Airlines Confidential Podcast
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
June 9, 2026 • 89 mins
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 fr...
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June 2, 2026 • 71 mins
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.
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May 26, 2026 • 62 mins
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.
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May 19, 2026 • 54 mins
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.
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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.
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May 5, 2026 • 36 mins
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 com...
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April 28, 2026 • 56 mins
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.
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April 21, 2026 • 74 mins
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.
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April 14, 2026 • 59 mins
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.
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April 7, 2026 • 74 mins
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.
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March 31, 2026 • 94 mins
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.
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March 24, 2026 • 79 mins
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.
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March 18, 2026 • 69 mins
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.
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March 10, 2026 • 68 mins
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.
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March 3, 2026 • 71 mins
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.
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February 24, 2026 • 59 mins
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.
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February 17, 2026 • 87 mins
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...
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February 10, 2026 • 74 mins
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.
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February 3, 2026 • 73 mins
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 a...
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January 27, 2026 • 79 mins
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.
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