Best Ben Watterson Podcasts (2025)

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318 - Scott McCartney with Chris Sloan - Reviews of American & JetBlue New Offerings 1:01:11

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1d ago1:01:11

1:01:11

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 r…

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317 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis 56:15

8d ago56:15

56:15

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 s…

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316 - Host Scott McCartney attends Doug Parker's "School of Airline Pricing" 1:39:17

15d ago1:39:17

1:39:17

This week: Host Scott McCartney attends Doug Parker's "School of Airline Pricing" - Extensive insights into pricing considerations.By Scott McCartney

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315 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Guest Phil Washington, CEO, Denver Int. Airport 1:28:13

23d ago1:28:13

1:28:13

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 po…

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314 - Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman 58:17

1M ago58:17

58:17

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 …

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313 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Fmr CEO United, Guest: Scott Kirby, CEO, United 1:00:40

1M ago1:00:40

1:00:40

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.By Scott McCartney

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312 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman, Guest Alex Cruz, Fmr. CEO, British Airways 1:01:55

2M ago1:01:55

1:01:55

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.…

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311 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Guest: Alex Mans. Founder & CEO, FLYR 1:24:04

2M ago1:24:04

1:24:04

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.…

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310 - Scott McCartney with Guests: Andrew Watterson & Jay Sorensen 1:07:34

2M ago1:07:34

1:07:34

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.By Scott McCartney

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309 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan, Guest: Theo Panagiotoulias, CEO, Star Alliance. 1:21:57

2M ago1:21:57

1:21:57

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; …

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308 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis, Guests: Architects Luis Vidal & Carolyn Sponza - New Pittsburgh Int. Airport 1:19:18

2M ago1:19:18

1:19:18

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.By Scott McCartney

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307 - Scott McCartney, Doug Parker, and Richard Anderson 1:22:49

3M ago1:22:49

1:22:49

This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Doug Parker, Fmr CEO, American Airlines and Guest: Richard Anderson, Fmr CEO, Delta Air Lines. A conversation with two transformative leaders.By Scott McCartney

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306 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan, Guest: Pedro Heilbron, CEO, Copa Airlines 1:11:42

3M ago1:11:42

1:11:42

This week: Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan, Guest: Pedro Heilbron, CEO, Copa Airlines; Topics: Top level change at Alaska Airlines; Breeze comes to Norfolk VA; Ramifications of judicial decision on United / American gate reallocation in Chicago; WSJ updates & expands story on toxic fume events; Info on the "Aviation EMBA Program"; A Spirit - AerCap u…

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305 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Holly Hegeman, Founder, PlaneBusiness 1:16:14

3M ago1:16:14

1:16:14

This week: Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Holly Hegeman, Founder, PlaneBusiness. Topics: Job cut warning and cash concerns at Spirit; US tells Delta - Aeroméxico to unwind joint venture; L3 Harris and Frontier Communications cables cause huge Dallas area disruption for American; C.D. McLean, Fmr COO, Continental, passes; "The Ontario Tower Buzz…

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304 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Nat Pieper, CEO. Oneworld 1:06:45

3M ago1:06:45

1:06:45

This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Nat Pieper, CEO. Oneworld. Topics: Conference season comments; Southwest moves towards introducing premium experiences and international service; Listener Q's on social media impacting Spirit's brand, Southwest O & D saturation and use of RJs.By Scott McCartney

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303 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guests: Mark Streeter & Jamie Baker, Analysts, JP Morgan Chase 1:09:52

4M ago1:09:52

1:09:52

This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guests: Mark Streeter & Jamie Baker, Analysts, JP Morgan Chase; News: Spirit shrinks; United adds flights in Spirit markets; SWA offers up a freebie; Passenger compensation rules changing; Steven Udvar-Házy retires with sale of Air Lease; International visits to the US down; Listener Q's all center around …

