 star. Do you cover those as well?

Jason – Absolutely. Hotels are an important part of the travel experience and knowing which ones offer great food is a major boon to any traveler. My advice is see which hotels market their restaurants individually. Does the restaurant have its own website? Is it prominently featured when you’re researching the hotel? If a hotel puts time and effort into making sure you know about their dining options, then you know they’ve put time and effort into the restaurant itself. You don’t want to be stuck with bland hotel food, so it makes sense to do some investigation on your own.

Rene – Great! I can not thank you enough for taking the time to sit down by the fireplace and getting to know you. I am hungry already and can not wait to follow your blog!

Jason – Truly my pleasure! It’s so early on in the process that my biggest hurdle now is just to get people to check out the site. Thanks, Rene!

You can follow Jason on his blog Fly&Dine as well as follow him on Twitter and RSS feed or email him as well. Be sure to check back next week when we get to know another one of “your” BoardingArea bloggers.

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