Airlines Confidential Podcast

Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman. Guest: Reporter Chris Sloan profiles Canadian North Airlines; Topics: United's new international destinations; TSA drops Gold+ Program, Keeps SPP; Carl Icahn divests most of JetBlue stake, gives up Board seats; FAA seeks termination of 2 LGA controllers; Proposal to rename Nashville Int Airport for Dolly Parton; Listener input on AA's product improvement plans, Would Delta be losing money without AMEX partnership?

Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Brett Burgess, CEO, ATPCO. Also: American's product improvement plans for 2028; Washington Dulles (IAD) Approves rebuild plan; Thoughts on the PFC model; PBI officially now DJT; Google attempting to buy Spirit data; Concerns raised on ATC improvement contractor; Listener input on TSA airport Gold+ Program, AA duplicate flight numbers.

Scott McCartney with Delta CEO Ed Bastian. Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Also: Leadership changes at American Airlines - is it enough? The two American #2482 flights; Apollo to acquire EasyJet; Additions to AA & SWA Boards of Directors; European passport control delays; Listener Q: Did the AA Board make a mistake?

Scott McCartney with Jay Sorenson, CEO, IdeaWorks Company: Ancillary Revenue in Depth. Bag fees, Seat options, co-branded credit cards, lounges, and more.

Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Dr. Jeremy Stone, CEO, EERO Group ( www.eero.nexus/direct ) Also: JetBlue, Frontier report numbers; JetZero to receive $3B; Spirit's former HQ sold; A look at On Time Performance stats courtesy of Cirium; Listener Q's on operations at gates at ORD.

Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Greg Anderson, CEO,  Allegiant Travel Company. Plus: Farnborough Air Show's military focus; Thoughts from  EAA  AirVenture Oshkosh; SWA, United, Alaska, American reports numbers; JetBlue wins bid for former Spirit gates at LGA. 

Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz. Topics: More earnings news. A deeper dive into fare data - current fares vs 10 years ago; Investors showing more interest in airlines; A look at the current state of industry competition.

This week: Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Topics: The fate of EasyJet - Apollo tops Castlelake offer; Earnings season starts with Delta, huge fuel cost increases, refinery income; Tribute to aviator Wally Funk; Thoughts on Delta's new Basic Business Class options; Anko van der Werff appointed CEO at Air Canada; Listener input on post-event audio recordings, Avelo adding routes at alternative Dallas area airport.

Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman. Guest: Joerg Eberhart, CEO, ITA Airways. Also: Two go-arounds at Boston Logan; GAO report issued on airfares indicates strong competition persists; Aviation Week Boeing and Airbus CEO interviews reveal two very different outlooks; Improved ATC system starts taking shape; Listener Q: How to compete in CLT. Happy July 4th! Next episode: July 15th.

Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Topics: Prix Versailles names Pittsburgh International among world's most beautiful airports, praises biophilic design; Thoughts from IATA Transport Summit on backordered aircraft, passenger compensation; Issues around E261; European bag fee confusion; Japan Airlines President Mitsuko Tottori bans crew drinking on layovers; Hawaiian cuts free meals in economy; JP Morgan's Jamie Baker & Mark Streeter airline equity/debt update; Steve Johnson retires from American; Shane Tackett promoted to president at Alaska Airlines; Listener feedback on audio quality.

Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host and Guest Chris Chiames. Topics: The complexity of the Cruise Industry vs Airlines, Working for legendary CEOs. Plus: News from the IATA World Air Transport Summit in Rio de Janeiro; Consumers changing views on travel; Scott Kirby continues to talk about an American takeover; A difficult day at Chicago's ORD; Listener input on FAA safety inspection programs, Southwest on-time performance declines while cancellations stay very low.

Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt & Host Scott McCartney, with Glen Hauenstein, Fmr. President, Delta Air Lines. Also: A look beyond the public press release on leadership shakeup at Southwest & SWA's corporate culture; Report from the Caribbean Tourism Organization conference in NYC; Listener input: Bipartisan praise for FAA Administrator, Bryan Bedford; Thoughts on redundant Texas airports. Bonus ending: Happy anniversary from grandkids Sophia, Miller & Juliette.

Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan. Guest: Erik Olund, CEO, Sky Chefs. Also: A summary of the CAPA Airline Leader Summit in Charleston SC, Boeing Max7 closer to certification; What might happen with Spirit's LGA slots? SWA fare hikes holding; Scott Kirby downplays a JetBlue acquisition; Breeze expands at CHS; Listener feedback on Bryan Bedford's Biden Administration comment.

Scott McCartney with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. Topics: Airspace management, equipment modernization, controller staffing, and more. Also: Weather and a sinkhole, and Spirit's eye popping March numbers tell the unfortunate story.

Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Doug Parker on Crisis Management. News: Berkshire Hathaway buys stake in Delta; FAA staffing report released; Allegiant - Sun Country deal completed; Spirit capacity update; SWA new gates in San Antonio; MD-11s back in service at FedEx; Listener input on PBI being renamed DJT.

Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Henry Hardeveldt in Panama City, Panama. Guests from Copa Airlines: Robert Carey, EVP, & Deniece Nicholas Holness, Director, System Operations Control Center. Also: Spirit's scattered airplanes and engines; Delta crew scheduling concerns; Frontier's cost increase & aircraft utilization issue; PBI named Donald J Trump International Airport.

Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz. A tip of the hat to Spirit. Also: Remembering Ben Baldanza's vision and success, and what changed after Ben's departure as Spirit's CEO.  What contributed to the downfall, and which carriers will benefit most going forward; Also: Revamped front cabin pricing initiatives; JetBlue results; NY/NJ Port Authority adding transponders to vehicles; Listener corrections and comments.

Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Rick Elieson, Chief Revenue Officer, Signature Aviation. News: Spirit's potential government bailout; Overall demand for air travel continues; Q1 results; Alaska-Hawaiian system cutover process; NTSB preliminary report issued on LGA CRJ/fire truck incident.

Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Hosts Charles Duncan & Jay Sorensen. Discussion topics: The Scott Kirby vision - What if? The issues with United and American; Spirit now asking for a government bailout; Listener question on credit card profitability.

Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Guest: Vicki Jaramillo, EVP/Chief Commercial Officer, Orlando International Airport. Topics: Q1 loss at Delta; Fuel cost impact; Citibank files objection to Spirit proceeding; Pricing pressures & baggage fees; Listener feedback on safety issues previously discussed, plus a quick shout-out from George & Caroline.

Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Khalid Usman, Partner, Oliver Wyman. News: British Airways to allow Video/Audio calls with Starlink; Spirit proceedings update; JetBlue & United raise bag fees; FAA reducing SFO arrival rate; Kevin Burke of ACI to retire; IATA's Willie Walsh named new CEO at IndiGo replacing Pieter Elbers; Listener feedback on "Professor" Doug Parker's route profitability.

Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest Dave Harvey, Founder/Principal, Harvey Global Advisory. 4/1/26 items: SWA introduces "Cattle Class" and LUV app, while Scott Kirby eyes CEO position at Spirit; News: Gary Kelly recognized for work at SWA; Air Canada/Fire truck fatal incident at LGA; Presidential directive issued to pay TSA agents; United coach couch seating; JetBlue evaluating potential sale opportunities.

This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan: Guest: Robin Hayes, Chairman/CEO, Airbus North America. Also: A report on the JP Morgan conference; The TSA situation; Could a constitutional amendment be helpful? Air travel used as political football; Allegiant-Sun Country merger approved; Listener feedback on Professor Doug Parker's Route & Hub Profitability class.

Host Scott McCartney with "Professor" Doug Parker on Route & Hub Profitability. Also: Traffic levels at O'Hare; TSA funding issues continue; Spirit plan calls for more shrinking; Listener takes issue with idea that General Aviation not paying fair share.

Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Michael Huerta, Fmr Administrator, FAA. Also: The war and fuel prices; A change of the Homeland Security Administrator; Delta leadership changes; Listener feedback on the loyalty program pooling idea.

Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Charlie Sultan, President Concur Travel. Topics: Major Middle East air travel disruptions; Elliot Management sells more SWA shares - says "mission accomplished"; Frontier shares drop; Spirit to drop billions in debt and push forward; An idea for an LCC to gain a competitive advantage; Listener input on Chris Sununu's ash tray comment, ATC improvement thoughts.