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302 - Host Scott McCartney with Guest: Peter Ingram, Fmr CEO, Hawaiian Airlines 1:03:16

4M ago1:03:16

1:03:16

This week: Host Scott McCartney with Guest: Peter Ingram, Fmr CEO, Hawaiian Airlines. Breaking News: What really forced Spirit back into Chapter 11? AerCap claims default triggered; Spirit's poor communication, what markets will see reductions in service, and Frontier Chairman Bill Franke talking with Spirit Chairman Robert Milton and Pres/CEO Dave…

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301 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman 55:27

4M ago55:27

55:27

This week: Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman; Topics: Tribute to Ginger Hardage; Cash management changes at Spirit; Air Canada back to work - who's next? Chris Sununu appointed President & CEO, Airlines for America; Questions from "The Sorting Hat" - Should the government make an investment in Spirit? Why are European low cost carri…

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300 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan 1:04:20

4M ago1:04:20

1:04:20

Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan; Southwest writes Mrs McCartney a check, and other recent passenger experiences; Spirit Q2 not good, issues "Going Concern" statement; Relevancy of July airfare price increase; Air Canada flight attendants strike; SWA adds flights in vacation cities, divests renewable fuel, and upgrades their coff…

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299 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host: Christina Cassotis 58:07

5M ago58:07

58:07

Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host: Christina Cassotis; Topics: Change in the Southwest Airlines boardroom - Gangwal steps down as Chair; National Transportation Safety Board report on American Airlines / U.S. Army Helicopter crash - outrageous errors made; Tariff deal benefits aviation industry; No deal at United; Q2 loss for JetBlue; Listener Q…

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298 - Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Doug Parker - "Unscripted & Unplugged" 1:12:31

5M ago1:12:31

1:12:31

This week: Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Doug Parker - An "Unplugged" Free For All Discussion. Topics: An overarching look at American, Southwest, growth potential, Both co-hosts answer "The Ben Baldanza Question"; The simplification of pricing and Contract of Carriage; Scott recounts memorable reactions to certain stories.…

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297 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Charlie Curreri, PhD, The Center for Aviation Mental Health 1:00:56

5M ago1:00:56

1:00:56

This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Charlie Curreri, PhD, The Center for Aviation Mental Health & Creator "Pilot Wingman". Focus: Pilot Mental Health. Also: Colbert/Late Show cancellation relevance to aviation industry; GBTA survey numbers; Delta & United report positive Q2; Delta creatively swaps engines; Avelo pulls out of CA; Listener i…

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296 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Mike Malik, CMO, Cirium 1:01:36

6M ago1:01:36

1:01:36

This week: Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Mike Malik, CMO, Cirium. News: Air India crash preliminary report released; Delta and others report good news; Bryan Bedford sworn in to head FAA; TSA says to keep your shoes on; Listeners chime in on American's Customer service.By Scott McCartney

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295 - Guest Co-Host: Henry Harteveldt; Guest: Heather Garboden, Chief Customer Exp. Ofc., American Airlines 1:07:54

6M ago1:07:54

1:07:54

This week: Guest Co-Host: Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Heather Garboden, Chief Customer Experience Officer, American Airlines, News: Huge holiday week travel reported; Delta deals with 100+ massive rain-related diversions; Multi-year funding for FAA system improvements approved; Alaska orders more from Boeing; Listener Q: Point-point success with legac…

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294 - Guest Co-Host: Maya Leibman; Guest Jay Sorensen, Pres., IdeaWorks Company 57:30

6M ago57:30

57:30

This week: Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman; Guest Jay Sorensen, President, The IdeaWorks Company; News: Bryan Bedford, CEO, Republic Airways, on track for FAA Administrator; Southwest starts assigned seating, Spirit drops the "Go" & renames fares, Delta adds more international flights from Seattle; NTSB issues report on Alaska door plug failure; Air Ind…

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293 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan; Guest: Maury Gallagher, Chairman, Allegiant Travel Company 1:05:49

