Airlines Confidential Podcast

Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host: Christina Cassotis; Topics: Change in the Southwest Airlines boardroom - Gangwal steps down as Chair; National Transportation Safety Board report on American Airlines / U.S. Army Helicopter crash - outrageous errors made; Tariff deal benefits aviation industry; No deal at United; Q2 loss for JetBlue; Listener Q on the future of Middle East airlines, Delta Air Lines' loyalty program value. Next episode #300 on 8/20/25

This week: Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Doug Parker - An "Unplugged" Free For All Discussion. Topics: An overarching look at American, Southwest, growth potential, Both co-hosts answer "The Ben Baldanza Question"; The simplification of pricing and Contract of Carriage; Scott recounts memorable reactions to certain stories.

This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Charlie Curreri, PhD, The Center for Aviation Mental Health & Creator "Pilot Wingman". Focus: Pilot Mental Health. Also: Colbert/Late Show cancellation relevance to aviation industry; GBTA survey numbers; Delta & United report positive Q2; Delta creatively swaps engines; Avelo pulls out of CA; Listener input on fuel cutoff switches, and a Q on CEO thought process in current business environment.

This week: Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Mike Malik, CMO, Cirium. News: Air India crash preliminary report released; Delta and others report good news; Bryan Bedford sworn in to head FAA; TSA says to keep your shoes on; Listeners chime in on American's Customer service.

This week: Guest Co-Host: Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Heather Garboden, Chief Customer Experience Officer, American Airlines, News: Huge holiday week travel reported; Delta deals with 100+ massive rain-related diversions; Multi-year funding for FAA system improvements approved; Alaska orders more from Boeing; Listener Q: Point-point success with legacy vs startups.

This week: Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman; Guest Jay Sorensen, President, The IdeaWorks Company; News: Bryan Bedford, CEO, Republic Airways, on track for FAA Administrator; Southwest starts assigned seating, Spirit drops the "Go" & renames fares, Delta adds more international flights from Seattle; NTSB issues report on Alaska door plug failure; Air India crash flight recorder found - nothing released yet; Listener Q on United-JetBlue partnership.

This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan; Guest: Maury Gallagher, Chairman, Allegiant Travel Company; News: FedEx Founder Fred Smith passes away at 80; JetBlue says more cost cuts are on the way; ATC understaffing continues; A muted Paris Air Show; National Academy of Sciences reports on FAA overtime; Listener Q regarding airlines taking a stake in other airlines, Pilot availability and wage rates.

This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis; Topics: Info on Air India 171, Crisis Management; A recap of the IATA meeting; Paris Air Show is underway; Listener input on Controller staffing

This week: Guest Co-Host Doug Parker; Guest: Robert Crandall, Fmr CEO/Chairman, American Airlines. Topics/News: Reflections on Scott's Richard Anderson interview; Backstory of presenting the renderings for the Robert L. Crandall Campus; Summer travel starting off slightly slower; SAF discussion at IATA in Delhi; Alaska postpones aircraft delivery; Price differentials on single vs multi-ticket.

This week: Guests: Greg John, CEO Infinity Flight Group, and an Operational Update from David Seymour, COO, American. News: The United & JetBlue collaboration compared to other partnership agreements; Frontier CEO Barry Biffle comments and airline stock prices rise; FAA staff departures as reported by WSJ reporter Andrew Tangel; Listener praise for Richard Anderson.