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Airlines Confidential Podcast

Scott McCartney
Southwest Airlines
Spirit Airlines
American Airlines
United Airlines
Delta Airlines
Air Traffic Control
Aviation Safety
Airline Pricing
Frontier Airlines
Jetblue Airways
Boeing
FAA
Aviation
Elliott Management
Loyalty Programs
Pittsburgh International Airport
Aviation Industry
Airlines
Jetblue
Customer Experience

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.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes337Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Business

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Airlines Confidential Podcast

Latest Episodes

Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Henry Hardeveldt in Panama City, Panama. Guests from Copa Airlines: Robert Carey, EVP, & Deniece Nicholas Holness, Director, System Operations Control Center. Also: Spirit's scattered airplanes and engines; Delta crew ... more

Host Scott McCartney & Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz. A tip of the hat to Spirit. Also: Remembering Ben Baldanza's vision and success, and what changed after Ben's departure as Spirit's CEO. What contributed to the downfall, and which carriers will benef... more

YouTube

Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Rick Elieson, Chief Revenue Officer, Signature Aviation. News: Spirit's potential government bailout; Overall demand for air travel continues; Q1 results; Alaska-Hawaiian system cutover process; NTSB preliminary rep... more

YouTube

Scott McCartney with Guest Co-Hosts Charles Duncan & Jay Sorensen. Discussion topics: The Scott Kirby vision - What if? The issues with United and American; Spirit now asking for a government bailout; Listener question on credit card profitability.

YouTube

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Recent Guests

Oscar Munoz
Former Chairman and CEO of United Airlines
United Airlines
Episode: 336 - Scott McCartney & Oscar Munoz: A tip of the hat to Spirit Airlines
Maya Leibman
Long-time airline executive who has led through major industry events
Former Executive at American Airlines / Airline industry leader
Episode: 335 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Rick Elieson, Chief Revenue Officer, Signature Aviation
Rick Elieson
Chief Revenue Officer
Signature Aviation
Episode: 335 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Rick Elieson, Chief Revenue Officer, Signature Aviation
Vicki Jaramillo
Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport (MCO)
Episode: 333 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Guest: Vicki Jaramillo, EVP/CCO, Orlando Int. Airport
Khalid Usman
Partner at Oliver Wyman focusing on aviation, aerospace, and defense
Oliver Wyman
Episode: 332 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Khalid Usman, Partner, Oliver Wyman
Dave Harvey
Founder of Harvey Global Advisory
Harvey Global Advisory
Episode: 331 - Guest Co-Host Dave Hilfman, Guest: Dave Harvey, Founder, Harvey Global Advisory
Robin Hayes
CEO Airbus North America
Airbus
Episode: 330 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Robin Hayes, CEO, Airbus North America
Doug Parker
Professor, former CEO of American Airlines
American Airlines
Episode: 329- Scott McCartney with "Professor" Doug Parker on Route & Hub Profitability
Michael Huerta
Former FAA administrator, director at Delta and various boards
Delta Airlines; Mitre; Joby Aviation; Vera Mobility
Episode: 328 - Guest Co-Host Oscar Munoz, Guest: Michael Huerta, Fmr Administrator, FAA

Host

Scott McCartney
Host of Airlines Confidential; longtime aviation journalist with WSJ background.

Reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars from 305 ratings
  • Is Scott even a journalist?

    When Scott has all his buddies on this show for interviews it is nothing but an airline/CEO love fest. No hard reaching questions. Softball questions always. Paints all the airlines he likes in a positive light. Nothing but an ego booster.

    Apple Podcasts
    3
    MattInKC
    United States4 months ago
  • Wishy-washy and pro-industry, not pro-consumer

    I like all things aviation so I enjoyed listening for 2 years, but the show tended toward wishy-washy chatter, especially when conservative guests rotated through. The last straw was the guy with the drawl who read and agreed with a letter about how the US has become an unwelcoming place to foreign travelers. Minutes earlier, he'd said there was no reason for the government shutdown and he was just happy it was over. (Even Oscar Muñoz, former United CEO, had acknowledged the other side of the sh... more

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    paul4792
    United States5 months ago
  • WAY TOO POLITICAL WITH LITTLE INSIGHT

    11/28/25 update. Hyper political host Scott is an embarrassment to the industry. Interjects politics into every question and show to the point that it’s vomit inducing. Oscar couldn’t define revenue management if you handed him a dictionary so don’t look for much in terms of hard hitting insights from him.