6M ago1:05:49

1:05:49

This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan; Guest: Maury Gallagher, Chairman, Allegiant Travel Company; News: FedEx Founder Fred Smith passes away at 80; JetBlue says more cost cuts are on the way; ATC understaffing continues; A muted Paris Air Show; National Academy of Sciences reports on FAA overtime; Listener Q regarding airlines taking a stake in …

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292 - Guest Co-Host: Christina Cassotis, CEO, Pittsburgh International Airport 1:06:17

6M ago1:06:17

1:06:17

This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis; Topics: Info on Air India 171, Crisis Management; A recap of the IATA meeting; Paris Air Show is underway; Listener input on Controller staffingBy Scott McCartney

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291 - Guest Co-Host: Doug Parker; Guest: Robert Crandall, Fmr CEO/Chairman, American Airlines 1:01:59

7M ago1:01:59

1:01:59

This week: Guest Co-Host Doug Parker; Guest: Robert Crandall, Fmr CEO/Chairman, American Airlines. Topics/News: Reflections on Scott's Richard Anderson interview; Backstory of presenting the renderings for the Robert L. Crandall Campus; Summer travel starting off slightly slower; SAF discussion at IATA in Delhi; Alaska postpones aircraft delivery; …

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290 - Guests Greg John, CEO Infinity Flight Group; David Seymour, COO, American 49:07

7M ago49:07

49:07

This week: Guests: Greg John, CEO Infinity Flight Group, and an Operational Update from David Seymour, COO, American. News: The United & JetBlue collaboration compared to other partnership agreements; Frontier CEO Barry Biffle comments and airline stock prices rise; FAA staff departures as reported by WSJ reporter Andrew Tangel; Listener praise for…

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289 - Guest Co-Host: Oscar Munoz; Guest: Steve Sisneros, VP Airport Affairs, Southwest Airlines 1:02:08

7M ago1:02:08

1:02:08

This week: Scott McCartney's Guest Co-Host is Oscar Munoz; Guest: Steve Sisneros, VP Airport Affairs, Southwest Airlines, News: Real ID kicks in; SWA Bags Fly Free no more; Newark caps traffic - United takes biggest hit; Better ATC tech & better runway utilization; ATC leadership failures; Success pending ratification on United flight attendant con…

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288 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan; Guest: Richard Anderson, Fmr CEO, Delta Airlines 1:20:19

7M ago1:20:19

1:20:19

This week: Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan; Guest: Richard Anderson, Fmr CEO, Delta Airlines; News: Airline fares drop; Newark personnel and technology forces contraction; SWA expands international service; United projects getting back into JFK; How might JetBlue benefit from a United alliance?By Scott McCartney

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287 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt; Guest: Adam Stahl, Acting Administrator, TSA 58:39

8M ago58:39

58:39

This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Hardevelt; Guest: Adam Stahl, Acting Administrator, TSA; News: Real ID takes effect; US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy presents plan for ATC technology upgrade; What's happening at Newark? Gate reallocation drama with United & American in Chicago; Decline in business travel continues; Validity of JD Power survey?…

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286 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman; Guest: Linda Jojo, Fmr EVP/CCO, United 1:02:55

8M ago1:02:55

1:02:55

This week: Scott's Guest Co- Host is Maya Leibman; Guest: Linda Jojo, Fmr EVP/Chief Customer Officer, United. News: Rep. Sam Graves (R) proposes $15B ATC modernization; United cuts flights at Newark due to ATC equipment and staffing issues; Projected United - JetBlue partnership; How problematic will TSA enforcement of Real ID be? New less fun name…

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285 - Guest Co-Host: Christina Cassotis, Guest: John Pepper, VP/Corp. Development, Allegiant Air 1:04:25

