One of the things I like doing is reading travel blogs. It’s fun to see the world through other people’s eyes. But blogs written by airline crewmembers offer a rather unique perspective on travel in general and on the airline industry specifically. It has certainly given me a new appreciation for what it takes to get a plane and its passengers from point A to point B.

My favorite of the bunch is Patrick Smith’s “Ask the Pilot” blog. His weekly commentary covers everything from recent news events to frequently asked questions to recollections from his previous trips. The fact that he has worked for several different airlines gives him a well-rounded perspective on the industry.

Gadling.com has several blogs written by people currently working in the airline industry. My favorite is “Cockpit Chronicles” written by an American Airlines first officer, Kent Wien, based out of Boston. His blog is made of mostly trip reports complete with great photos and video. In fact, he created one of my favorite flight videos that shows a typical flight from Boston to Paris. If you want to know just what crews do on layovers, this is the blog for you. He also just started a second blog called “Plane Answers” where he answers questions about airplanes and flying.

If you’re looking for a Canadian perspective, “Cockpit Conversation” has trip reports from a pilot working for a Canadian airline.

Also from Gadling is “Gallery Gossip”, a blog written by flight attendant Heather Poole who works for a major US airline. Her blog focuses on addressing typical sterotypes about flight attendants and flying. She also answers frequently-asked questions from readers.

Many of the airlines have been starting their own corporate blogs about their company. The best of the bunch is “Nuts about Southwest”. The blog has posts written by people in nearly every department and position in Southwest Airlines. The blog also details things like what goes into deciding which routes to fly;  how airplanes are deiced; and how management is trained.

Finally, while these are not blogs, AOL Travel has some interesting “Confessions Of . . . ” essays that include commentary from a ticket agent and a TSA agent, among others.

Happy flying!