    Apple Podcasts
    1
    Crazy192837
    United States6 months ago
  • 5 star show

    I’ve listened to the show from the very beginning. The Richard Anderson/Doug Parker episode finally inspired me to write a review.

    This show is officially required listening for ANYONE interested in commercial aviation. This episode in particular should win a people’s choice award. So enjoyable from start to finish. Please more!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    Sidestep
    United States7 months ago
  • Always excellent

    Always a good listen. I look forward to Scott and his co-host’s weekly discussion of topics from the airline world. The guests are always relevant and give great insight into today’s airline world. Bottom line: From the Baldanza question to the mailbag questions the show keeps me entertained and wanting for more. Always. Keep up the great work Scott!!

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    mtee2
    United States8 months ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Balanced discussions with practical takeaways for executives and managers.
Can be polarizing; guests and topics attract strong opinions and debate.
Insightful and informative with strong industry insights.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Apple Podcasts
#198
Poland/Business
Apple Podcasts
#218
Colombia/Business

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

336 - Scott McCartney & Oscar Munoz: A tip of the hat to Spirit Airlines
Q: What do you think, Oscar?
Oscar outlines the strategic implications of Spirit's and JetBlue's potential moves, noting how different models (ULCC vs. network carriers) would have fared under various structures, and emphasizes that the ultimate outcome depended on execution and market conditions rather than a single deal.
335 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Rick Elieson, Chief Revenue Officer, Signature Aviation
Q: How did Rick begin his career in aviation?
Rick Elieson walked through a long career at American Airlines, including leadership roles in loyalty, cargo, digital marketing, and pricing, before moving to Signature Aviation where he now leads revenue strategy.
333 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Guest: Vicki Jaramillo, EVP/CCO, Orlando Int. Airport
Q: How did you get into aviation marketing and air service development?
Vicki explains that she transitioned from economic development, attracted to airports' role in connectivity, and followed a path through Miami and Orlando, driven by a passion for how airports connect cities and countries.
332 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Khalid Usman, Partner, Oliver Wyman
Q: What are the biggest near-term threats to airline profitability given the Middle East conflict?
Higher fuel costs, capacity adjustments, and network rebalancing are the dominant threats, with fuel surcharges and price increases needed to offset rising costs while maintaining demand.
329- Scott McCartney with "Professor" Doug Parker on Route & Hub Profitability
Q: What about revenues—how should they be distributed to route-level profitability?
Allocate passenger revenue proportionally, include ancillary and credit card revenues, and allocate beyond-revenue items (like miles redemption) by the routes that drive those activities, while accounting for spill and displacement to avoid double-counting.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
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Frequently Asked Questions About Airlines Confidential Podcast

What is Airlines Confidential Podcast about and what kind of topics does it cover?

A deeply aviation-centric show that centers industry strategy, airline economics, and policy. Episodes frequently feature senior airline executives, airport leaders, and aviation analysts to unpack profitability, hub dynamics, modernization efforts (especially ATC and NextGen), and the evolving distribution/tech landscape. Guests range from former regulators and C-suite leaders to authors and analysts, with recurring emphasis on operational performance, supply chain, and industry geopolitics. A notable strength is the hands-on, practitioner perspective—often grounded in real-world pricing, scheduling, and capital decisions—paired with thoughtful discussions about the future of air travel and regulatory modernization.

Worth noting are its c... more

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Which podcasts are similar to Airlines Confidential Podcast?

These podcasts share a similar audience with Airlines Confidential Podcast:

1. The Air Show
2. Airline Weekly Lounge
3. The SWAPA Number
4. 21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast
5. AvTalk - Aviation Podcast

How many episodes of Airlines Confidential Podcast are there?

Airlines Confidential Podcast launched 6 years ago and published 337 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on Airlines Confidential Podcast?

Recent guests on Airlines Confidential Podcast include:

1. Oscar Munoz
2. Maya Leibman
3. Rick Elieson
4. Vicki Jaramillo
5. Khalid Usman
6. Dave Harvey
7. Robin Hayes
8. Doug Parker

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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