8M ago1:04:25

1:04:25

This week: Scott's Guest Co-Host is Christina Cassotis, Guest: John Pepper, VP/Corporate Development, Allegiant Air; News: Why has a proposed Allegiant-Viva Aerobus alliance been held up by DOT for 3 years? Earning news from AA, SWA, Alaska; Southwest assigns very generic names to fare classes; Alaska increasing flights to West Coast cities; Boeing…

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284 - Guest Co-Host Doug Parker; Guest: Aengus Kelly, Exec. Director & CEO, AerCap Holdings 1:05:28

8M ago1:05:28

1:05:28

This week: Scott's McCartney's Guest Co-Host is Doug Parker; Guest: Aengus Kelly, Exec. Director & CEO, AerCap Holdings: News: United reports positive earnings & offers two different projections; Spirit hires Dave Davis as CEO as speculation builds on a merger with Frontier; American teaming with AT&T to offer free Wi-Fi; Listener Q on potential re…

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283 - Guest Co-Host: Dave Hilfman, Special Report: Chris Sloan on the Pacific Island Hopper 1:15:10

9M ago1:15:10

1:15:10

This week: Scott's Guest Co-Host is Dave Hilfman, Special Report: Chris Sloan on the Pacific Island Hopper; News: Frontier, Delta, revenue lower than projected; United adding significant numbers of seats; What's happening with the NOTAM system? FAA still having trouble with technology; Avelo accepts contract to operate deportation flights; Listener…

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282 - Guest Co-Host: Oscar Munoz, Guests: Milind Tavshikar, SmartKargo & Marco Ferrara, Delta 1:07:43

9M ago1:07:43

1:07:43

Guest Host: Oscar Munoz, Guests: Milind Tavshikar, CEO, SmartKargo & Marco Ferrara, Mngr Product/Strategy, Delta; Ted Christie out as Spirit CEO: Republic buying Mesa; Info on new Executive Aviation focused MBA program at U of Colorado; Airline stocks take another beating; United adding interesting Asian flights; Economic changes potential effects …

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281 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan; Guest: Eamonn Brennan, Fmr Director General, Eurocontrol 54:50

9M ago54:50

54:50

This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan; Guest: Eamonn Brennan, Fmr Director General, Eurocontrol; News: Trans Canada booking data conflicts; Potential market share shifts related to fees; Alaska/Hawaiian increasing Asian service from Seattle; Listener input: Lots about SWA, but not much about JetBlue's situation, YTD stock prices, and future pilot…

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280 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt; Guest: Justin Jones, EVP Operations, Southwest Airlines 1:19:15

9M ago1:19:15

1:19:15

This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt; Guest: Justin Jones, EVP Operations, Southwest Airlines. Recorded in Dallas TX at Cirium OTP Board Meeting; News: Heathrow power failure; International travel slowdown; Report issued on Delta CRJ incident; Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford nominated to head FAA; SWA earns world's lowest cancellation rate;…

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279 - Guest Co-Host: Maya Leibman; Guest: Elise Eberwein, Fmr EVP, American Airlines 1:10:46

9M ago1:10:46

1:10:46

This week: Scott's Co-Host is Maya Leibman; Guest: Elise Eberwein, Fmr EVP, American Airlines; News: Crisis communication; Delta celebrates 100 Years; Revised earnings projections from United, Delta; The SWA transition; Spirit's quick exit from bankruptcy; Listener Q's on airlines deferring OEM deliveries.…

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278 - Big Southwest Bag/Policy Changes - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis 1:03:39

10M ago1:03:39

1:03:39

This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis; News: Big bag news & changes at Southwest; Can SWA remain SWA? Cost of enplaned passenger (CPE) & the structure around airport funding; AA asks for a NE Alliance deal review; Staffing requirement change at DCA; A Scott Mini-Rant on Axios fare data conclusion; Listener Q on the future of SWA, & a look ahe…

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277 - JetBlue's Top Senior Leadership - Joanna Geraghty, CEO and Marty St. George, President 1:00:04

