Airline Weekly Lounge

United CEO Scott Kirby says business travel is coming back, while Southwest CEO Gary Kelly says it could take years? Who's right? Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan and Airlines Reporter Edward "Ned" Russell get into it. And we also take a look at the Mexico market and why Volaris is so bullish, as well as when business travel might return. Learn more by subscribing to Airline Weekly.

We're in the thick of U.S. airline first-quarter earnings, and executives almost across the board are optimistic that the industry has turned the corner. But is that optimism misplaced? Brazil, after all, offers a cautionary tale of how the virus isn't yet done with us. Stay on top of airline news with a subscription to Airline Weekly.

After not getting any aid from the Canadia government, Air Canada finally got about $5 billion in assistance. Skift Airlines Reporter Edward "Ned" Russell and Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan discuss what this might mean, why Latam is retiring its A350s, and what are they smoking at Frontier's HQ in Denver to add so many routes? Get more with a subscription to Airline Weekly.

It's a reunion for Brian Sumers, Skift editor at large, and Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan, as they debate whether there really is that much pent-up demand for travel. Airlines are banking on it. Brian thinks there is, but Madhu is skeptical. Where do you fall on the issue? Learn more at Airline Weekly.

Georgia's controversial new elections law caused a public relations nightmare for Delta Air Lines and its CEO Ed Bastian, whose first, tepid comment on the law caused immense blowback and calls to boycott the airline. Bastian reversed course and issued a more forceful condemnation, inviting Governor Brian Kemp's fury. Airline Weekly's Madhu Unnikrishnan and Edward "Ned" Russell discuss the perils that lie in wait for companies when they weigh in on thorny social issues and why CEOs increasingly feel compelled to have an opinion on social and political matters. Stay ahead of aviation industry news at airlineweekly.com/subscribe

Qatar Airways thinks leisure and visiting friends and relatives traffic will rebound this summer, and it thinks it has the right fleet for the moment. And Eurowings is betting the same, planning its first routes in Europe than don't go through its home base in Germany. But the virus is surging in Europe, and the pace of vaccinations worldwide may not be keeping up with airlines' hopes. Edward "Ned" Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan dive into these topics and into why Wall Street is betting big on Frontier Airlines' stock market debut. Get daily updates at airlineweekly.com to better understand the industry.

U.S. airline CEOs are pretty confident that they've turned the corner. The pandemic isn't in the rearview mirror yet, but they're fairly certain travel will rebound this summer, and some think their airlines will return to profitability this year. Is that confidence misplaced? Will business travel ever be the same as it was? Edward "Ned" Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan get into it. Get more essential airline news at airlineweekly.com

In this week's episode, Airline Weekly colleagues Edward "Ned" Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan get into why going public may not be the craziest idea of an airline, despite the once-in-a-century industry-wide crisis. They also look at why Lufthansa is opening its fortress hubs at Munich and Frankfurt to its own subsidiaries. And does IATA's Alexandre de Juniac really think leisure traffic will take off this summer? Get more essential airline news at airlineweekly.com/subscribe

Much of the world is trapped at home and shopping online. Who's transporting all those goods? Airlines, and cargo. has been the one silver lining in the airline's terrible pandemic year. But it's not a savior; airlines still are losing money. Edward "Ned" Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan talk all things cargo and look at why United is buying more Boeing 737 Max aircraft. Stay informed about essential aviation news with a subscription to Airline Weekly.

Norwegian's retrenchment is providing opportunities for all sorts of airlines, like Finnair, United, and Virgin Atlantic, Airline Weekly colleagues Edward "Ned" Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan say in this week's episode. And just why is much of the media coverage of United Flight 328 wrong, when the aircraft's systems and its crew acted just as they should have in an emergency? Stay ahead of aviation news by subscribing to Airline Weekly.

United's plan to bridge the "last mile" with electric aircraft is ambitious, especially since the FAA hasn't approved any electric engines for flight yet. Meanwhile, Spirit could have its 2019 capacity back by this summer. Airline Weekly colleagues Ned Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan take a look at these issues as well as why Aeromexico's bankruptcy and Interjet's inability to pay its fuel bills might help Volaris. Don't miss out on the latest news in the aviation industry. Subscribe to Airline Weekly.

