This week: Scott's McCartney's Guest Co-Host is Doug Parker; Guest: Aengus Kelly, Exec. Director & CEO, AerCap Holdings: News: United reports positive earnings & offers two different projections; Spirit hires Dave Davis as CEO as speculation builds on a merger with Frontier; American teaming with AT&T to offer free Wi-Fi; Listener Q on potential re…

This week: Scott's Guest Co-Host is Dave Hilfman, Special Report: Chris Sloan on the Pacific Island Hopper; News: Frontier, Delta, revenue lower than projected; United adding significant numbers of seats; What's happening with the NOTAM system? FAA still having trouble with technology; Avelo accepts contract to operate deportation flights; Listener…

Guest Host: Oscar Munoz, Guests: Milind Tavshikar, CEO, SmartKargo & Marco Ferrara, Mngr Product/Strategy, Delta; Ted Christie out as Spirit CEO: Republic buying Mesa; Info on new Executive Aviation focused MBA program at U of Colorado; Airline stocks take another beating; United adding interesting Asian flights; Economic changes potential effects …

An interview with writer Ken Worpole about his influential work on the 'New English Landscape' and his new book Brightening from the East. Ken's website is at worpole.net and his publisher is Little Toller Books. Music by Micro Moon from the album Figures in a Landscape. I (Justin) am doing my show The Great Satanic Swindle in April, with dates in …

This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan; Guest: Eamonn Brennan, Fmr Director General, Eurocontrol; News: Trans Canada booking data conflicts; Potential market share shifts related to fees; Alaska/Hawaiian increasing Asian service from Seattle; Listener input: Lots about SWA, but not much about JetBlue's situation, YTD stock prices, and future pilot…

An interview with designer David Knight about 'plotlands' communities in the UK and the work of anarchist writer Colin Ward. David's practice is DK-CM, and the book Mutual Aid, Everyday Anarchism: Essays on Colin Ward is from Five Leaves Publishing. Music by Asher Levitas from his album Peripheral Lands. I (Justin) am doing my show The Great Satani…

This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt; Guest: Justin Jones, EVP Operations, Southwest Airlines. Recorded in Dallas TX at Cirium OTP Board Meeting; News: Heathrow power failure; International travel slowdown; Report issued on Delta CRJ incident; Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford nominated to head FAA; SWA earns world's lowest cancellation rate;…

This week: Scott's Co-Host is Maya Leibman; Guest: Elise Eberwein, Fmr EVP, American Airlines; News: Crisis communication; Delta celebrates 100 Years; Revised earnings projections from United, Delta; The SWA transition; Spirit's quick exit from bankruptcy; Listener Q's on airlines deferring OEM deliveries.…

An interview with folk duo Stick in the Wheel about their recent album A Thousand Pokes, a kind of psychogeographic dig into London through folk song. Check out Stick in the Wheel at their website, including tour dates, and get A Thousand Pokes from Bandcamp. I (Justin) am doing my show The Great Satanic Swindle in April, with dates in Stockton-on-…

This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis; News: Big bag news & changes at Southwest; Can SWA remain SWA? Cost of enplaned passenger (CPE) & the structure around airport funding; AA asks for a NE Alliance deal review; Staffing requirement change at DCA; A Scott Mini-Rant on Axios fare data conclusion; Listener Q on the future of SWA, & a look ahe…

This week: JetBlue's Top Senior Leadership - Joanna Geraghty, CEO and Marty St. George, President. News: The SWA go-around to avoid Flexjet in Chicago; SWA routes and distribution changes; Frontier makes significant moves in Atlanta; A rant from Scott; Some very much appreciated listener input.By Scott McCartney

This week: Scott's Guest Co-Host is Doug Parker; Guest: Sara Nelson, President, Association of Flight Attendants; Topics: Organized labor, Partners and mergers, Delta 4819 flight lands, flips upside down, crew performs with excellence, all survive; A drop in government travel, A4A seeks congressional funding to fix the FAA; Spirit restructuring dea…

