Shows / Airline Weekly Lounge
Airline Weekly Lounge
The editors of Airline Weekly discuss the most interesting developments within the commercial airline industry. In keeping with Airline Weekly’s style, conversation generally centers on one question: How do you make money in this industry?
Episodes
Airline Weekly LoungeAirlines are Out of Time on Legacy Technology
Airlines are facing a widening technology gap as carriers that invested in cloud infrastructure and data capabilities pull ahead. In this Airline Weekly Lounge…
Airline Weekly LoungeDecoding Q3 U.S. Airline Earnings
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat break down third-quarter earnings from the biggest U.S. airlines, examining record revenues, rising fuel costs, and diverging…
Airline Weekly LoungeUnited Airlines Is Bullish. Should It Be?
United Airlines is feeling bullish after its third-quarter earnings. But does the outlook match the optimism? Gordon and Jay break down the biggest takeaways…
Airline Weekly LoungeDelta Sets the Pace for Airline Earnings Season
As Delta Air Lines kicks off Q3 earnings, Gordon and Jay unpack the numbers. Plus, could Southwest be eyeing widebody aircraft? And what's behind the latest…
Airline Weekly LoungeDelta Kicks Off Q3 Earnings Season
In part one, Gordon and Jay preview what to watch as U.S. carriers report Q3 earnings. In part two, they turn to Alaska Airlines' investor day and discuss what…
Airline Weekly LoungeVirgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster on Fuel, AI, and ATC Meltdowns
Gordon Smith sits down with Virgin Atlantic CEO Corneel Koster on the sidelines of Skift Global Forum in New York. They discuss how fuel costs are weighing on…
Airline Weekly LoungeWhat American, Southwest and United Told Investors
Gordon is joined by Jay and Meghna to unpack the recent Morgan Stanley Laguna conference, where executives from American, Southwest and United set out where…
Airline Weekly LoungeAirlines Post Record Revenues But Costs Catch Up
Gordon and Jay open with why record revenues still aren't covering a sharp rise in costs, then turn to what JetBlue's latest outlook tells the rest of the…
Airline Weekly LoungeThe Air Canada Anko Inherits
In part one, Gordon and Jay weigh the opportunities in front of Air Canada against the challenges that come with them. In part two, the conversation turns to…
Airline Weekly LoungeWhy US Airlines Are Betting Big on Europe in 2027
In part one, Jay and Meghna discuss the latest transatlantic expansion announcements from United and American Airlines and what they reveal about how US…
Airline Weekly LoungeQatar Airways: Skift Global Forum Preview
In part one, Gordon and Jay discuss some of the biggest talking points at Qatar Airways, as the airline's CEO, Hamad Ali Al-Khater, prepares to join the Skift…
Airline Weekly LoungeSkift Global Forum 2026: Aviation Preview
In this week's show, Gordon and Jay discuss two industry giants that are due to speak at the Skift Global Forum 2026 in New York between September 22-24. The…
Airline Weekly LoungeTurkish Airlines' Turbulent Quarter
In part one, Gordon and Jay discuss a mixed set of Q2 results for Turkish Airlines. In part two, the conversation turns to Allegiant Air, with the U.S. carrier…
Airline Weekly LoungeSwiss Shines But Lufthansa Lags
Swiss out-earned the entire Lufthansa Group network division it belongs to last quarter, while the core Lufthansa brand slid back into an operating loss…
Airline Weekly LoungeAirshow Highs and Earnings Season Realities
In part one, Gordon and Jay discuss the highlights from last week's Farnborough International Airshow, reviewing the big deals and longer term impact of the…
Airline Weekly LoungeWhy 2026 Is Aviation's Most Volatile Year Since COVID
The airline industry is navigating its most unpredictable period since the pandemic, with fuel prices, geopolitical tensions, premium travel demand, and…
Airline Weekly LoungeHow Many Planes Does the World Need?
