Airlines Confidential Podcast
Hosted by Ben Baldanza, former CEO Spirit Airlines & Scott McCartney, former Wall Street Journal Aviation Editor/Columnist "The Middle Seat". Top stories, discussion, listener questions, and passenger complaints are all addressed head-on in each episode.
Episodes
June 7, 2023 • 36 mins
This week: Simon Hawkins, Head of Virgin Atlantic, Americas; Also: Ben & Scott talk about business mistakes made and lessons learned; Listener Q: Why did Delta do away with Northwest Cargo Airline? How about Alaska cargo?
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May 31, 2023 • 45 mins
This week: Barry Biffle, CEO, Frontier Airlines; Scott attempts to pass Professor Baldanza's end of term quiz; Listener comments on American's DFW expansion, Charter flight rules, Operations from FBOs, Thoughts on pilot training, and more.
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May 24, 2023 • 61 mins
This week: Ted Christie, CEO, Spirit Airlines - recorded live on stage at Aviation Festival Americas 2023; American comes to agreement with pilots; JetBlue/American Northeast Alliance struck down; In-person listener question: Why no all-luxury airline startups?
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May 17, 2023 • 60 mins
This week: Karen Walker, Editor in Chief, Air Transport World; ATW Awards, Follow up on J.D. Power satisfaction survey; American's operational issues; Airfare inflation numbers; Potential new regulation while major FAA issues persist; Will passengers pay more to fly a more sustainable airline?
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May 10, 2023 • 50 mins
This week: Jonathan Sutter, Sr Director - New J.D. Power Airline Rankings; Congratulations to Ben Baldanza, 2023 recipient of the Joseph S. Murphy Award for service to industry. FAA redraws high altitude route maps; SWA adds USB outlets, bigger bag bins; Vanessa Hudson named Qantas CEO; Listener input: A request for more interview push-back; Local flight subsidies.
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May 3, 2023 • 58 mins
This week: Tom Doxey, President, Breeze Airways; American's $10M Q1 profit & tops on-time departures; SWA loses a 1B in past 6 months; A focus on airline stock winners & losers; Capital Access Alliance calls for increased flight to/from DCA; Listener Q on stability & profits post-Covid,
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April 26, 2023 • 59 mins
This week: David Siegel, Senior Advisor, Apollo Global Management; Another SWA tech issue delays 2000 flights; Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun dealing with delivery issues; EUROCONTROL gets hacked; TSA gun confiscations at checkpoints increases; Listener input: Context to LAX $30/hr wage comments, Winning as an airport's #2 airline; Pilot seniority system; Spirit started as a trucking company?
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April 19, 2023 • 62 mins
This week: Randy Babbitt, Principal, Babbitt & Associates, Fmr FAA Administrator; Delta reports Q1 loss; Ed Bastian says consumers still prioritizing travel; Is a $30/hr minimum wage coming to LAX? Reflections on earnings season; Listener questions: What does Cross-Check actually mean? Did JetBlue miss a big Frontier opportunity?
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April 12, 2023 • 59 mins
This week: David P. Pekoske, Administrator, Transportation Security Administration (TSA); Update on schedule cuts at NY & DC; Serious FAA staffing issues; Dutch court blocks Amsterdam Airport Schiphol from reducing flights; ATL ranked busiest in the world; Future Air Taxi framework; Listener input: DOJ/JetBlue/Spirit/Frontier, basis for pilot pay, future flight restrictions in the name of climate change. .
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April 5, 2023 • 51 mins
This week: Alex Wilcox. CEO, JSX; Correction on AA fare distribution channels; FAA requests fewer flights in NY & DC; Mandatory car seats on planes; Subsidies for airports in smaller communities? Listener input: Need more guest diversity, how to deal with abusive passengers, response to Mo Garfinkle interview.
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March 29, 2023 • 63 mins
This week: Philip Ordway, Managing Principal, Anabatic Investment Partners LLC; Skytrax gives LGA 5 stars: We salute NY/NJ Port Authority's Rick Cotton and the late Bill DeCota; AA Shrinks Corporate sales department/restricts lowest fair purchase options; Listener input on DOJ actions, pilot recruitment & diversity pathways;
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March 22, 2023 • 62 mins
This week: Mo Garfinkle, Chairman, CEO, & Founder, Tailwind Consultants; A different opinion on JetBlue/Spirit; United projects Q1 loss; What might 2023 year look like & is 2019 a fair comparison? Southwest announces post-meltdown followup plans; Schiphol adopts NATS technology; Flair Air sues over 4 repo'd planes; Listener Q: Why the Repo?
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March 15, 2023 • 50 mins
This week: John McDonald, Founder, Caeli Communications; DOJ suit to block JetBlue/Spirit merger & Scott McCartney provides context and price comparison details; JetBlue plans NYC-Paris service; Listener Q: Do some personality types fit better at a particular airline? Do certain beverages taste better at 30,000 feet?
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March 8, 2023 • 60 mins
This week: Atif Elkadi, CEO, Ontario International Airport; Forbes article follow-up: Ben's "Airline Monopoly" analogy explored in detail; How Delta Pilots 34% wage hike will affect others; American updates family seating policy; Explosive material in bag discover by TSA;
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March 1, 2023 • 59 mins
This week: Josh Marks, CEO, Anuvu; AA Chairman Doug Parker steps down; United and Frontier change family seating procedures; Max crash victims case vs Boeing dismissed; Private industry sustainable fuel initiative-how impactful?; Significant summer schedule cuts from AA and Lufthansa; Listener input: PRIA data transparency
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February 22, 2023 • 48 mins
This week: Geoff Hunt, Sr. VP Engineering & Technology, Pratt & Whitney: Another close call: United departing Maui; Air India orders 470 new planes; JetBlue says Spirit deal will result in big South Fla expansion; Scott's take on the deal; Listener feedback: 1500 hour rule discussion/pilot training.
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February 15, 2023 • 56 mins
This week: Mike Swiatek, Chief Strategy & Planning Officer at Avianca and Chairman, Accessibility Working Group at IATA; Focus on Safety & Accessibility; United's Super Bowl ad swipes at Southwest; Biden SOTU attack on industry seating practices & Issues with A4A response statement; Listener follow-up on Colgan Crash comments.
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February 8, 2023 • 72 mins
This week: Kevin P. Healy, President, Campbell-Hill Aviation Group; Also: 747 Trivia with Chris Sloan vs Ben & Scott. Do you know the answers? President Biden wants "junk fees" reigned in; Norway airline Flyr shuts down & files for bankruptcy; Jeff Shane provides a 747 legacy clarification.
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February 1, 2023 • 65 mins
This week: Mark Dombroff, Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP: Q4 and 2022 earnings reports released; 2023 projections bullish; Should someone go to jail over the 737 Max incidents? Listener Q's on mainline aircraft replacing regionals, thoughts on the A220, passenger delays vs airplane delays.
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January 25, 2023 • 72 mins
This week: Michael Lombardi, Senior Corporate Historian, The Boeing Company - Last 747 rolls off the production line. Learn what made the 747 so special to aviation; New Wall Street Journal airline rankings & methodology; Reaction to more Scott Kirby statements; SWA pilot union mentions potential strike vote; Listener Q topics: The "Captain Shortage", Which airline is flying the oldest fleet.
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