This week: Guest Co-Host Chris Sloan with info on BermudAir; Several see Spirit as attractive; British Airways & Virgin participate in love triangle; Las Vegas "Supplemental" Airport in the works; American adds to BOS-LGA; Tom Doxey to Southwest as CFO; DCA incident news update; Boeing steps up deliveries; Listener comments on open skies in the new…

This week: Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Jim Compton, Fmr Vice Chairman/Chief Revenue Officer of United Airlines. Topics: Pricing: Favorite Superbowl ads; United brings back stroopwafels; PSA 5342/PAT 25 Crash info update; JetBlue ending BOS-LGA service; United asking for American gates in ORD? Frontier reports interesting numbers.…

This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz; News: A tragic week in aviation; Context and elements to consider; Frontier (again) tries to buy Spirit; Is the American-JetBlue Northeast Alliance back on the table? Listener input on Spirit's attempt at upgraded services, plus differing thoughts on the work of the TSA and Fmr Admin David Pekoske.…

This week: Scott McCartney - Island Edition from Hawaii; News: David Pekoske out as TSA Administrator; American reports good times-bad times; Operating margin numbers; Wall Street Journal's latest performance rankings; On Point Loyalty's report on loyalty program values; Lister comments: Comparing AOPA to NRA goes to far.…

This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt; SWA rejects outgoing DOT "chronically late" fine, DOT sues SWA; Service increase coming to TLV; A Delta - United near collision over PHX; Spirit announces layoffs; Can GoBig/GoComfy upsells drive significant revenue? AMEX GBT / CWT merger challenged by US Dept of Justice; Azul Abra/Avianca looking to merge…

This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Fmr President, Norse Atlantic; News: Tough week for air travel; Questions around wheel well stowaways; Ed Bastian's Sphere presentation & numbers behind Delta's earnings report; Overall capacity changes taking hold; Bill Swellbar report referenced; Bob Jordan's 737 store open for business; Fmr Boeing CEO say…

This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis, CEO, Pittsburgh Int. Airport; Guest Jeremy Bowen, CEO, Cirium; News: Context around recent airliner crashes; DOT fines JetBlue 2MM for chronic lateness; Silver Airways files Ch11, Alaska shares and others up significantly in 2024; 2025 expectations; Elements of Airport-Airlines communication and collabor…

This week: Guest Co-Host Doug Parker, Fmr CEO, American Airlines. Guest: Nick Calio, President/CEO, Airlines for America; News: New FAA Commissioner Jan 20th; Investor David Bonderman passes; Is Alaska's expanding international service from SEA sustainable? Infrastructure constraints. Listener Q's on best travel tips, privatizing ATC. Happy Holiday…

This week: Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman; Guest: Jim Butler, CFO at London Gatwick Airport / Managing Director at Global Infrastructure Partners; News: TSA screening numbers; Some projections indicate travel rebound; Is Frontier adding big seats up front a good idea? Listener comments on airlines being likened to Amazon, JetBlue-Southwest merger viabi…

This week: Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman; A look into the "major" report on airline fees from U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) chaired by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT); Budget allocations & potential for privatizing ATC in new administration; High hopes for DOT Admin Nominee Sean Duffy; Reaction to NYT stories on padding sch…

This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Fmr Chairman, United; Plus: Andrew Watterson, COO, SWA, with Scott McCartney at ONT "State of the Airport" day in Ontario CA; News: Spirit's "Basic Economy Bankruptcy" moves forward; A discussion around change fees; Lund out, Ackerman in as Boeing head of quality; Arthur Frommer passes at 95; Listener Q on Aer …

This week: Chris Sloan flies Iberia and reports on the A321 XLR inaugural flight; Plus: Facts, context, and perspective on the Spirit prepackaged bankruptcy plan, what Ben would say, and what happens next; Gunshots hit multiple aircraft; Court rules Oakland is not San Francisco.By Scott McCartney

This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, President, Atmosphere Research Group; Remembrance: B. Ben Baldanza passes at age 62 from ALS; News: New chairman & 5 new board members at SWA; Expected FAA changes in 2nd Trump Administration; SAF Policies; Is it time to privatize air traffic? Cirium holiday capacity projections; Back to work at Boeing; Th…

