- 35 minutes 14 secondsEurope’s Airline Giants: Who’s Winning?
It’s not often that Europe’s four biggest airline groups all report their quarterly results in the same week. Ahead of the Skift Aviation Forum, Gordon and Jay discuss the key trends shaping Europe's airline giants this Q3 earnings season.
This episode is brought to you by ZS.
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00:00 Welcome to AWL
01:06 Duran Duran detour
02:59 Earnings week overview
03:15 Ryanair results
06:06 Ryanair strike talk
10:17 Lufthansa group check-in
17:14 Break and housekeeping
17:46 Air France KLM earnings
21:25 KLM restructuring plan
27:13 Hub games strategy
29:13 Cargo trends and wrap
31:47 Events plug and sign-off
12 November 2026, 8:00 am - 31 minutes 32 secondsAirlines are Out of Time on Legacy Technology
Airlines are facing a widening technology gap as carriers that invested in cloud infrastructure and data capabilities pull ahead. In this Airline Weekly Lounge episode, Jeremy Kressmann speaks with Massimo Morin, Global Head of Travel at AWS, and Basudeb Chatterjee, Vice President of AI Strategy and Commercial Transformation at Pariveda Solutions, about why airline technology modernization has become increasingly urgent and how AI is accelerating innovation.
The conversation explores the challenges of legacy systems, the shift from multi-year technology programs to faster experimentation, and why airlines should prioritize revenue-generating innovation alongside operational efficiency. Morin and Chatterjee also discuss AI-powered airport data integration, customer personalization, agentic commerce, and the technology foundations airlines should prioritize in 2027.
Presented by Pariveda and AWS.
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00:00 Welcome to AWL
00:48 Why Airline Tech Matters
02:06 Digital Transformation Now
05:02 Cloud and AI Urgency
07:18 Pandemic Investment Winners
10:52 Why Change Was Slow
15:05 Revenue vs Cost Tradeoffs
20:10 Airline Airport Data Sharing
25:57 2027 Priorities and Pitfalls
30:03 Closing and Subscribe
5 November 2026, 8:00 am - 44 minutes 50 secondsDecoding Q3 U.S. Airline Earnings
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat break down third-quarter earnings from the biggest U.S. airlines, examining record revenues, rising fuel costs, and diverging financial performance. They discuss JetBlue’s financial challenges, Southwest’s turnaround, the gap between revenue growth and underlying demand, and the risks of higher fares and continued capacity growth heading into 2027. The episode was recorded live on LinkedIn ahead of the Skift Aviation Forum in New York City.
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00:00 Welcome to AWL
01:23 Q3 Earnings Overview
03:06 Margins Scorecard
04:53 Seasonality Caveats
07:20 JetBlue Under Pressure
11:43 Southwest Revenue Switches
16:23 Europe Earnings Preview
17:09 Industry Economics and Consolidation
22:23 Demand Destruction Question
24:56 Travel Over Homeownership
26:11 Loyalty Fees Risk
26:55 Fuel Inflation Lessons
28:55 What To Watch Next
31:36 Start Your Day With Jay
33:26 Aviation Forum Lineup
37:31 Audience Q&A Capacity
40:19 Earnings Season Surprises
41:49 Wrap Up And Subscribe
29 October 2026, 7:00 am - 38 minutes 45 secondsUnited Airlines Is Bullish. Should It Be?
United Airlines is feeling bullish after its third-quarter earnings. But does the outlook match the optimism? Gordon and Jay break down the biggest takeaways from United’s Q3 earnings call, including what CEO Scott Kirby and his leadership team revealed about the airline’s performance and what may lie ahead.
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00:00 Welcome to the Lounge
00:30 In Flight Bread Debate
03:02 United Earnings Snapshot
06:23 Kirby vs American Airlines
08:14 Starlink and Brand Loyalty
15:04 Fuel Shock and Industry Risks
21:49 Break and Listener Mail
22:20 Alaska Airlines Margin Miss
25:33 Loyalty Deals and Aeroplan
27:58 Swipe Fees Under Scrutiny
33:39 Wrap Up and Final Thoughts
36:57 Closing Credits and Subscribe
22 October 2026, 7:00 am - 35 minutes 16 secondsDelta Sets the Pace for Airline Earnings Season
As Delta Air Lines kicks off Q3 earnings, Gordon and Jay unpack the numbers. Plus, could Southwest be eyeing widebody aircraft? And what's behind the latest slide in JetBlue's share price?
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00:00 Welcome and Agenda
00:30 Finnair Raises Guidance
03:44 Delta Q3 Headlines
06:14 Delta Refinery Advantage
10:30 Cargo and MRO Boost
14:37 Break and Listener Plug
15:00 Premium Strategy Explained
20:04 Riyadh Route Postponed
22:02 Southwest Widebody Rumors
28:54 JetBlue Under Pressure
33:19 Forum Promo and Wrap
15 October 2026, 7:00 am - 40 minutes 41 secondsDelta Kicks Off Q3 Earnings Season
In part one, Gordon and Jay preview what to watch as U.S. carriers report Q3 earnings. In part two, they turn to Alaska Airlines' investor day and discuss what stood out.
