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Airlines Confidential Podcast

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

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.

PublishesWeeklyEpisodes334Founded6 years ago
Number of ListenersCategory
Business

Listen to this Podcast

Artwork for Airlines Confidential Podcast

Latest Episodes

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

Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt. Guest: Vicki Jaramillo, EVP/Chief Commercial Officer, Orlando International Airport. Topics: Q1 loss at Delta; Fuel cost impact; Citibank files objection to Spirit proceeding; Pricing pressures & baggage fees; Listener... more

YouTube

Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Khalid Usman, Partner, Oliver Wyman. News: British Airways to allow Video/Audio calls with Starlink; Spirit proceedings update; JetBlue & United raise bag fees; FAA reducing SFO arrival rate; Kevin Burke of AC... more

YouTube

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/... more

YouTube

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Recent Guests

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
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
Charlie Sultan
President of Concur Travel, SAP Concur's travel management arm
Concur Travel (SAP Concur)
Episode: 327 - Guest Co-Host Maya Leibman. Guest: Charlie Sultan, President Concur Travel
Chris Sununu
Former Governor of New Hampshire and former prominent moderate Republican party leader; CEO of Airlines for America
Airlines for America
Episode: 326 - Guest Co-Host Henry Harteveldt, Guest: Chris Sununu, CEO, Airlines for America
Sean Donohue
Former Chief Executive Officer of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Episode: 325 - Guest Co-Host Christina Cassotis. Guest: Sean Donohue, Fmr CEO, DFW Int. Airport
Scott Hamilton
Founder and Managing Director of Leeham Company, a consultant focused on aviation economics and strategy.
Leeham Company
Episode: 324 - Guest Co-Host, Charles Duncan, Guest: Scott Hamilton, Author, Founder, Leeham Company
David Seymour
Chief Operating Officer at American Airlines and Army veteran
American Airlines
Episode: 323 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: David Seymour, COO, American Airlines

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 States3 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 States5 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 States6 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 States7 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
#247
Colombia/Business

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

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.
329- Scott McCartney with "Professor" Doug Parker on Route & Hub Profitability
Q: How should airlines allocate costs across routes to reflect true profitability?
Allocate costs line-by-line based on the actual drivers, such as aircraft type, block hours, and lease costs, then separate fixed from variable costs and adjust for ownership costs to arrive at an economic cost that reflects true profitability.
330 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Robin Hayes, CEO, Airbus North America
Q: How does Airbus view the sustainability road map toward 2050?
He reaffirmed a commitment to net-zero by 2050, acknowledging the complexity and acknowledging ongoing work on SAF, hydrogen, and air traffic control improvements as essential components of a viable path forward.
330 - Guest Co-Host Charles Duncan. Guest: Robin Hayes, CEO, Airbus North America
Q: What did Hayes think about the near-term demand and the supply chain constraints in 2026?
He stressed that demand remains strong, with specific mentions of orders and strong performance, but he highlighted persistent supply chain challenges, particularly around engines and electronics, that could limit ramp-up and impact delivery timelines.

Audience Metrics

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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. AvTalk - Aviation Podcast
4. The SWAPA Number
5. 21.FIVE - Professional Pilots Podcast

How many episodes of Airlines Confidential Podcast are there?

Airlines Confidential Podcast launched 6 years ago and published 334 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. Khalid Usman
2. Dave Harvey
3. Robin Hayes
4. Michael Huerta
5. Charlie Sultan
6. Chris Sununu
7. Sean Donohue
8. Scott Hamilton

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