Airlines Confidential Podcast

Scott McCartney

Hosted by Scott McCartney, Fmr. Travel Editor/"Mi…

  • 1 hour 1 minute
    318 - Scott McCartney with Chris Sloan - Reviews of American & JetBlue New Offerings
    This week:  Host Scott McCartney with Chris Sloan. Reviews: American's new A321XLR Flagship Suite & JetBlue's new JFK Lounge.  Also: The $50MM Spirit Christmas gift; More Spirit-Frontier talks; Frontier CEO Barry Biffle out, James Dempsey named Interim CEO; Volaris and Viva Aerobus seek to combine;  Delta President Glen Hauenstein to retire; Memphis renames it's airport; Positive listener feedback on the Doug Parker airline pricing episode. Next episode: Jan 7th, 2026. Happy New Year!
    24 December 2025, 12:00 am
  • 56 minutes 15 seconds
    317 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis
    This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Topics: 13 years of unpaid parking comes due; Spirit refutes competitors' talk of impending shutdown; Losses due to government flight reductions; Lots to say about Southwest - Leadership, lounges, and more; AUS Execs and others stopped by for PIT re-opening; Sec. Duffy works out at the airport; Peraton selected to overhaul FAA systems; Listener comments on Love Field, a correction re Finnair, and a listener-listener response.
    17 December 2025, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 39 minutes
    316 - Host Scott McCartney attends Doug Parker's "School of Airline Pricing"
    This week: Host Scott McCartney attends Doug Parker's "School of Airline Pricing" - Extensive insights into pricing considerations.
    10 December 2025, 5:01 am
  • 1 hour 28 minutes
    315 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Guest Phil Washington, CEO, Denver Int. Airport
    This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Guest: Phil Washington, CEO, Denver Int. Airport. Also: Ramifications from the Airbus immediate software requirement; DFW gets Turkey Award; Holiday travel vs last year; Bids for TAP Air Portugal; Listener input on where the projected new DFW passengers will come from, an idea of an AA-SWA merger, and the political environment's impact on international visitors.
    3 December 2025, 12:00 am
  • 58 minutes 17 seconds
    314 - Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman
    This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman. Topics: Thanksgiving travel projections; US Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy releases "Golden Age of Travel" PSA; Dress codes & bare feet on seat backs; JetBlue CEO Joanna Geraghty calls for policy equity; Visit USA Act introduced; UPS 2976 crash update; Tribute to Peter J. Dolara, Fmr SVP, American Airlines; Listener response to Scott Kirby interview. Plus: Will American step up their game?
    26 November 2025, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 40 seconds
    313 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Fmr CEO United, Guest: Scott Kirby, CEO, United
    This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Fmr CEO United, Guest: Scott Kirby, CEO, United. Topics: Air travel as a political tool; Credit card swipe fee change impact on airlines; A Scott Kirby job assessment by the person who hired him.
    19 November 2025, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 1 minute
    312 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman, Guest Alex Cruz, Fmr. CEO, British Airways
    Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman, Guest Alex Cruz, Fmr. CEO, British Airways. News: Tripadvisor kills SeatGuru; US Transportation Sec. Sean Duffy reduces air traffic; Government shutdown breakthrough in the works; UPS Flight 2976 crashes on takeoff; Listener questions on the value of international partnerships.
    12 November 2025, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 24 minutes
    311 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Guest: Alex Mans. Founder & CEO, FLYR
    This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Alex Mans. Founder & CEO, FLYR. Topics: AI for airlines; Yahrzeit for Ben Baldanza; The case for using the $18B trust fund to pay controllers; Listener input includes a correction relating to Ryanair, travel spend by different disposable income levels.
    5 November 2025, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 7 minutes
    310 - Scott McCartney with Guests: Andrew Watterson & Jay Sorensen
    Scott McCartney with Guests: Andrew Watterson, COO, SWA and Jay Sorensen, Pres, IdeaWorks; Topics: An SWA update; 2025 ancillary revenue report. Also: Results for American, Southwest, and Alaska; Nat Pieper joins American as CCO; Listener input from Storrington, England.
    29 October 2025, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 21 minutes
    309 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan, Guest: Theo Panagiotoulias, CEO, Star Alliance.
    This week: Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan, Guest: Theo Panagiotoulias, CEO, Star Alliance. Also: A deep dive into the low cost sector; United earnings and aggressive growth; Shai Weiss to step down at year end, Corneel Koster to be named new CEO, Virgin Atlantic; Seat cleaning grounds Finnair A321s; Spirit projects more losses; with cash stability; Observations from the Wings Club Gala; Listener Input on LCC growth.
    22 October 2025, 12:00 am
  • 1 hour 19 minutes
    308 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis, Guests: Architects Luis Vidal & Carolyn Sponza - New Pittsburgh Int. Airport
    Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis, Guests: Architects Luis Vidal & Carolyn Sponza - The new Pittsburgh International Airport. Also: Fall earnings season, Delta numbers; Spirit sheds aircraft - is deal with Frontier more likely? Listener input on Delta Tech Ops and Airport gate allocations.
    15 October 2025, 12:00 am
  • More Episodes? Get the App