Scott McCartney

Airlines Confidential Podcast

Business EN ↓ 344 episodes

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.

Author

Scott McCartney

Category

Business

Latest episode

Jul 1, 2026

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Episodes

043 - Aviation Industry Bailouts 19.08.2020

This week: An update/discussion on federal aviation industry bailout dollars; How is airline business for September shaping up? A listener question on the ADA, reasonable accommodations, and masks; A passenger behaving badly in Phoenix; and another "Fine or Whine?"

043 - Airline Stocks Rise 12.08.2020

This week: Why are airline stocks up? Some ramifications of a tighter mask policy; Is American singing kumbaya with it's pilots? Lots of listener comments questions and answers. Plus "United won't let me go to Croatia" Fine or Whine?

042 - Federal Aid & Furloughs 05.08.2020

This week: Update on federal aid & employee furloughs; Are airlines critical to economic recovery?; Listener question on turning off devices; passenger complaint about United and refunds-Fine? or Whine?

041 - Boards of Directors Discussions 29.07.2020

This week: Frontier IPO gets postponed; What does an airline Board of Directors actually discuss?;This week's Passenger Behaving Badly; and Edith in GA with a complaint about pricing on American: "Fine? or Whine?"

040 - JetBlue/American Partner 22.07.2020

This week: What does the new American/JetBlue partnership mean to you?; 3 passengers behave really badly; Listener question: How do airlines keep track of mentally ill pilots?; and a customer complaint-is it fine? or just a whine?

039 - Your Odds on the Middle 15.07.2020

This Week: JetBlue's major West Coast service change; MIT study: Do your odds of dying from Covid-19 change if the middle seat is filled?  Passengers Behaving Badly:  1 with a gun. The other a US Senator; Listener question on credit card use for inflight purchases; and who do those masks protect?

038 - Marketing or Medicine 08.07.2020

This week: Empty middle seats-Healthier or just marketing? 7000 literally take a trip to nowhere; Are seatback screens worth the cost to the airlines? A private jet lands in Italy and officials won't let the American's off - Fine or Whine?

037 - Middle Seats and Masks 01.07.2020

This week: Middle seats and masks on planes; Listener question: is Delta yesterday's genius? How can 30,000 passengers stop behaving badly? Customer complaint: I booked then had to pay more later- Fine or Whine?

036 - Cruise-Airline Co-Dependancy 24.06.2020

This week: How do the cruise lines affect the airlines? Will an MBA get you a job in airline management? Complaint: The worst seat on the plane "Fine or Whine?"; No Mask or MEGA hat got him banned from AA?

035 - Same Issues. Different Tactics. 17.06.2020

This week: Why seemingly similar airlines are taking different business approaches; A look at July airline schedules; A listener question about saving fuel while taxiing; and passenger behaving badly...involving alcohol.

034 - A Noteworthy CEO Experience 10.06.2020

This week: What year will the airline industry recover?; Ben's 2-airport adventure; AA CEO's noteworthy experience on a Southwest flight; The status of regional airlines; and this week's customer complaint: "Fine or Whine?"

033 - Employee Buyouts & Layoffs 03.06.2020

This week: Airline employee buyout and layoff options; Frontier, Southwest announce new routes; Passengers Behaving Badly; and "Fine or Whine?"

032 - Top 3 Execs of All Time 27.05.2020

This week: The biggest airline bankruptcy yet; Who are the 3 best airline execs of all time?; Passengers Behaving Badly with women's underwear; and is the complaint fine? or is it a whine?

031 - Just the Facts, Folks 20.05.2020

This week: Exclusive Stats! Scheduled vs Actual Operating flights data; One Airline says it's laying off older workers to "keep the workforce young"; A listener complaint in "Fine or Whine" on a Southwest boarding incident.

030 - Avianca, United, Startups 13.05.2020

This week: Avianca goes Ch 11; Is United getting leaner or just meaner?; Is this a good time to start a new airline? and in "Fine or Whine" was it really going to get choppy or did the crew just want a break?

029 - The Mask Mandate Begins 06.05.2020

This week: Flying? You'll now be wearing a mask; Big cuts come to United and others; Passengers Behaving Badly-on Spirit-and this time things got bloody.

028 - How to Treat the Elites 28.04.2020

This Week: How airlines are handling elite status and refunds; A crackdown on using "hidden cities"; in Fine or Whine: A Qantas complaint; and Seth sings again (at the end)

027 - Government Bailouts 22.04.2020

This week: Virgin Australia enters Voluntary Administration (essentially Chapter 11); How can governments get bailouts right? Are middle seats gone forever? and this week's "Fine or Whine" complaint: Why is Southwest keeping my money?

026 - The Covid Blame Game 15.04.2020

This Week: Is Coronavirus the fault of airlines? Who currently has the leverage on aircraft purchases? A Passenger Behaving Badly misinterprets Spirit's Bare Fares marketing; and in "Fine or Whine" - Why can't my dog fly Delta?

025 - Targeted Aquisition Potential 08.04.2020

This Week: Are airlines now an acquisition target? RavnAir files Chapter 11; Is there currently an opportunity to reinvent the airline business? Passengers Behaving Badly (in a bathroom); and this week's passenger complaint in "Fine or Whine".

024 - The Singapore Bailout 01.04.2020

This week: Some airline news not involving Coronavirus; Huge bailout for Singapore Airlines - what about USA Airlines?; Passengers Behaving Badly; and Seth sings (at the end of the podcast).

023 - Weathering the Storm 25.03.2020

This week: Is there a case to be made for optimism? Which airlines may be best able to weather the storm? Restrictions on government financial assistance; Passengers Behaving Badly, and more.

022 - An Industry in Crisis 18.03.2020

This week: A global crisis for the airline industry; Fuel hedging; A passenger behaving *very* badly; and this week's complaint in "Fine? or Whine?"

021 - CEO Thought Process 11.03.2020

This Week: How some airline CEO's are thinking about the current challenges in the industry, including the effects of Coronavirus; One passenger behaving very badly; This week's complaint- Fine? or Whine?

020 - It's in the Bag 04.03.2020

This week: How big should your under-seat bag be allowed to be? JetBlue makes a change in their refund policy; and this week's complaint from a listener in Hawaii about Alaska Air..Is it fine? or just a whine?

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