Airlines Confidential Podcast
by Scott McCartney
Hosted by Scott McCartney, Fmr. Travel Editor/"Middle Seat" Columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Top Stories, C-Suite Guests, Listener Q's. The Leading Podcast Reaching Travel Industry Insiders, Frequent Flyers, & Aviation Geeks. Created by & Dedicated to Ben Baldanza.
Episodes
-
362 - Guest Co-Host: Maya Leibman. Guest: Ed Pizzarello, Loyalty Program Expert
Guest Co-Host: Maya Leibman. Guest: Ed Pizzarello, Podcaster/Loyalty Program Expert. Also: The FAA and floppy discs; JetBlue bumps up bag fees; Windowless window seat lawsuit; Allegiant reports; Listener input on Boom supersonic travel.
-
361 - Guest Co-Host Doug Parker, Guest Chris Sununu, CEO, A4A
Guest Co-Host Doug Parker, Guest Chris Sununu, CEO, Airlines for America. Topics: Post election directions; Breaking Down Barriers' Aviator's Ball; Love Field expansion talks at North Dallas Chamber of Commerce Aviation Breakfast; JetBlue & Frontier results; How a CEO preps for an earnings call;...
-
360 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman
Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman. Topics: Earnings numbers, Big win for United; FAA certifies Boeing 737 MAX 10; Southwest shows growth; Alaska/Hawaiian challenges; Will jet fuel prices force more consolidation? Listener input on SWA's lounge brand.
-
359 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis
Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Topics: Back to the Future Week; Airline stocks; Southwest Media Day announcements; A focus on JetBlue; Lufthansa to acquire large stake in TAP Air Portugal; Politico story on potential government stake in Air Space Intelligence; American…
more -
358 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Dave Emerson, CEO, Virgin Australia
This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest Dave Emerson, CEO, Virgin Australia. Also: Delta reports lower earnings; Riyadh airport war disruptions; JetBlue financials; Gary Leff's View From The Wing reports change in American's bumping policy; Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) new terminal…
more -
357 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt
Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Topics: Terrorism by 1st officer on FlyDubai; A NASA SR-71 Blackbird revival? Scott Kirby envisions massive increase in United Chicago flights; United launches Base First fare and status match; Does Starlink move customers? Alaska Atmos Rewards…
more -
356 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz. Guest: Ben Minicucci, CEO, Alaska Airlines
Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz. Guest: Ben Minicucci, CEO, Alaska Air Group. Also: Airline market capitalization, Primary and backup system failure at Philly TRACON; Market share numbers & discussion; Listener input on Frontier's "Spirit" plane, and pilot pay.
-
355 - Scott McCartney with Jimmy Dempsey, CEO, Frontier Airlines - From Denver, CO
Scott McCartney with Jimmy Dempsey, CEO, Frontier Airlines - From the stage of The American Bar Association's 2026 Forum on Air and Space Law Annual Meeting in Denver. Session presented by Husch Blackwell. Plus: AirBaltic bankruptcy filing; Ryanair adds capacity; US airlines cutting certain…
more -
354 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Andrew Levy, CEO, Avelo Airlines
Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Andrew Levy, CEO, Avelo Airlines. Also: The London UK ATC system failure; Gate Pass pilot program; Positive signs from JetBlue; Hyatt splits with American and announces Delta partnership; The Miami incident; Listener reaction to Beverley…
more -
353 - 9/11 - 25th Remembrance - Scott McCartney, Doug Parker, Beverley Bass
Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Doug Parker. Guest: Beverley Bass, Pilot, American Airlines - Remembering 9/11 - 25 years later plus reflections on Come From Away. Also: Doug Parker receives 2026 L. Welch Pogue Award for Lifetime Achievement in Aviation; SWA confirms lounge openings; Sean…
more -
352 - Chris Sloan profiles Canadian North Airlines
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...
-
351 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Brett Burgess, CEO, ATPCO
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...
-
350 - Scott McCartney with Delta CEO Ed Bastian. Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt
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...
-
349 - Scott McCartney with Jay Sorensen, CEO, IdeaWorks: Ancillary Revenue in Depth
Scott McCartney with Jay Sorensen, CEO, IdeaWorks Company: Ancillary Revenue in Depth. Bag fees, Seat options, co-branded credit cards, lounges, and more.
-
348 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Dr. Jeremy Stone, CEO, EERO Group
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.
-
347 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Greg Anderson, CEO, Allegiant Travel Company
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.
-
346 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz
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.
-
345 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman
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...
-
344 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman. Guest: Joerg Eberhart, CEO, ITA Airways
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…
more -
343 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis
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...
-
342 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host and Guest Chris Chiames
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...
-
341 - Guest: Glen Hauenstein, Fmr. President, Delta Air Lines
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…
more -
340 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan. Guest: Erik Olund, CEO, Sky Chefs
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...
-
339 - Scott McCartney with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford
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.
-
338 - Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Doug Parker on Crisis Management
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...
-
337 - From Panama: Focus on Copa Airlines: Robert Carey, EVP, / Deniece Nicholas Holness, Dir, System Operations
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 &...
-
336 - Scott McCartney & Oscar Munoz: A tip of the hat to Spirit Airlines
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…
more -
335 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Rick Elieson, Chief Revenue Officer, Signature Aviation
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.
-
334 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Hosts Charles Duncan & Jay Sorensen
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.
-
333 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Guest: Vicki Jaramillo, EVP/CCO, Orlando Int. Airport
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…
more -
332 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Khalid Usman, Partner, Oliver Wyman
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…
more -
331 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Dave Harvey, Founder, Harvey Global Advisory
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...
-
330 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Robin Hayes, CEO, Airbus North America
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...
-
329- Scott McCartney with "Professor" Doug Parker on Route & Hub Profitability
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.
-
328 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Michael Huerta, Fmr Administrator, FAA
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.
-
327 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Charlie Sultan, President Concur Travel
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...
-
326 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Chris Sununu, CEO, Airlines for America
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...
-
325 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Sean Donohue, Fmr CEO, DFW Int. Airport
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...
-
324 - Guest Co-Host, Charles Duncan, Guest: Scott Hamilton, Author, Founder, Leeham Company
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…
more -
323 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: David Seymour, COO, American Airlines
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…
more -
322 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman. Guest: John Heimlich, VP/Chief Economist, AFA
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...
-
321 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz
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;...
-
320 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Don Carty, Chairman, Porter Airlines
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...
-
319 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Jeremy Bowen, CEO, Cirium
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 &...
-
318 - Scott McCartney with Chris Sloan - Reviews of American & JetBlue New Offerings
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;...
-
317 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis
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...
-
316 - Host Scott McCartney attends Doug Parker's "School of Airline Pricing"
This week: Host Scott McCartney attends Doug Parker's "School of Airline Pricing" - Extensive insights into pricing considerations.
-
315 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Guest Phil Washington, CEO, Denver Int. Airport
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…
more -
314 - Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman
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…
more -
313 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Fmr CEO United, Guest: Scott Kirby, CEO, United
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.
About this show
Hosted by Scott McCartney, Fmr. Travel Editor/"Middle Seat" Columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Top Stories, C-Suite Guests, Listener Q's. The Leading Podcast Reaching Travel Industry Insiders, Frequent Flyers, & Aviation Geeks. Created by & Dedicated to Ben Baldanza.
Hosted by
Scott McCartney
Categories