Airline Weekly Lounge Podcast

Turkish Airlines had a blowout third quarter. The airline's revenues and capacity are way up from 2019 with no pause in sight. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss Turkish's outlook. Plus, Ryanair's cautious outlook despite surprisingly robust travel demand.Get more aviation insights and subscribe to Airline Weekly.Read more about airlines at Skift.com.

Air France-KLM wants TAP Air Portugal, but so does International Airlines Group. IAG also wants Air Europa, and maybe even EasyJet. And the Lufthansa Group is back in play for ITA Airways. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss the outlook for Europe's Big Three airline groups and their latest merger machinations. Plus, the outlook from Emirates.Get more aviation insights and subscribe to Airline Weekly.Read more about airlines at Skift.com.

Who would have thought three years ago that we'd be talking about the bright future for Norwegian Air? One restructuring and pandemic later, and the discounter is profitable and taking corporate travel share from competitor SAS. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss the news from the Nordics, plus Hawaiian Airlines' continued struggles.Get more aviation insights and subscribe to Airline Weekly.Read more about Norwegian Air at Skift.com.

Latin American airline executives are mostly bullish on the near-term outlook but, given their exposure to the strong U.S. dollar and other macro pressures, are cautious about what the new year may hold. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss the forecast from the ALTA Leaders Forum in Buenos Aires this week, plus American and United's third quarter results.11:34

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian claimed this week, after his airline reported a robust third quarter profit and sees seemingly unsated demand, that travel is "countercyclical" to the economic winds. And he's not alone, International Airlines Group and United Airlines have separately said they see no signs of travel demand waning. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss Bastian's prognosis, plus what's up in Amsterdam.

What's the ado with Austin, Cancun, Ho Chi Minh City, Paris Orly, and Riyadh? All of the airports are seeing tremendous growth above pre-pandemic levels. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss why. Plus, Boeing's 737 Max: the good news and bad news.

The "real revenue growth" at American Airlines is in blended trips, or travel that includes both business and personal aspects, Chief Commercial Officer Vasu Raja said at the Skift Global Forum earlier in September. Nearly half of the airline’s revenues now come from these blended trips. What’s more, this new classification of trip is driving the carrier’s revenue growth more than anything else today.“What the pandemic really unlocked, and the recovery from it, is the great merging,” Raja said. “People don’t need to keep need to keep a work life for five days, personal life for two days, and carve out two weeks a year for vacations.”Listen to Skift Founder and CEO Rafat Ali and Raja's fascinating discussion at the forum in full.

The U.S. travel recovery is strong, and maybe nearly complete. If there is one airport that epitomizes the strength of the leisure-first recovery, it is Orlando where seemingly endless domestic demand before the pandemic has translated to much the same post-pandemic. Listen to Edward Russell discuss the state of the industry with moderator Racquel Asa, chief marketing officer at Beep, at an event marking the opening of the airport's new $2.8 billion Terminal C. Also, chilaquiles.

Is Indian aviation's moment here? Air India under Tata ownership has a deal for new airplanes, while the country's largest airline, IndiGo, keeps growing and several new startups are adding new competition to the market. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss, plus the Tijuana Airport's Cross Border Xpress bridge to the U.S. and how its changing California-Mexico travel.

Chinese airlines struggled mightily during the first half of the year under the country's zero-Covid policy. The Big 3 all lost money but China Eastern, based in Shanghai — which suffered several lockdowns — lost the most. Edward Russell and Jay Shabat discuss the situation and how it may be turning around. Plus, Orlando Airport's new $2.8 billion terminal.