Ahead of the Farnborough Airshow, for this special episode Gordon Smith and Meghna Maharishi are joined by Darren Hulst, Boeing's VP of Commercial Marketing…
Airline Weekly LoungeCan a "New Class of BNPL" Become a Strategic Loyalty Play?
ClarityPay recently partnered with JetBlue to introduce a new pay-later program that combines embedded financing, loyalty, and personalization to drive…
Airline Weekly LoungeHow Much is EasyJet Worth?
An approach from U.S. private equity firm Castlelake has reopened the question of what EasyJet is actually worth. Gordon and Jay run through the latest…
Airline Weekly LoungeDoes SAS Really Need 40 A330neos?
Does SAS Really Need 40 A330neos? In part one, Gordon and Jay discuss SAS Scandinavian Airlines' new widebody order and ask whether the carrier can justify…
Airline Weekly LoungeIs Las Vegas Out of Luck?
Las Vegas air traffic is down 6%. Gordon and Jay work through what's behind it, then turn to a U.S. market headed firmly the other way. Follow the Hosts…
Airline Weekly LoungeWhat's the Most Profitable Airline in the World?
The latest Airline Weekly global earnings scoreboard is in and the airline on top may not be the one you'd expect. Jay joins Gordon and Meghna to sort the…
Airline Weekly LoungeThe IATA AGM Debrief
Gordon joins Jay from Rio as the IATA AGM wraps. The two then turn to Brazil itself: one of the world's largest aviation markets, and one of its most…
Airline Weekly LoungeInside the Minds of America's Airline CEOs
Gordon and Jay decode the most revealing CEO commentary from the Bernstein investor conference — what executives signaled about capacity, consolidation, and…
Airline Weekly LoungeEasyJet's Tricky Quarter and Atlanta's Crown
A rough quarter for easyJet has the numbers telling a stark story. In part one, Gordon and Jay dig into a -27% operating margin and the missteps, market…
Airline Weekly LoungeThe Airline Europe Wrote Off — and Shouldn't Have
Gordon and Jay unpack how Iberia engineered one of the most dramatic financial turnarounds in modern airline history. Plus: Singapore Airlines posts a solid…
Airline Weekly LoungeThe Profit Gap Splitting U.S. Airlines
Gordon sits down with Skift airlines reporter Meghna Maharishi to break down a revealing Q1 earnings season for U.S. carriers — separating the standouts from…
Airline Weekly LoungeSpirit Airlines: The Post-Mortem
Spirit Airlines is the first major U.S. carrier to go out of business in more than two decades. In this special edition, Gordon is joined by Jay and Meghna to…
Airline Weekly LoungeWhat's Going Wrong at JetBlue?
Gordon and Jay open with JetBlue's latest quarterly results, unpacking what's behind the airline's struggles and what it might take to get back on course. Then…
Airline Weekly LoungeWill Washington Save Spirit Airlines?
Could the U.S. Government shore up Spirit Airlines? Gordon and Jay break down the latest industry chatter about the troubled carrier's future, including fresh…
Airline Weekly LoungeCould United Really Merge with American Airlines?
Will two of America's biggest airlines become one? Gordon and Jay dig into whether a United-American mega-merger is actually on the table and ask what further…
Airline Weekly LoungeDelta Confronts the Oil Price Crisis
Delta’s latest results are in and the fuel price challenge is front and center. Gordon, Jay, and Meghna dive into what the numbers say about the airline’s…
Airline Weekly LoungeWho Will Lead IATA Next?