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00:00 Welcome and Agenda
00:34 Q3 Earnings Preview
03:17 Revenue Man Tailwinds
08:38 Cost Vader Headwinds
11:29 Fuel Uncertainty Outlook
12:56 Premium Cabin Boom
18:16 Skift Aviation Forum Plug
21:20 Break and Reset
21:49 Why Investor Days Matter
23:35 Alaska Rough First Half
26:40 Alaska Global Expansion Risks
30:29 Alaska Revenue Strategy Shift
33:23 Partnerships and M&A Chatter
38:07 Wrap Up and Farewell
8 October 2026, 4:00 am - 18 minutes 29 secondsVirgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster on Fuel, AI, and ATC Meltdowns
Gordon Smith sits down with Virgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster on the sidelines of Skift Global Forum in New York. They discuss how fuel costs are weighing on the airline and why premium demand keeps holding up, before turning to recent air traffic control meltdowns that have disrupted transatlantic operations.
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0:00 Introduction
1:00 Becoming CEO of Virgin Atlantic
3:00 The Iran War and a Challenging First Year
4:00 Fuel Costs Have Doubled
5:30 Transatlantic Demand and Cargo Revenue
7:00 The Premium Cabin Bet
9:00 Keeping Premium Feeling Special
10:00 The Delta Relationship
12:00 AI at Virgin Atlantic
14:00 ATC Failures and Infrastructure
16:00 Vision for Virgin Atlantic1 October 2026, 4:00 am - 37 minutes 30 secondsWhat American, Southwest and United Told Investors
Gordon is joined by Jay and Meghna to unpack the recent Morgan Stanley Laguna conference, where executives from American, Southwest and United set out where they think the market is heading.
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00:00 Welcome and Setup
00:45 Laguna Conference Themes
03:46 Demand Strong Costs Rising
08:12 Premium Push and Lounges
15:23 Airline Strategies Compared
18:25 Wrap Part One and Break
20:53 Part Two Fuel Update
22:58 Capacity Cuts Ahead
24:48 Merger Rumors Return
30:55 Regulators and Rail Parallels
36:09 Final Thanks and Subscribe
24 September 2026, 4:00 am - 41 minutes 56 secondsAirlines Post Record Revenues But Costs Catch Up
Gordon and Jay open with why record revenues still aren't covering a sharp rise in costs, then turn to what JetBlue's latest outlook tells the rest of the industry.
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00:00 Welcome and Agenda
00:50 Why Costs Matter Now
02:37 Six Inflation Buckets
03:01 Fuel and Labor Pressures
05:00 Aircraft and Maintenance Crunch
06:22 Airport Infrastructure Inflation
08:47 Premium Service Costs
09:49 Borrowing Costs Rising
11:32 How Airlines Fight Inflation
14:19 Capacity Cuts and Pricing Power
18:15 Demand and Supply Behind Fare Hikes
21:01 OEMs and Next Aircraft Programs
22:23 Forum Plug and News Notes
23:32 Back From Break Global Forum
26:36 JetBlue Investor Update Numbers
31:14 Fort Lauderdale Strategy Post Spirit
34:34 Losses Bankruptcy Talk and Options
36:11 Merger Prospects United Southwest American
38:19 JetBlue Right of Reply Context
40:34 Wrap Up and Subscribe
17 September 2026, 4:00 am - 38 minutes 16 secondsThe Air Canada Anko Inherits
In part one, Gordon and Jay weigh the opportunities in front of Air Canada against the challenges that come with them. In part two, the conversation turns to China, and why the country's Big Three carriers had such a rough second quarter.
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00:00 Welcome and agenda
01:38 Air Canada turnaround history
04:27 New CEO and headwinds
08:32 Competitive landscape and Aeroplan
14:25 Sixth freedom strategy explained
16:42 New aircraft and route growth
21:49 Forum plug and break
23:03 China big three losses
24:20 Why fares can’t rise
27:04 Fleet politics and economy
28:48 International bright spots
34:25 Wrap up and next week
10 September 2026, 7:00 am - 32 minutes 7 secondsWhy US Airlines Are Betting Big on Europe in 2027
In part one, Jay and Meghna discuss the latest transatlantic expansion announcements from United and American Airlines and what they reveal about how US carriers are rethinking their European strategies. In part two, the conversation turns to the A321XLR, the narrow body aircraft making these new routes possible, and whether its heavy reliance on premium demand is a strength or a risk.
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00:00 Welcome and agenda
02:05 United Europe expansion
04:52 American routes and Philly hub
09:37 Why transatlantic is shifting
11:19 Partners and new entrants
15:29 Delta moves and break
16:39 A321XLR overview
17:58 Who ordered the XLR
19:57 Delta skips the XLR
25:35 Economics and range limits
30:36 Wrap up and subscribe
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