

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

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.

Jul 2, 2025 • 58min
294 - Guest Co-Host: Maya Leibman; Guest Jay Sorensen, Pres., IdeaWorks Company
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.

Jun 25, 2025 • 1h 6min
293 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan; Guest: Maury Gallagher, Chairman, Allegiant Travel Company
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.

Jun 18, 2025 • 1h 6min
292 - Guest Co-Host: Christina Cassotis, CEO, Pittsburgh International Airport
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