
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

Jul 16, 2025 • 1h 2min
296 - This week: 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

Jun 11, 2025 • 1h 2min
291 - Guest Co-Host: Doug Parker; Guest: Robert Crandall, Fmr CEO/Chairman, American Airlines
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.

Jun 4, 2025 • 49min
290 - Guests Greg John, CEO Infinity Flight Group; David Seymour, COO, American
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.

May 28, 2025 • 1h 2min
289 - Guest Co-Host: Oscar Munoz; Guest: Steve Sisneros, VP Airport Affairs, Southwest Airlines
This week: Scott McCartney's Guest Co-Host is Oscar Munoz; Guest: Steve Sisneros, VP Airport Affairs, Southwest Airlines, News: Real ID kicks in; SWA Bags Fly Free no more; Newark caps traffic - United takes biggest hit; Better ATC tech & better runway utilization; ATC leadership failures; Success pending ratification on United flight attendant contract; Delta's new confusing fare classes & subclasses; Listener Input: Conflicting opinions on EWR slot restrictions.

May 21, 2025 • 1h 20min
288 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan; Guest: Richard Anderson, Fmr CEO, Delta Airlines
This week: Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan; Guest: Richard Anderson, Fmr CEO, Delta Airlines; News: Airline fares drop; Newark personnel and technology forces contraction; SWA expands international service; United projects getting back into JFK; How might JetBlue benefit from a United alliance?

May 14, 2025 • 59min
287 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt; Guest: Adam Stahl, Acting Administrator, TSA
This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Hardevelt; Guest: Adam Stahl, Acting Administrator, TSA; News: Real ID takes effect; US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy presents plan for ATC technology upgrade; What's happening at Newark? Gate reallocation drama with United & American in Chicago; Decline in business travel continues; Validity of JD Power survey? Listener input on Real ID, Affordable Skies Coalition.