This week: Guest Co-Host: Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Chris Sununu, CEO, Airlines for America. Also: Spirit announces plan to emerge from bankruptcy; Dealing with the Nor'easter and DHS funding issues; United announces lower redemption costs for co-branded credit cardholders; Listener input on the suspension of the Trusted Traveler Program, and the labor situation at American.

Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Sean Donohue, Fmr CEO, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Also: Party Balloons (not drones) over El Paso Airport; Government shutdown & potential disruption in TSA operations; Two Elliott Mgt-aligned Board Members step down at SWA; Spirit & Frontier reduce number of planes; Labor concerns continue at AA, Does American have an internal cultural problem? Should DFW and Love Field ownership be combined? A pilot listener's personal experiences with major airline shutdowns.

Guest Co-Host, Charles Duncan, Guest: Scott Hamilton, Founder & Managing Director, Leeham Company and author: The Rise and Fall of Boeing: And The Way Back. Also: Elliott Mgt sells some SWA shares; Spirit sells more Chicago gates; AA employees vote no confidence; International travel bookings down; Listener Q on hub economics.

Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: David Seymour, COO, American Airlines. Topics: AA hit hard by weather related operational issues; A good week for Southwest, cash pouring in, will Elliott Mgt cash out? American earnings drop; JetBlue down; NTSB report issued on chopper collision with AA flight; Big increase in flights by United at ORD; Listener questions: Is there room for a new airline? What's the cost to start service at an airport?

Guest CoHost Dave Hilfman. Guest: John Heimlich, VP/Chief Economist, Airlines For America. Also: Michael O'Leary and Elon Musk spar over Starlink; The latest Wall Street Journal airline scorecard; Is Castlelake an answer to Spirit's woes? American corrects "most profitable hub" statement on previous episode; Listener input on Southwest's new revenue prospects.

Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz. Topics: Do the rich fly Delta? Frontier not yet selling tickets for Spring/Summer - Did Barry Biffle run off with the scheduling system password? Looking at the Frontier-Spirit potential in a different way; ALPA appeals to Spirit bondholders; JetZero completes Series B Round; Listener thoughts on Basic Economy purchasing decisions, and American's seeming lack of investment in CLT.

Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman, Guest: Don Carty, Chairman, Porter Airlines. Also: The Allegiant- Sun Country deal; Is Frontier-Spirit now more likely? Altimeter conflict - FAA putting out 5G plan for public comment; Airport debt increase rises; Expansion at (AUS) Austin, TX; SWA transformation progress; Listener input on baggage fee structure and an alternative method.

Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Jeremy Bowen, CEO, Cirium. Topic: 2025 On Time Performance Award Winners. Also: Storms caused holiday travel challenges; Two operational mismanagement examples; American increases Chicago flights; Spirit burning through cash; Listener questions if Pratt & Whitney sponsorship impacts the podcast's news coverage.

This week:  Host Scott McCartney with Chris Sloan. Reviews: American's new A321XLR Flagship Suite & JetBlue's new JFK Lounge.  Also: The $50MM Spirit Christmas gift; More Spirit-Frontier talks; Frontier CEO Barry Biffle out, James Dempsey named Interim CEO; Volaris and Viva Aerobus seek to combine;  Delta President Glen Hauenstein to retire; Memphis renames it's airport; Positive listener feedback on the Doug Parker airline pricing episode. Next episode: Jan 7th, 2026. Happy New Year!

This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Topics: 13 years of unpaid parking comes due; Spirit refutes competitors' talk of impending shutdown; Losses due to government flight reductions; Lots to say about Southwest - Leadership, lounges, and more; AUS Execs and others stopped by for PIT re-opening; Sec. Duffy works out at the airport; Peraton selected to overhaul FAA systems; Listener comments on Love Field, a correction re Finnair, and a listener-listener response.

This week: Host Scott McCartney attends Doug Parker's "School of Airline Pricing" - Extensive insights into pricing considerations.

This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Guest: Phil Washington, CEO, Denver Int. Airport. Also: Ramifications from the Airbus immediate software requirement; DFW gets Turkey Award; Holiday travel vs last year; Bids for TAP Air Portugal; Listener input on where the projected new DFW passengers will come from, an idea of an AA-SWA merger, and the political environment's impact on international visitors.

