
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

Jan 13, 2021 • 31min
066 - Chris Chiames Joins as Co-Host
Welcome Ben's new Co-Host Chris Chiames; Can Chinese state-owned Comac succeed in the USA? Ryan Air's covid ad campaign; Listener question on SkyWest's; Should the people who stormed Capitol Hill be banned from flying? and is Alexandra's complaint about Alaska rebooking her and not letting her take her cats onboard - "Fine or Whine?"

Jan 6, 2021 • 46min
065 - Thank You Seth. Introducing Chris.
Seth with a big announcement; We welcome Chris Chiames to the podcast; A look at how holiday travel went; Listener questions: Is a 717 or 757-Max in our future? Did Boeing actually benefit from corner cutting? and Richard in Houston has a complaint about Delta Comfort-Fine? or Whine?

Dec 30, 2020 • 36min
064 - The FAA & The 737-Max
Wishing you a Happy New Year! A listener question: Is the Saint Louis airport going away? What is United currently flying from St Louis and what makes hubs succeed or fail? Another listener asks: Is the FAA too cozy with Boeing regarding the 737 Max? and a "Fine or Whine" complaint that's a very clear Fine!

Dec 23, 2020 • 42min
063 - Jet Blue Storms Miami
This Week: Jet Blue new flight destinations including Miami? Did one airline accidentally match another airline's business class pricing mistake? Insider trivia: What is the "through flight assignment model"?and a baggage compensation complaint in India - Fine? or Whine?

Dec 16, 2020 • 36min
062 - Holiday Travel Numbers
This week: 2020 Holiday travel; Aircraft financing; The logic of flight numbers; A complaint about Aeromexico - Fine? or Whine? and is Covid isolation good for redheads?

Dec 9, 2020 • 41min
061 - 737-Max Airborn Again-Chris Sloan Reports
This week: Special guest Chris Sloan from The Airchive; The 737-Max takes flight again. How will people feel about flying on it? Why does Delta have multiple Midwest hubs? What's the business structure of airline alliances? and Seth has a complaint about Spirit...is it Fine? or a Whine?

Dec 2, 2020 • 40min
060 - Time to Taxi
This week: Airlines & the distribution of the covid vaccine; Does one airline actually taxi faster than other airlines? A passenger gets arrested while behaving badly; and a complaint about KLM ticket change charge - Fine? or Whine?

Nov 25, 2020 • 44min
059 - Grading Airlines on Covid Response
This week: An Asiana - Korean Air merger? An update of the AA rules around heavy wheelchairs; Letter grades on how individual airlines are handling the covid situation from a business & customer perspective; and Charlene says her United plane was dirty and she felt unsafe...Fine? or Whine?

Nov 18, 2020 • 44min
058 - Southwest's 737 Max Investment
This week: Southwest adds to their 737 Max fleet; A flight attendant behaves badly; A weight limit for wheelchairs? and a complaint about United asking for proof of death.

Nov 11, 2020 • 38min
057 - Salute to Veterans
This week: Saluting all Veterans; Current opportunities in the airline industry; Do exclusive gate deal for airlines still exist? Anthony with a complaint about a paid boarding upgrade on Southwest - Fine? or Whine?