Couldn't you just link to your blog? I'm sure most of us would have happily followed the link and commented on it there.

Beyond the seasonal and weather effects, wouldn't it be neat to actually see the seasons change around us in each zone? That doesn't mean that there has to be snow on the ground everywhere during the winter.
in XI, weather conditions varied somewhat with season (in game season). Don't know this for certain but ignoring the dalamud weather, I'm pretty sure the weather in XIV does too. I'd agree with the notion that it could be a bit more prominent though.

As for the airship I am somewhat torn. I love not having to wait ten minutes or so for it to come in then wait the whole ride to arrive.
My current understanding is they plan to include an actual airship ride as an option (and it would probably be cheaper/free). There's also the railroad tracks that can be seen in some recent images. So I don't think they're abandoning this idea (even though supposedly the ferry to limsa is going away)