10M ago1:00:04

1:00:04

This week: JetBlue's Top Senior Leadership - Joanna Geraghty, CEO and Marty St. George, President. News: The SWA go-around to avoid Flexjet in Chicago; SWA routes and distribution changes; Frontier makes significant moves in Atlanta; A rant from Scott; Some very much appreciated listener input.By Scott McCartney

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276 - Guest Co-Host Doug Parker; Guest: Sara Nelson, Pres., Association of Flight Attendants 1:23:36

10M ago1:23:36

1:23:36

This week: Scott's Guest Co-Host is Doug Parker; Guest: Sara Nelson, President, Association of Flight Attendants; Topics: Organized labor, Partners and mergers, Delta 4819 flight lands, flips upside down, crew performs with excellence, all survive; A drop in government travel, A4A seeks congressional funding to fix the FAA; Spirit restructuring dea…

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275 - Guest Co-Host Chris Sloan with info on BermudAir 56:06

10M ago56:06

56:06

This week: Guest Co-Host Chris Sloan with info on BermudAir; Several see Spirit as attractive; British Airways & Virgin participate in love triangle; Las Vegas "Supplemental" Airport in the works; American adds to BOS-LGA; Tom Doxey to Southwest as CFO; DCA incident news update; Boeing steps up deliveries; Listener comments on open skies in the new…

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274 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Jim Compton, Fmr Vice Chairman, United 1:15:06

11M ago1:15:06

1:15:06

This week: Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Jim Compton, Fmr Vice Chairman/Chief Revenue Officer of United Airlines. Topics: Pricing: Favorite Superbowl ads; United brings back stroopwafels; PSA 5342/PAT 25 Crash info update; JetBlue ending BOS-LGA service; United asking for American gates in ORD? Frontier reports interesting numbers.…

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273 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz; Focus: A Tragic Week in Aviation 42:27

11M ago42:27

42:27

This week: Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz; News: A tragic week in aviation; Context and elements to consider; Frontier (again) tries to buy Spirit; Is the American-JetBlue Northeast Alliance back on the table? Listener input on Spirit's attempt at upgraded services, plus differing thoughts on the work of the TSA and Fmr Admin David Pekoske.…

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272 - Scott McCartney - Island Edition from Hawaii 20:40

11M ago20:40

20:40

This week: Scott McCartney - Island Edition from Hawaii; News: David Pekoske out as TSA Administrator; American reports good times-bad times; Operating margin numbers; Wall Street Journal's latest performance rankings; On Point Loyalty's report on loyalty program values; Lister comments: Comparing AOPA to NRA goes to far.…

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271 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Travel Industry Analyst 1:05:00

11M ago1:05:00

1:05:00

This week: Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt; SWA rejects outgoing DOT "chronically late" fine, DOT sues SWA; Service increase coming to TLV; A Delta - United near collision over PHX; Spirit announces layoffs; Can GoBig/GoComfy upsells drive significant revenue? AMEX GBT / CWT merger challenged by US Dept of Justice; Azul Abra/Avianca looking to merge…

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270 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan 1:03:47

12M ago1:03:47

1:03:47

This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan, Fmr President, Norse Atlantic; News: Tough week for air travel; Questions around wheel well stowaways; Ed Bastian's Sphere presentation & numbers behind Delta's earnings report; Overall capacity changes taking hold; Bill Swellbar report referenced; Bob Jordan's 737 store open for business; Fmr Boeing CEO say…

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269 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis; Guest Jeremy Bowen, CEO, Cirium 1:09:52

12M ago1:09:52

1:09:52

This week: Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis, CEO, Pittsburgh Int. Airport; Guest Jeremy Bowen, CEO, Cirium; News: Context around recent airliner crashes; DOT fines JetBlue 2MM for chronic lateness; Silver Airways files Ch11, Alaska shares and others up significantly in 2024; 2025 expectations; Elements of Airport-Airlines communication and collabor…