

Airlines Confidential Podcast
Scott McCartney
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
Mentioned books

Sep 17, 2025 • 1h 7min
304 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Nat Pieper, CEO. Oneworld
This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Nat Pieper, CEO. Oneworld. Topics: Conference season comments; Southwest moves towards introducing premium experiences and international service; Listener Q's on social media impacting Spirit's brand, Southwest O & D saturation and use of RJs.

Sep 10, 2025 • 1h 10min
303 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guests: Mark Streeter & Jamie Baker, Analysts, JP Morgan Chase
This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guests: Mark Streeter & Jamie Baker, Analysts, JP Morgan Chase; News: Spirit shrinks; United adds flights in Spirit markets; SWA offers up a freebie; Passenger compensation rules changing; Steven Udvar-Házy retires with sale of Air Lease; International visits to the US down; Listener Q's all center around Spirit.

Sep 3, 2025 • 1h 3min
302 - Host Scott McCartney with Guest: Peter Ingram, Fmr CEO, Hawaiian Airlines
This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest: Peter Ingram, Fmr CEO, Hawaiian Airlines. Breaking News: What really forced Spirit back into Chapter 11? AerCap claims default triggered; Spirit's poor communication, what markets will see reductions in service, and Frontier Chairman Bill Franke talking with Spirit Chairman Robert Milton and Pres/CEO Dave Davis.

Aug 27, 2025 • 55min
301 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman
This week: Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman; Topics: Tribute to Ginger Hardage; Cash management changes at Spirit; Air Canada back to work - who's next? Chris Sununu appointed President & CEO, Airlines for America; Questions from "The Sorting Hat" - Should the government make an investment in Spirit? Why are European low cost carriers doing better than USA counterparts? Will supersonic travel return? How will airlines apply AI? Favorite airport? Coldplay vs Taylor Swift.

Aug 20, 2025 • 1h 4min
300 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan
Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan; Southwest writes Mrs McCartney a check, and other recent passenger experiences; Spirit Q2 not good, issues "Going Concern" statement; Relevancy of July airfare price increase; Air Canada flight attendants strike; SWA adds flights in vacation cities, divests renewable fuel, and upgrades their coffee; Listener Q on SWA booking window timing.

Aug 6, 2025 • 58min
299 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host: Christina Cassotis
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

Jul 30, 2025 • 1h 13min
298 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Doug Parker - "Unscripted & Unplugged"
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.

Jul 23, 2025 • 1h 1min
297 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Charlie Curreri, PhD, The Center for Aviation Mental Health
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.

Jul 16, 2025 • 1h 2min
296 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Mike Malik, CMO, Cirium
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.

Jul 9, 2025 • 1h 8min
295 - Guest Co-Host: Henry Harteveldt; Guest: Heather Garboden, Chief Customer Exp. Ofc., American Airlines
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.