Show overview
Airlines Confidential Podcast has been publishing since 2019, and across the 7 years since has built a catalogue of 340 episodes. That works out to roughly 290 hours of audio in total. Releases follow a weekly cadence.
Episodes typically run thirty-five to sixty minutes — most land between 41 min and 1h 1m — though episode length varies meaningfully from one episode to the next. None of the episodes are flagged explicit by the publisher. It is catalogued as a EN-language Business show.
The show is actively publishing — the most recent episode landed 4 days ago, with 22 episodes already out so far this year. Published by Airlines Confidential.
From the publisher
Hosted by Scott McCartney, Fmr. Travel Editor/"Middle Seat" Columnist for The Wall Street Journal. Top Stories, C-Suite Guests, Listener Q's. The Leading Podcast Reaching Travel Industry Insiders, Frequent Flyers, & Aviation Geeks. Created by & Dedicated to Ben Baldanza.
Latest Episodes
View all 340 episodes340 - Guest Co-Host: Charles Duncan. Guest: Erik Olund, CEO, Sky Chefs
339 - Scott McCartney with FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford
338 - Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Doug Parker on Crisis Management
337 - From Panama: Focus on Copa Airlines: Robert Carey, EVP, / Deniece Nicholas Holness, Dir, System Operations
336 - Scott McCartney & Oscar Munoz: A tip of the hat to Spirit Airlines
335 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Rick Elieson, Chief Revenue Officer, Signature Aviation
334 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Hosts Charles Duncan & Jay Sorensen
333 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Guest: Vicki Jaramillo, EVP/CCO, Orlando Int. Airport
332 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Khalid Usman, Partner, Oliver Wyman
331 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Dave Harvey, Founder, Harvey Global Advisory
Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest Dave Harvey, Founder/Principal, Harvey Global Advisory. 4/1/26 items: SWA introduces "Cattle Class" and LUV app, while Scott Kirby eyes CEO position at Spirit; News: Gary Kelly recognized for work at SWA; Air Canada/Fire truck fatal incident at LGA; Presidential directive issued to pay TSA agents; United coach couch seating; JetBlue evaluating potential sale opportunities.
330 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Robin Hayes, CEO, Airbus North America
This week: Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan: Guest: Robin Hayes, Chairman/CEO, Airbus North America. Also: A report on the JP Morgan conference; The TSA situation; Could a constitutional amendment be helpful? Air travel used as political football; Allegiant-Sun Country merger approved; Listener feedback on Professor Doug Parker's Route & Hub Profitability class.
329- Scott McCartney with "Professor" Doug Parker on Route & Hub Profitability
Host Scott McCartney with "Professor" Doug Parker on Route & Hub Profitability. Also: Traffic levels at O'Hare; TSA funding issues continue; Spirit plan calls for more shrinking; Listener takes issue with idea that General Aviation not paying fair share.
328 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Michael Huerta, Fmr Administrator, FAA
Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Michael Huerta, Fmr Administrator, FAA. Also: The war and fuel prices; A change of the Homeland Security Administrator; Delta leadership changes; Listener feedback on the loyalty program pooling idea.
327 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Charlie Sultan, President Concur Travel
Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Charlie Sultan, President Concur Travel. Topics: Major Middle East air travel disruptions; Elliot Management sells more SWA shares - says "mission accomplished"; Frontier shares drop; Spirit to drop billions in debt and push forward; An idea for an LCC to gain a competitive advantage; Listener input on Chris Sununu's ash tray comment, ATC improvement thoughts.
326 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Chris Sununu, CEO, Airlines for America
This week: Guest Co-Host: Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Chris Sununu, CEO, Airlines for America. Also: Spirit announces plan to emerge from bankruptcy; Dealing with the Nor'easter and DHS funding issues; United announces lower redemption costs for co-branded credit cardholders; Listener input on the suspension of the Trusted Traveler Program, and the labor situation at American.
325 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Sean Donohue, Fmr CEO, DFW Int. Airport
Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Sean Donohue, Fmr CEO, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Also: Party Balloons (not drones) over El Paso Airport; Government shutdown & potential disruption in TSA operations; Two Elliott Mgt-aligned Board Members step down at SWA; Spirit & Frontier reduce number of planes; Labor concerns continue at AA, Does American have an internal cultural problem? Should DFW and Love Field ownership be combined? A pilot listener's personal experiences with major airline shutdowns.
324 - Guest Co-Host, Charles Duncan, Guest: Scott Hamilton, Author, Founder, Leeham Company
Guest Co-Host, Charles Duncan, Guest: Scott Hamilton, Founder & Managing Director, Leeham Company and author: The Rise and Fall of Boeing: And The Way Back. Also: Elliott Mgt sells some SWA shares; Spirit sells more Chicago gates; AA employees vote no confidence; International travel bookings down; Listener Q on hub economics.
323 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: David Seymour, COO, American Airlines
Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: David Seymour, COO, American Airlines. Topics: AA hit hard by weather related operational issues; A good week for Southwest, cash pouring in, will Elliott Mgt cash out? American earnings drop; JetBlue down; NTSB report issued on chopper collision with AA flight; Big increase in flights by United at ORD; Listener questions: Is there room for a new airline? What's the cost to start service at an airport?
322 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman. Guest: John Heimlich, VP/Chief Economist, AFA
Guest CoHost Dave Hilfman. Guest: John Heimlich, VP/Chief Economist, Airlines For America. Also: Michael O'Leary and Elon Musk spar over Starlink; The latest Wall Street Journal airline scorecard; Is Castlelake an answer to Spirit's woes? American corrects "most profitable hub" statement on previous episode; Listener input on Southwest's new revenue prospects.
321 - Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz
Host Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz. Topics: Do the rich fly Delta? Frontier not yet selling tickets for Spring/Summer - Did Barry Biffle run off with the scheduling system password? Looking at the Frontier-Spirit potential in a different way; ALPA appeals to Spirit bondholders; JetZero completes Series B Round; Listener thoughts on Basic Economy purchasing decisions, and American's seeming lack of investment in CLT.