Sun Country has been planning to go public for more than a year, but it made it official now, during the worst crisis to hit the airline industry. Airline Weekly colleagues Edward Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan talk about why the low-cost-carrier is going public now, what's happening with Air Canada, and whether Copa will be a Wall Street darling again. Stay ahead of aviation news with a subscription to Airline Weekly.

The six largest U.S. airlines have reported their fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 results, and while we knew last year was historically bad, it doesn't look like this year will be any better. Airline Weekly colleagues Edward Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan dig into the earnings and when travel will start to rebound. Become an Airline Weekly subscriber at https://airlineweekly.com

Airbus has a winner with the A220, and airlines are just starting to discover what they can do with the aircraft’s size and range. Chris Sloan, publisher of theairchive.net joins for a discussion on the A220 and the Boeing 737 Max.

Expedia Vice President Air Partnerships Julie Kyse joins the Airline Weekly Lounge to let us know how data can help airlines recover. We will be on hiatus until the first week of January. Enjoy your holidays, no matter how you celebrate.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport moved quickly to safeguard public health when the coronavirus began to spread in the U.S. What changes will be permanent? CEO Sean Donohue explains in this week's episode. To participate live in events like this, please visit https://forum.skift.com

The airline industry is just one part of the larger travel ecosystem, and no one sector has been immune to the effects of a once-in-a-century pandemic. Skift Hospitality Reporter Cameron Sperance joins us for a state-of-play on the hospitality and cruise industries. To participate in Airline Weekly Lounge live, register at forum.skift.com.

Last week Skift and the Airline Weekly team hosted our first conference devoted to aviation. Guests including Southwest CEO and Chairman Gary Kelly, Air France CEO Anne Rigali, and Air Lease Corp. Executive Chairman Steven Udvar-Házy discussed the current state of the industry. For today's podcast, the Airline Weekly team connects the dots between the conversations. To participate in weekly recordings of Airline Weekly Lounge, register on our conference site.

Brett "Cranky Flier" Snyder joins Airline Weekly Lounge Live after trying Hawaiian Airlines' new rapid-response test from LAX. The process, aimed to allow travelers to avoid Hawaii's 14-day quarantine, was confusing, he said. And Cranky updates us with his latest installment of "Skeds of Airlines."

Capt. Joe DePete, president of the Air Line Pilots Association, argues that airlines are critical infrastructure, and pilots are essential workers. The industry needs more federal support in order to ensure it can bounce back when demand returns, or the economy as a whole will suffer, he says. Join us on November 19, 2020 for Skift Aviation Forum and learn from CEOs and leaders at Delta Air Lines, Air France, Virgin Atlantic, Ryanair, and more.

Boeing's grounded 737 MAX has been in the news a bunch recently, with European regulators and some airlines predicting it will be back in the air by year's end. What regulatory steps remain before the FAA approves it for flight, and what emerged in the investigation on why the aircraft's software malfunctioned? Aviation Week Air Transport and Safety Editor Sean Broderick helps break it down. To participate in events like this live, please register at Forum.skift.com.

Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan is joined by Skift hospitality reporter Cameron Sperance to discuss the state of leisure and business travel. Join events like this live by registering at https://forum.skift.com/mondays-airline-weekly/

PaxEx.aero founder Seth Miller joins us live from Philadelphia International Airport for an update on the passenger experience during this pandemic. The pandemic provides both opportunity and risk for airlines and their suppliers. With traffic light, now could the time to innovate, but with cash tight, do airlines and their suppliers have the wherewithal?

Few other airlines were as associated with luxury intercontinental travel than Singapore Airlines was before the pandemic. But when Covid travel restrictions went into force, Singapore's core business all but evaporated, and unlike many of its rivals, it has no domestic market at all to fall back on. For airline industry intelligence every Monday morning, subscribe at Airline Weekly.

