
Airlines Confidential Podcast
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.
Latest episodes

Apr 8, 2025 • 1h 8min
282 - Guest Co-Host: Oscar Munoz, Guests: Milind Tavshikar, SmartKargo & Marco Ferrara, Delta
Guest Host: Oscar Munoz, Guests: Milind Tavshikar, CEO, SmartKargo & Marco Ferrara, Mngr Product/Strategy, Delta; Ted Christie out as Spirit CEO: Republic buying Mesa; Info on new Executive Aviation focused MBA program at U of Colorado; Airline stocks take another beating; United adding interesting Asian flights; Economic changes potential effects on Southwest; Listener feedback on Southwest, and shades position during boarding and deplaning.

Apr 2, 2025 • 55min
281 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan; Guest: Eamonn Brennan, Fmr Director General, Eurocontrol
This conversation features Charles Duncan, a veteran airline leader, and Eamonn Brennan, the former Director General of Eurocontrol. They humorously tackle collegiate rivalries before diving into serious aviation issues. Discover insights on airline competition, strategies by JetBlue, and the need for modernization in air traffic control. Eamonn highlights challenges and reforms in European airspace management, while a debate on pilot training practices raises questions about airmanship versus flight hours. It's an engaging mix of wit and industry knowledge!

Mar 26, 2025 • 1h 19min
280 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt; Guest: Justin Jones, EVP Operations, Southwest Airlines
In this discussion, travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt co-hosts with Justin Jones, EVP of Operations at Southwest Airlines. They dive into significant challenges like Heathrow's power failure and the evolving landscape of international travel regulations. Justin shares insights on Southwest's impressive cancellation rate and upcoming changes in baggage handling that could impact customer satisfaction. The episode also highlights crucial issues in pilot training and the ongoing supply chain disruptions facing airlines.

Mar 19, 2025 • 1h 11min
279 - Guest Co-Host: Maya Leibman; Guest: Elise Eberwein, Fmr EVP, American Airlines
This week: Scott's Co-Host is Maya Leibman; Guest: Elise Eberwein, Fmr EVP, American Airlines; News: Crisis communication; Delta celebrates 100 Years; Revised earnings projections from United, Delta; The SWA transition; Spirit's quick exit from bankruptcy; Listener Q's on airlines deferring OEM deliveries.

Mar 11, 2025 • 1h 4min
278 - Big Southwest Bag/Policy Changes - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis
This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis; News: Big bag news & changes at Southwest; Can SWA remain SWA? Cost of enplaned passenger (CPE) & the structure around airport funding; AA asks for a NE Alliance deal review; Staffing requirement change at DCA; A Scott Mini-Rant on Axios fare data conclusion; Listener Q on the future of SWA, & a look ahead to Southwest 3.0.

Mar 3, 2025 • 1h
277 - JetBlue's Top Senior Leadership - Joanna Geraghty, CEO and Marty St. George, President
This week: JetBlue's Top Senior Leadership - Joanna Geraghty, CEO and Marty St. George, President. News: The SWA go-around to avoid Flexjet in Chicago; SWA routes and distribution changes; Frontier makes significant moves in Atlanta; A rant from Scott; Some very much appreciated listener input.

Feb 26, 2025 • 1h 24min
276 - Guest Co-Host Doug Parker; Guest: Sara Nelson, Pres., Association of Flight Attendants
This week: Scott's Guest Co-Host is Doug Parker; Guest: Sara Nelson, President, Association of Flight Attendants; Topics: Organized labor, Partners and mergers, Delta 4819 flight lands, flips upside down, crew performs with excellence, all survive; A drop in government travel, A4A seeks congressional funding to fix the FAA; Spirit restructuring deal approved; AA announces routes expansion at ORD.

Feb 19, 2025 • 56min
275 - Guest Co-Host Chris Sloan with info on BermudAir
This week: Guest Co-Host Chris Sloan with info on BermudAir; Several see Spirit as attractive; British Airways & Virgin participate in love triangle; Las Vegas "Supplemental" Airport in the works; American adds to BOS-LGA; Tom Doxey to Southwest as CFO; DCA incident news update; Boeing steps up deliveries; Listener comments on open skies in the new administration, post DCA crash reactions. Next week: The Delta crash and SWA layoffs.

Feb 12, 2025 • 1h 15min
274 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Jim Compton, Fmr Vice Chairman, United
This week: Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Jim Compton, Fmr Vice Chairman/Chief Revenue Officer of United Airlines. Topics: Pricing: Favorite Superbowl ads; United brings back stroopwafels; PSA 5342/PAT 25 Crash info update; JetBlue ending BOS-LGA service; United asking for American gates in ORD? Frontier reports interesting numbers.

Feb 5, 2025 • 42min
273 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz; Focus: A Tragic Week in Aviation
This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz; News: A tragic week in aviation; Context and elements to consider; Frontier (again) tries to buy Spirit; Is the American-JetBlue Northeast Alliance back on the table? Listener input on Spirit's attempt at upgraded services, plus differing thoughts on the work of the TSA and Fmr Admin David Pekoske.
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