This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman. Topics: Thanksgiving travel projections; US Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy releases "Golden Age of Travel" PSA; Dress codes & bare feet on seat backs; JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty calls for policy equity; Visit USA Act introduced; UPS 2976 crash update; Tribute to Peter J. Dolara, Fmr SVP, American Airlines; Listener response to Scott Kirby interview. Plus: Will American step up their game?

This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Fmr CEO United, Guest: Scott Kirby, CEO, United. Topics: Air travel as a political tool; Credit card swipe fee change impact on airlines; A Scott Kirby job assessment by the person who hired him.

Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman, Guest Alex Cruz, Fmr. CEO, British Airways. News: Tripadvisor kills SeatGuru; US Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy reduces air traffic; Government shutdown breakthrough in the works; UPS Flight 2976 crashes on takeoff; Listener questions on the value of international partnerships.

This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Alex Mans. Founder & CEO, FLYR. Topics: AI for airlines; Yahrzeit for Ben Baldanza; The case for using the $18B trust fund to pay controllers; Listener input includes a correction relating to Ryanair, travel spend by different disposable income levels.

Scott McCartney with Guests: Andrew Watterson, COO, SWA and Jay Sorensen, Pres, IdeaWorks; Topics: An SWA update; 2025 ancillary revenue report. Also: Results for American, Southwest, and Alaska; Nat Pieper joins American as CCO; Listener input from Storrington, England.

This week: Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan, Guest: Theo Panagiotoulias, CEO, Star Alliance. Also: A deep dive into the low cost sector; United earnings and aggressive growth; Shai Weiss to step down at year end, Corneel Koster to be named new CEO, Virgin Atlantic; Seat cleaning grounds Finnair A321s; Spirit projects more losses; with cash stability; Observations from the Wings Club Gala; Listener Input on LCC growth.

Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis, Guests: Architects Luis Vidal & Carolyn Sponza - The new Pittsburgh International Airport. Also: Fall earnings season, Delta numbers; Spirit sheds aircraft - is deal with Frontier more likely? Listener input on Delta Tech Ops and Airport gate allocations.

This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Doug Parker, Fmr CEO, American Airlines and Guest: Richard Anderson, Fmr CEO, Delta Air Lines. A conversation with two transformative leaders.

This week: Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan, Guest: Pedro Heilbron, CEO, Copa Airlines; Topics: Top level change at Alaska Airlines; Breeze comes to Norfolk VA; Ramifications of judicial decision on United / American gate reallocation in Chicago; WSJ updates & expands story on toxic fume events; Info on the "Aviation EMBA Program"; A Spirit - AerCap update; JetBlue brings joy to 12 year old boy and family; Listener input on Holly Hegeman interview and the SWA network.

This week: Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Holly Hegeman, Founder, PlaneBusiness. Topics: Job cut warning and cash concerns at Spirit; US tells Delta - Aeroméxico to unwind joint venture; L3 Harris and Frontier Communications cables cause huge Dallas area disruption for American; C.D. McLean, Fmr COO, Continental, passes; "The Ontario Tower Buzzards" will play at ONT Field; Listener input on WSJ article on toxic cabin fumes.

This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Nat Pieper, CEO. Oneworld. Topics: Conference season comments; Southwest moves towards introducing premium experiences and international service; Listener Q's on social media impacting Spirit's brand, Southwest O & D saturation and use of RJs.

This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guests: Mark Streeter & Jamie Baker, Analysts, JP Morgan Chase; News: Spirit shrinks; United adds flights in Spirit markets; SWA offers up a freebie; Passenger compensation rules changing; Steven Udvar-Házy retires with sale of Air Lease; International visits to the US down; Listener Q's all center around Spirit.

This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest: Peter Ingram, Fmr CEO, Hawaiian Airlines. Breaking News: What really forced Spirit back into Chapter 11? AerCap claims default triggered; Spirit's poor communication, what markets will see reductions in service, and Frontier Chairman Bill Franke talking with Spirit Chairman Robert Milton and Pres/CEO Dave Davis.