Brian Sumers, Skift senior aviation business editor, and Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan asked just why airlines are eliminating change fees (when passengers have complained about them forever). Are airlines ready to transport vaccines? To join events like this live, visit https://forum.skift.com

Accenture's Jonathan Keane sketches four scenarios the airline industry could face, ranging from a "remarkable return" to "the darkest days." How should airlines prepare for a very uncertain post-pandemic future? Join future events like this at https://forum.skift.com/mondays-airline-weekly/

IATA Regional Vice President for the Americas Peter Cerdá explains the patchwork of travel restrictions that is making air travel in Latin America difficult and why governments in the region should invest more in air transport infrastructure. Get the latest aviation industry intelligence at https://airlineweekly.com

More Europeans may be taking their summer holidays, but it still was a historically bad quarter for the continent’s airlines, especially for those that staked their fortunes on long-haul premium traffic. Join us live for similar events at https://forum.skift.com

Skift Senior Aviation Business Editor Brian Sumers joins host Madhu Unnikrishnan to examine why the heads of four U.S. and European airlines are asking for quarantine rules to be eased. Also, how much more time do you have to fly in a passenger Boeing 747? For more about the business of aviation, please visit https://airlineweekly.com

This week host Madhu Unnikrishnan is joined by Amy Burr, managing director of JetBlue Ventures, and Nirali Shah, director, Vantage Airport Group. To stay on top of essential aviation industry news, please visit Airline Weekly.

How has the passenger experience changed during the pandemic? In no good way, says Seth Miller, founder and editor of PaxEx.aero. Although less-full flights mean more space, airlines are halting or limiting food service, keeping lounges closed, and changing the way IFE is delivered. These are all good and necessary measures, Miller notes, but the passenger experience as we knew it is changing. Understand more about the airline industry with Airline Weekly.

Chris Jones, McCarran International Airport chief marketing officer, discusses the steep drop off in traffic when Las Vegas closed down and how traffic is slowly starting to recover now that many shelter-in-place restrictions are easing. Listen to how McCarran is “betting against the spread” by mandating social distancing, disinfecting public areas, and encouraging mask use. Understand more about the aviation industry with this week"s issue of Skift Airline Weekly.

Bombardier exits the commerical aviation market, and Mitsubishi considers what comes next with the MRJ. Aerospace journalist Jon Ostrower of The Air Current joins host Madhu Unnikrishnan to explain what he calls the rapidly moving tectonic plates in the airframer world. Dive deeper into industry news with the latest issue of Skift Airline Weekly.

Covid-19 claimed its latest airline victim with the bankruptcy of Latam. Just how did one of the largest and most successful airlines in Latin America land in such dire straits? And what does its bankruptcy filing mean for Delta, which has a significant investment in Latam, and for connectivity in South America? Join Skift Airline Weekly’s editors as they hash out what happened and for when they think shorthaul traffic might start to rebound. Dive deeper into industry news with the latest issue of Skift Airline Weekly.

Brett Snyder, better known as The Cranky Flier, emphatically says passengers need to wear masks or facial coverings onboard aircraft. It’s not a question, Snyder says in this episode of Mondays With Skift Airline Weekly. Airlines dug themselves into a public-relations hole by promising social distancing by blocking middle seats — which doesn’t provide the necessary six-feet of separation and is financially unsustainable. So given that flights will be filling up again, passengers need to wear masks. Dive deeper into industry news with the latest issue of Skift Airline Weekly.

Ty Osbaugh, architecture firm Gensler’s aviation lead and principal, joins Skift Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan for a discussion on how airports need to change to handle a public-health emergency. Everything from check-in to terminal design needs to be rethought to adapt to travel’s new reality. Dive deeper with the latest issue of Skift Airline Weekly.

The airline industry is ravaged now, but could this create an opportunity for new airlines to emerge? Skift Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan and Seth Kaplan, Airline Weekly co-founder and current host of the Airlines Confidential podcast discuss the possibility. Dive deeper with the latest issue of Skift Airline Weekly.

This week Skift Airline Weekly editor Madhu Unnikrishnan was joined by Skift Aviation Business Editor Brian Sumers to discuss first quarter earnings -- and why they are likely the best numbers airlines will see for all of 2020. Dive deeper with the latest issue of Skift Airline Weekly.

This week the Skift Airline Weekly team discussed Virgin Australia’s potential demise as well as how other airlines are weathering the coronavirus fallout. Dive deeper with the latest issue of Skift Airline Weekly.