This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Fmr President, Norse Atlantic Airways; Guest: Frank Lorenzo, Fmr CEO, Continental Airlines; News: JetBlue, SkyWest, Frontier Q3 report; Frontier takes deliveries of new Airbus 320neo; Increased competition for LCCs; DOT new refund rule result for consumers; Canadian Transportation Agency proposes fining airl…

This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis, CEO, Pittsburgh Int Airport; Gary Kelly steps down while Bob Jordan stays at SWA-Can the culture survive?; Boeing strike drags on; AA gets hit with largest ever accessibility related fine; PIT seeing big increase in VIP travelers; A Frontier deal for Spirit may be back in play; The job of an airport CEO;…

This week: Guest Co-Host Doug Parker, Fmr. CEO, American Airlines & Co-Founder, Breaking Down Barriers; News: United earnings report, Southwest stockholder Elliott Mgt calls for shareholder meeting; What makes a good Board Member? A discussion on SWA current dynamics; The AA / Skiplagged decision and an airline perspective on Skiplagging; FAA launc…

An interview with Elizabeth Bennett about her new book, Performing Folk Songs: Affect, Landscape, Repertoire. Find Elizabeth on Instagram and find the book via Bloomsbury. The music in this episode is from the new album by Stick in the Wheel, A Thousand Pokes, available from their Bandcamp. Host Justin Hopper has an Uncanny Landscapes substack. The…

This week: Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman, Fmr EVP/CIO, American Airlines; Guest: Patrick O'Keeffe, Fmr SVP – People, American Airlines; News: Delta forecasts weaker revenue; Some CrowdStrike context; Disagreement over Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF); Are terminal robo-wheelchairs on the horizon? Boeing strike negotiations not going well; United announ…

This week: Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Fmr SVP, Worldwide Sales at United Airlines; News: Is Spirit planning for a bankruptcy? SWA Board member Rakesh Gangwal buys 3.6M shares - Can improvements be made fast enough? International conflicts affecting travel; Spy transfers FAA infrastructure intel to Iran; United FAA safety review completed; Toyota i…

This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Fmr Chairman & CEO, United Airlines; News from Southwest's Investor Day: The SWA plan to increase revenue; GAO report on FAA sites unsustainable systems; The story behind the Munoz transformation of United. Book: Turnaround Time: Uniting an Airline and Its Employees in the Friendly Skies. https://airlinesconfid…

This week: Jeff Martin, President/CEO, Aero Design Labs; Plus: Southwest's challenges; Alaska - Hawaiian a done deal with special DOT conditions - now what? Potential next moves for Hawaiian's Peter Ingram; JetBlue lounges coming soon; Listener Q on flight data. Next week: Oscar Munoz, Guest Co-host.…

This week: Rob Gurney, Fmr CEO, Oneworld Alliance, Also: Amy Spowart, Pres/CEO NAA & David Richardson, Pres Aero Club of Washington DC on the Wright Brothers Trophy; Plus: New format announcement; Lots about the situation at Southwest; Boeing on strike; AA F/A contract ratified; 2 airport collisions.…

This week: Vasu Raja, Fmr. Chief Commercial Officer, American Airlines; Also: Sept. 11th reflection; JetBlue revises earnings guidance; DOT decides to evaluate award programs instead of addressing flight delay causes; Orlando & Las Vegas market data; Listener input on keeping labor in mind at Spirit.…

This week: Dominic Gates, Aerospace Journalist / Boeing Reporter, The Seattle Times; Plus: SAS emerges from bankruptcy with new owners Air France/KLM and more; Norse Atlantic trims fleet, puts focus on 787-9s, joins GDS; Canada based Flair seeks new partners; A SeaTac hack; Airlines gained/lost share in key markets; Listener response to Spirit tick…

This week: Suzanne Neufang, CEO, Global Business Travel Association; Breaking News: Which airline might trigger Congressional action on "Taxable Transportation"?; TSA Labor Day weekend projections; Mike Spanos out as Delta's EVP/COO; John Laughter & Allison Ausband assume operational responsibilities; Listener Q on 1st class boarding; an equipment …

