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

Mar 8, 2023 • 1h 1min
177 - Atif Elkadi, CEO, Ontario International Airport
This week: Atif Elkadi, CEO, Ontario International Airport; Forbes article follow-up: Ben's "Airline Monopoly" analogy explored in detail; How Delta Pilots 34% wage hike will affect others; American updates family seating policy; Explosive material in bag discover by TSA;

Mar 1, 2023 • 60min
176 - Josh Marks, CEO, Anuvu
This week: Josh Marks, CEO, Anuvu; AA Chairman Doug Parker steps down; United and Frontier change family seating procedures; Max crash victims case vs Boeing dismissed; Private industry sustainable fuel initiative-how impactful?; Significant summer schedule cuts from AA and Lufthansa; Listener input: PRIA data transparency

Feb 22, 2023 • 48min
175 - Geoff Hunt, Sr. VP Engineering & Technology, Pratt & Whitney
This week: Geoff Hunt, Sr. VP Engineering & Technology, Pratt & Whitney: Another close call: United departing Maui; Air India orders 470 new planes; JetBlue says Spirit deal will result in big South Fla expansion; Scott's take on the deal; Listener feedback: 1500 hour rule discussion/pilot training.

Feb 15, 2023 • 57min
174 - Mike Swiatek, Chief Strategy & Planning Officer, at Avianca
This week: Mike Swiatek, Chief Strategy & Planning Officer at Avianca and Chairman, Accessibility Working Group at IATA; Focus on Safety & Accessibility; United's Super Bowl ad swipes at Southwest; Biden SOTU attack on industry seating practices & Issues with A4A response statement; Listener follow-up on Colgan Crash comments.

Feb 8, 2023 • 1h 12min
173 - Kevin P. Healy, President, Campbell-Hill. Also, Chris Sloan with 747 Trivia
This week: Kevin P. Healy, President, Campbell-Hill Aviation Group; Also: 747 Trivia with Chris Sloan vs Ben & Scott. Do you know the answers? President Biden wants "junk fees" reigned in; Norway airline Flyr shuts down & files for bankruptcy; Jeff Shane provides a 747 legacy clarification.

Feb 1, 2023 • 1h 6min
172 - Mark Dombroff, Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP
This week: Mark Dombroff, Partner at Fox Rothschild LLP: Q4 and 2022 earnings reports released; 2023 projections bullish; Should someone go to jail over the 737 Max incidents? Listener Q's on mainline aircraft replacing regionals, thoughts on the A220, passenger delays vs airplane delays.

Jan 25, 2023 • 1h 13min
171 - Michael Lombardi, Historian, The Boeing Company: The Last 747
This week: Michael Lombardi, Senior Corporate Historian, The Boeing Company - Last 747 rolls off the production line. Learn what made the 747 so special to aviation; New Wall Street Journal airline rankings & methodology; Reaction to more Scott Kirby statements; SWA pilot union mentions potential strike vote; Listener Q topics: The "Captain Shortage", Which airline is flying the oldest fleet.

Jan 18, 2023 • 54min
170 - Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor at CBS News
This week: Peter Greenberg, Travel Editor at CBS News; FAA's NOTAM system fails, 10,000+ flights affected; Scott reports on his conversation with Southwest CEO Bob Jordan. What happened, refund status, independent investigation, and more; Original Air Force One being restored.

Jan 11, 2023 • 1h 2min
169 - Rob Britton, Principal, AirLearn
This week: Rob Britton, Principal, AirLearn, Are alliances outdated? Southwest takes a $800M hit; What's the future of passenger re-accommodations? United's claims "best airline in the world" - has a mixed week; Delta announces free Wi-Fi; Mexico launching a military run airline? Listener Q: Airline foreign partnerships/equity stakes.

Jan 4, 2023 • 51min
168 - Gordon Bethune, former CEO, Continental Airlines
This week: Gordon Bethune, former CEO, Continental Airlines; Welcome Scott McCartney as Ben's new co-host; Southwest's Christmas Crisis - Blame IT? 2023 predictions; What to expect from the DOT this year; Changing loyalty programs; Listener "Old Croakey" thank you to Chris Chiames.


