
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

Dec 8, 2021 • 39min
113 - Ben Plummer, VP, Elemental Cognition
This week: Benjamin Plummer, VP, Elemental Cognition; An Omicron variant update; United's 1st flight using 100% sustainable av fuel; The new Allegiant/Aerobus alliance; Listener Q re: Southwest taxi speeds & additional capacity: Complaint: They wouldn't let me give my 1st upgrade seat to Mom. Fine? or Whine?

Dec 1, 2021 • 48min
112 -Rick Deurloo, CCO, Pratt & Whitney
This week: Rick Deurloo, Chief Commercial Officer, Pratt & Whitney unveils GTF Advantage engine; Thanksgiving travel recap; The Omicron variant - now what? A crackdown on unruly passengers; Listener Q on our David Neeleman interview re: start-up routes; Complaint: Southwest sale fares only available on web - Fine or Whine? An IATA shout-out.

Nov 24, 2021 • 1h
111 - David Neeleman, Founder & CEO, Breeze Airways
This week: David Neeleman, Founder, Breeze Airways, JetBlue, & More; Dubai Air Show new aircraft orders; AA & United talk holiday staffing at Skift; Listener Q's: Should the EAS program be terminated? From Australia: Is Qantas & it's LCC successful? Complaint: Alaska Airlines Charged $125 to seat my grandson next to me - Fine or Whine? Plus a tribute and shout-out.

Nov 17, 2021 • 45min
110 - Roger Dow, President/CEO, U.S. Travel Association
This week; Roger Dow President/CEO, U.S. Travel Association; USA inbound travel rules kick in; A re-sizing/re-deployment of long haul equipment; United drops service to 3 markets; Is the GE business division breakup good for the aviation sector? Plus shout-outs.

Nov 10, 2021 • 48min
109 - Robert Sumwalt, Fmr Chair of the NTSB
This week: Robert Sumwalt, Former Chair, National Transportation Safety Board; Ryan Air / Wizz Air differing growth projections; Azul makes a play for LATAM; Fuel prices & strategies behind hedging; Listener Q: Breeze's ability to attract pilots? Plus this week's shout outs

Nov 3, 2021 • 45min
108 - Chris Sloan Reports - 1st Breeze A220
This week: Chris Sloan reports on first Breeze Airways A220 & it's unusual configuration; American's operational/staffing issues; Avoiding issues at Thanksgiving; What should a CEO do when a Flight Attendant gets punched? How do airlines select what equipment goes where? Fine or Whine? and shout-outs.

Oct 27, 2021 • 49min
107 - Mike Whitaker, Chief Policy Officer Hyundai Air Mobility
This week: Michael G. Whitaker, Urban Air Mobility Division of Hyundai Motor Group; Q3 financial results; SkyWest operational issues; Listener Q: What airline was the first to offer passengers a "barf bag"? Plus shout-outs (apologies for technical audio issues)

Oct 20, 2021 • 1h 16min
106 - Mark Dombroff, Fox Rothschild LLP
This week: Mark A. Dombroff, Partner, Fox Rothschild LLP; Delta posts a profit; Southwest service starts to recover; Boeing has another rough week; Spirit accommodates displaced passengers on other airlines?; How do fuel price increases affect Legacy, ULCC, & LCC? Plus shout-outs.

Oct 13, 2021 • 38min
105 - Southwest Disruption / Air India News
This week: Major service disruption at Southwest; Spotlight on Air India, The Tata Group, & Air travel competition in India; British Airways low cost spin-off back in the news; Listener Q: Is it time for public education to reduce the number of rude passengers? First Class passenger behaving badly-Fine or Whine? Plus the week's shout-outs.

Oct 6, 2021 • 52min
104 - Linda Rutherford, EVP, Southwest Airlines
This week: Linda Rutherford, EVP for People & Communications, Southwest Airlines; More employee vaccination mandates; The JetBlue/AA alliance spurs competition? Delta beefs up Boston; Can Aha Airlines (ExpressJet) succeed? An Avianca & Sky Airlines merger? AAdvantage's disadvantage to Europe; How do you play the "Hub Draft" game?