This week: David Seymour, COO, American Airlines; The Alaska-Hawaii situation in depth; JetBlue leverages TrueBlue; Shares down on multiple carriers; Breeze blows down Avelo's neck in New Haven; Questions & comments: Southwest vs Spirit new in-flight experience; Listeners thank Ben Baldanza.By Scott McCartney

This week: An announcement from Ben Baldanza; Plus, never before told Ben stories as Scott McCartney welcomes back Seth Kaplan, Chris Chiames, and Chris Sloan as guests to salute Ben; News: Air & Cruise travel demand; Aircraft delivery delays; Capacity discussion; Delta reliability; Listener Q: What would you do if you were CEO at SWA?…

This week: Bob Jordan, CEO, Southwest Airlines; Airlines as an economic indicator; Will Spirit's new fare classes be the solution to current woes? DOT lays out new rules on family seating; Boeing has a new leader: Robert K. “Kelly” Ortberg; Two airlines cut Austin routes; Listeners input on the SWA boarding process and aircraft types, plus fees.…

This week: William Swelbar, Chief Industry Analyst, Swelbar-Zhong Consultancy; Southwest short on communicating some big changes; A look at Delta's IT meltdown; American down and projects worse; Listener Q on SWA employee reaction to changes.By Scott McCartney

This week: Allison Pohle, Travel Reporter, The Wall Street Journal; Evacuating an aircraft; American comes to agreement with flight attendants; Exploding soda at Southwest; United reducing capacity; IT debacle hits airlines hard, especially Delta; Takeaways from TSA Administrator David Pekoske on stats & plans; Listener takes issue with Scott on fe…

This week: David Pekoske, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Delta and other's earnings; Delta announces partnership with Riyadh Air; Cirium seat data released; Rakesh Gangwal joins Southwest Airlines Board of Directors; Listener Q on bad weather flight decisions.By Scott McCartney

This week: Boeing pleads guilty to defrauding the government; Boeing to buy back supplier Spirit AeroSystems; and more Boeing news; The fee-based travel economy-Have fees gotten out of hand?; Universal Hydrogen burns through $100MM; SWA Q3 revenue down; Listener Q on Spirit Airlines furloughing while increasing executive pay.…

This week: Scott McCartney interviews Ben Baldanza, Fmr CEO, Spirit & current Board Member JetBlue: Ben has been selected to receive National Aeronautic Association 2024 Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy; FAA looking at new public charter rules; The Basic Economy misnomer with almost incomprehensible policies; SWA flight low altitude situations cause…

This week: Tim Toerber, VP Business Development, Assaia; A focus on Southwest - changes coming, overstaffing, the impact of Elliott Investment Management, and more; Mishandled bag numbers; Alaska must pay for a trademark they don't use; Listener suggestions for Southwest.By Scott McCartney

This week: Sammy Patel, VP/Commercial, Vantage Airport Group & CEO Midway Partnership and Simon Gandy, EVP/COO, New Terminal One: Rebuilding JFK: FAA understaffing continues; DOT issues minor fine to foreign carriers over passenger refunds; Increased flights to TLV; GBTA, business travel types, numbers, & average trip cost; Listener input: Differen…

This week: Michael Landguth, Pres. & CEO, Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority; American CEO Robert Isom fires CCO Vasu Raja, actual margins, a brain drain, and more @ AA; Weather issues at DFW; FAA meets with Boeing; A near collision at DCA; Listener Q: If Spirit went bankrupt how would other airlines react?…

This week: Chris Sloan: In depth on Hawaiian Airlines; Also: The reality of the London-Singapore flight story; Adding clarity to Frontier's pricing/change fee policy; Remembering Norm Mineta; Listener input: Calling out Allegiant on a "rip-off" ticketing fee, Expedia's multiple brands. Bonus interview content from AFA available at https://airlinesc…

This week: Simon Newton-Smith, SVP Americas, EL AL Israel Airlines; Cirium seat capacity growth data; Airlines For America sues DOT over fee listings; FAA reauthorization bill signed; Congress misunderstands aircraft capacity & evacuation reality; A change in Boeing assembly line process; Listener comments.…