Airlines Confidential Podcast

This week: Mike Lenz, CFO, FedEx; Delta reports loss for Q4 due to Omicron; SCOTUS strikes down a vax mandate-relevance to airlines? Michael Inglese CEO Aircastle predicts more aircraft lessor consolidation; Listener question on Delta's RASM/CASM; Complaint: AA changed my departure airport-Fine or Whine?

This week; Tony Lefebvre, COO, Signature Flight Support: Since Christmas-30,000 flights canceled? Allegiant's big Boeing Max order; Listener takes issue with Ben's choice for person of the year; A listener is having airline job-finding challenges; Plus: New year's travel resolutions.

This week: Michael Bell, Aviation Recruiter, Korn & Ferry; The 2021 recap & 2022 Predictions; Omicron impacts; Cancellations; Best interviews so far, and more to come.

Happy New Year from Airlines Confidential. Ben & Chris will be back Jan 5th.

This week: Airline executives on Capitol Hill; Challenges for regional airlines impacting service to small communities? How will Omicron affect international route expansion?  Delta anticipates Q4 profit;  Listener comments re: Southwest taxiing, BWI bathrooms, Shipco; Plus Fine or Whine? & shout-outs.

This week: Jordan Kayloe, Dir. Air Service Development, BWI/Marshall Airport; Reflections on Doug Parker's retirement as CEO of American; Delta reduces loyalty benefits for Basic Economy fares; Boeing names Elizabeth Lund new Production Chief; A Fine or Whine complaint about a Spirit seating issue on which Ben & Chris agree is Fine!

This week: Benjamin Plummer, VP, Elemental Cognition; An Omicron variant update; United's 1st flight using 100% sustainable av fuel; The new Allegiant/Aerobus alliance; Listener Q re: Southwest taxi speeds & additional capacity: Complaint: They wouldn't let me give my 1st upgrade seat to Mom. Fine? or Whine?

This week: Rick Deurloo, Chief Commercial Officer, Pratt & Whitney unveils GTF Advantage engine; Thanksgiving travel recap; The Omicron variant - now what? A crackdown on unruly passengers; Listener Q on our David Neeleman interview re: start-up routes; Complaint: Southwest sale fares only available on web - Fine or Whine? An IATA shout-out.

This week: David Neeleman, Founder, Breeze Airways, JetBlue, & More; Dubai Air Show new aircraft orders; AA & United talk holiday staffing at Skift; Listener Q's: Should the EAS program be terminated? From Australia: Is Qantas & it's LCC successful? Complaint: Alaska Airlines Charged $125 to seat my grandson next to me - Fine or Whine? Plus a tribute and shout-out.

This week; Roger Dow President/CEO, U.S. Travel Association; USA inbound travel rules kick in; A re-sizing/re-deployment of long haul equipment; United drops service to 3 markets; Is the GE business division breakup good for the aviation sector? Plus shout-outs.

This week: Robert Sumwalt, Former Chair, National Transportation Safety Board; Ryan Air / Wizz Air differing growth projections; Azul makes a play for LATAM; Fuel prices & strategies behind hedging; Listener Q: Breeze's ability to attract pilots? Plus this week's shout outs

This week: Chris Sloan reports on first Breeze Airways A220 & it's unusual configuration; American's operational/staffing issues; Avoiding issues at Thanksgiving; What should a CEO do when a Flight Attendant gets punched? How do airlines select what equipment goes where? Fine or Whine? and shout-outs.

This week: Michael G. Whitaker, Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group; Q3 financial results; SkyWest operational issues; Listener Q: What airline was the first to offer passengers a "barf bag"? Plus shout-outs (apologies for technical audio issues)

This week: Mark A. Dombroff, Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP; Delta posts a profit; Southwest service starts to recover; Boeing has another rough week; Spirit accommodates displaced passengers on other airlines?; How do fuel price increases affect Legacy, ULCC, & LCC? Plus shout-outs.

This week: Major service disruption at Southwest; Spotlight on Air India, The Tata Group, & Air travel competition in India; British Airways low cost spin-off back in the news; Listener Q: Is it time for public education to reduce the number of rude passengers? First Class passenger behaving badly-Fine or Whine? Plus the week's shout-outs.

This week: Linda Rutherford, EVP for People & Communications, Southwest Airlines; More employee vaccination mandates; The JetBlue/AA alliance spurs competition? Delta beefs up Boston; Can Aha Airlines (ExpressJet) succeed? An Avianca & Sky Airlines merger?  AAdvantage's disadvantage to Europe; How do you play the "Hub Draft" game?

This week: Vasu Raja, Chief Revenue Officer at AA; British Airways scraps low cost startup idea and blames pilots; Should an airline's "no fly list" be shared among the industry and made public? Listener Q's plus a complaint about Frontier- Fine or Whine? A shout-out to Bamboo Air in Vietnam

This week: Andrew Levy, Founder, Chairman & CEO Avelo Airlines;  British Airways, alternative fuel, & questions needing answers; Can American replace the  LATAM alliance loss with GOL? Who will get the open slots at Newark? A listener challenges the argument for PFCs, & from Australia: Potential for a Spirit/Frontier merger? An upset Delta Elite-Fine or Whine?

This week: Dave Dickson, Fmr Airline Audit Chair at Ernst & Young; 9-11 recollections; Stepped up employee Covid requirements; Navigating airline labor concerns and shortages; Alternate fuel use by 2030; Listener Q's; Why did I get a meal in economy? Stuck on the tarmac for 6 hours - Fine or Whine?

THANK YOU for landing us in the top 1% of all podcasts! This week: Guest: Christina Cassotis CEO Allegheny County Airport Authority (Pittsburgh); Business travel's slower return; Q3 reports/projections; Southwest Pilots sue; Boeing 787 delivery delays; Listener questions, Fine or Whine? & Shoutouts.

This week: Our correspondent Chris Sloan on JetBlue's inaugural London flight; Delta's insurance surcharge for unvaccinated employees; Arrivederci to Alitalia; Southwest cuts 27 flights; British Air launching a low cost carrier. Next week: We celebrate episode #100!

This week: Guest: Felix Antelo, President/CEO, Viva Air Colombia; The mask mandate extension; A look at new data on service and customer satisfaction; Listener question: "My wife didn't board the plane, why did her bag still fly?"; An Alaska Airlines passenger complaint-Fine or Whine?

This week: A wide-ranging labor discussion with Jerry Glass of F&H Solutions Group; Covid variant alters recovery outlook; JetBlue's inaugural flight to London; Spirit's meltdown recovery process;  Listener Q's: from Italy regarding Wizz Air; Should Delta re-brand? Southwest pricing complaint-Fine or Whine? Shout-outs.

This week: Chris Sloan talks Ghost Airports (Boo!); The Spirit operational meltdown; Copa Airlines Q2 results & competitive advantages; United's Scott Kirby announces 100% employee vaccine requirement; The Frontier duct tape passenger take-down. Plus listener questions and shout-outs.

This week, Guest: John Heimlich, VP/Chief Economist, Airlines for America; New Covid guidelines; Delta extends elite benefits to 2023; What Southwest's new deal with Sabre means; United's buying spree continues; Plus Fine? or Whine?