The coronavirus pandemic is bringing the world's airlines to their knees. The Trump administration's decision on Wednesday to suspend travel between the U.S. and the European Union's Schengen area is unprecedented. But how is this shock different from the aftereffects of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks? On the one hand, the 9/11 attacks changed airports and airlines in noticeable ways, such as new security protocols and armored cockpit doors. On the other hand, the viral pandemic's effects are more widespread and universal for the world's airlines than the fallout from the 9/11 attacks.

Can all-business class airlines work? La Compagnie President Christian Vernet thinks so. But while others have failed — remember MAXJet? — Vernet said his airline's product sets it apart, and the A321 is the ideal aircraft for both the route and the on-board product. And as for the other 10 airlines that operate the Paris-New York route, including behemoths like Air France and Delta? Vernet said business class passengers on La Compagnie appreciate not waiting while "300 other passengers [are] going through the aisle … finding the economy section of the aircraft." In addition to its year-round Paris flights, the airline again this summer is planning to operate Newark-Nice flights.

Qatar Airways took a page from Etihad's book and invested in a European carrier. This elicited howls from the major U.S. airlines. They claimed this move was nothing more than a Trojan Horse strategy for Qatar to operate fifth-freedom flights to the U.S. from Europe (but not quite, since Air Italy was a European carrier). Air Italy never fulfilled its promise — or threat, depending on where you stood on the issue — and the airline is now shutting down Feb. 25. Skift Europe Editor Patrick Whyte tells us why.

A federal court is wading into the arcana of airline distribution. It's assessing whether there are antitrust issues with travel tech company Sabre's proposed acquisition of Farelogix. But what exactly is the deal? And why does the government have concerns? Skift Senior Travel Tech Editor Sean O'Neill takes us through an explainer on what Sabre and Farelogix do, why the government cares, and why you probably shouldn't sue your next employer.

French Bee President Marc Rochet is confident the airline's upcoming Newark-Orly flights will be successful, because the key to the airline's wins so far is its simplicity, he said. But will it work? Rochet said simplicity — in fleet, in network, in product — is key to why the airline is working when so many other European leisure carriers have failed.

Just what is going on in California? JetBlue is drawing down at Long Beach and dropping Oakland altogether, while United is adding flights to small California cities. Can any airline make a go of the Los Angeles Basin's secondary airports? What about the San Francisco Bay Area's secondary airports? Why is Spirit launching one of its longest flights to Oakland? Join Skift's resident Californians, Madhu Unnikrishnan and Brian Sumers, as they discuss airlines in the Golden State (and elsewhere too).

Airline Weekly talks this week to Skift Europe Editor Patrick Whyte on the news of International Airlines Group CEO Willie Walsh's retirement announcement. Walsh has been a powerhouse in the airline industry, helping transform British Airways into a pan-European behemoth. London-based Whyte walks us through the reaction in the United Kingdom. He also takes a look at what Flybe's financial problems might mean for the domestic UK market.

A single year can result in dramatic change within the airline industry, so an entire decade could see it completely transformed. After 10 years of strong profits and relatively stable oil prices in the 2010s, what does the decade ahead hold in store for the U.S. airline industry? Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan and co-founder and Senior Analyst Jay Shabat game out what might happen in the next 5–10 years — and whether Boeing ever will build the NMA.

It's that time of year again. Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan and Senior Analyst Jay Shabat look back on the year that was. It was yet another tumultuous year in this industry we love: Storied names like Thomas Cook, among others, went out of business, and the B737 MAX — one of the world's best-selling aircraft — was grounded. Can anyone make low-cost, longhaul flights work? Will Boeing ever build the new midsize airplane (NMA)? Listen to our final podcast of the year to find out.

Skeptics might say the airport of the future has always been just around the corner, but maybe the "smart airport" really is a thing. Skift Travel Tech Editor Sean O'Neill tells Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan about how advances in technology are improving the passenger experience, baggage tracking, and security. Hear what some of the world's more innovative airports are doing to implement new technologies into every part of their operations in this week's episode of the Lounge.

It's not other airlines. It's the bus. That's where Mexican ultra-low-cost carrier Volaris sees the most opportunity to grow: by poaching passengers from the country's long-distance bus network. In this episode of the Airline Weekly Lounge, Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan talks to Skift Travel Editor-in-Chief Tom Lowry about Volaris' growth strategy, how it allows passengers to pay for tickets, and why its employees are sometimes escorted out of bus stations by security.