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

Dec 10, 2025 • 1h 39min
316 - Host Scott McCartney attends Doug Parker's "School of Airline Pricing"
This week: Host Scott McCartney attends Doug Parker's "School of Airline Pricing" - Extensive insights into pricing considerations.

Dec 3, 2025 • 1h 28min
315 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Guest Phil Washington, CEO, Denver Int. Airport
This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Guest: Phil Washington, CEO, Denver Int. Airport. Also: Ramifications from the Airbus immediate software requirement; DFW gets Turkey Award; Holiday travel vs last year; Bids for TAP Air Portugal; Listener input on where the projected new DFW passengers will come from, an idea of an AA-SWA merger, and the political environment's impact on international visitors.

Nov 26, 2025 • 58min
314 - Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman
This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman. Topics: Thanksgiving travel projections; US Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy releases "Golden Age of Travel" PSA; Dress codes & bare feet on seat backs; JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty calls for policy equity; Visit USA Act introduced; UPS 2976 crash update; Tribute to Peter J. Dolara, Fmr SVP, American Airlines; Listener response to Scott Kirby interview. Plus: Will American step up their game?

Nov 19, 2025 • 1h 1min
313 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Fmr CEO United, Guest: Scott Kirby, CEO, United
Oscar Munoz, former CEO of United Airlines, joins the discussion alongside current CEO Scott Kirby. They delve into the political leverage of airlines during crises and the impact of credit card swipe fee changes. Kirby reflects on United's operational recovery and proactive holiday travel strategies. The leaders discuss investments in technology, shifting toward premium services, and competition with Delta. Kirby emphasizes the importance of employee trust and mentorship, aiming for financial resilience to avoid future furloughs.

Nov 12, 2025 • 1h 2min
312 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman, Guest Alex Cruz, Fmr. CEO, British Airways
Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman, Guest Alex Cruz, Fmr. CEO, British Airways. News: Tripadvisor kills SeatGuru; US Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy reduces air traffic; Government shutdown breakthrough in the works; UPS Flight 2976 crashes on takeoff; Listener questions on the value of international partnerships.

Nov 5, 2025 • 1h 24min
311 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Guest: Alex Mans. Founder & CEO, FLYR
This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Alex Mans. Founder & CEO, FLYR. Topics: AI for airlines; Yahrzeit for Ben Baldanza; The case for using the $18B trust fund to pay controllers; Listener input includes a correction relating to Ryanair, travel spend by different disposable income levels.

Oct 29, 2025 • 1h 8min
310 - Scott McCartney with Guests: Andrew Watterson & Jay Sorensen
Scott McCartney with Guests: Andrew Watterson, COO, SWA and Jay Sorensen, Pres, IdeaWorks; Topics: An SWA update; 2025 ancillary revenue report. Also: Results for American, Southwest, and Alaska; Nat Pieper joins American as CCO; Listener input from Storrington, England.

Oct 22, 2025 • 1h 22min
309 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan, Guest: Theo Panagiotoulias, CEO, Star Alliance.
This week: Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan, Guest: Theo Panagiotoulias, CEO, Star Alliance. Also: A deep dive into the low cost sector; United earnings and aggressive growth; Shai Weiss to step down at year end, Corneel Koster to be named new CEO, Virgin Atlantic; Seat cleaning grounds Finnair A321s; Spirit projects more losses; with cash stability; Observations from the Wings Club Gala; Listener Input on LCC growth.

Oct 15, 2025 • 1h 19min
308 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis, Guests: Architects Luis Vidal & Carolyn Sponza - New Pittsburgh Int. Airport
Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis, Guests: Architects Luis Vidal & Carolyn Sponza - The new Pittsburgh International Airport. Also: Fall earnings season, Delta numbers; Spirit sheds aircraft - is deal with Frontier more likely? Listener input on Delta Tech Ops and Airport gate allocations.

Oct 8, 2025 • 1h 23min
307 - Scott McCartney, Doug Parker, and Richard Anderson
This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Doug Parker, Fmr CEO, American Airlines and Guest: Richard Anderson, Fmr CEO, Delta Air Lines. A conversation with two transformative leaders.