Gordon and Jay unpack major leadership moves shaping the industry, from Willie Walsh’s shift to IndiGo to Michael Rousseau’s departure from Air Canada. Later…
Airline Weekly LoungeAn Aviation Crisis – with a Twist
In part one, Gordon and Jay unpack a whirlwind few days for the global airline industry, including fresh insights on jet fuel prices. In part two, the…
Airline Weekly LoungeMaking Sense of the Fuel Price Crisis
Fuel accounts for roughly 20–30% of an airline’s operating costs—so when prices surge, the impact can be immediate and significant. In this week’s show, Gordon…
Airline Weekly LoungeJet Fuel Shock & Shutdown TSA Lines: Airlines Brace for a Volatile Spring
Jay Shabat is joined by Meghna Maharishi and Skift's Head of Research Seth Borko for a crossover Airline Weekly Lounge that hits two pressure points at once: a…
Airline Weekly LoungeA Gulf Airline Crisis Like No Other
In a week when the world's busiest international airline ground to a halt and Gulf hubs faced aerial attack, Gordon and Jay explore the impact of the Iran war…
Airline Weekly LoungeIs Singapore Airlines Still A Profit Superstar?
In part one, Gordon and Jay review the latest numbers from Singapore Airlines and explain why context is key when determining success. In part two, we preview…
Airline Weekly LoungeAmerican Airlines Is Falling Behind. Here’s Why
Delta and United are dominating airline profits while American falls behind, and Frontier struggles to recover. Jay Shabat and Meghna Maharishi break down…
Airline Weekly LoungeIcelandair: Moving in the Right Direction?
In part one of this week's show, Gordon and Jay crunch the latest financials from Icelandair and discuss how it plans to become sustainably profitable. In part…
Airline Weekly LoungeJapan Airlines vs. ANA: Who's On Top?
In this week's show, Gordon and Jay discuss the latest results from Japan's two mega-airline groups. With inbound visitor numbers soaring, but domestic air…
Airline Weekly LoungeU.S. Earnings Season: Half-Time Report
In part one of this week's show, Gordon and Jay discuss the latest quarterly earnings from American Airlines and JetBlue. In part two, the discussion turns to…
Airline Weekly LoungeNew from Skift: Executive Conversations Shaping the Travel Industry
We’re sharing a preview of a new podcast from Skift called Skift Take Sessions. Skift Take Sessions is a weekly, journalist-led podcast built from the most…
Airline Weekly LoungeDelta vs United: Premium Boom, Economy Squeeze
It is earnings season, and this week on the Airline Weekly Lounge, Jay Shabat and Meghna Maharishi break down Q4 2025 results from United and Delta, recorded…
Airline Weekly LoungeAllegiant–Sun Country Merger: What’s Really at Stake?
In this special edition of the Airline Weekly Lounge, Gordon is joined by Jay and Meghna to discuss Allegiant's plan to acquire Sun Country Airlines for $1.5…
Airline Weekly LoungeInside the Ethiopian Airlines Playbook
Ethiopian Airlines is one of African aviation's outstanding success stories. We explore how the carrier grew profitably, built global reach, and what its…
Airline Weekly LoungeThe David Neeleman Interview
Recorded on-stage at our recent Skift Aviation Forum, Gordon sits down with aviation legend David Neeleman. In this fast-paced discussion, few topics are left…
Airline Weekly LoungeThe Joanna Geraghty Interview
Recorded on-stage at our recent Skift Aviation Forum, Gordon is in conversation with JetBlue CEO, Joanna Geraghty. We hear why the deck is stacked against…
Airline Weekly LoungeIs Breeze in a Squeeze?
As Breeze Airways enters its fifth year of flying, Gordon and Jay discuss the challenges and opportunities for the David Neeleman-backed U.S. carrier. In part…
Airline Weekly LoungeIn Conversation with DFW Airport CEO, Chris McLaughlin
Gordon sits down with Chris McLaughlin, Chief Executive Officer of Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, for a special episode of the Airline Weekly Lounge…
Airline Weekly LoungeAmerica's Airport All-Stars
Gordon and Jay reveal the major U.S. airports that are due to grow at an impressive rate in the coming quarter. From Texas to Tennessee, we break down the…
Airline Weekly LoungeInside Qantas' Project Sunrise
In part one, Gordon shares an insider perspective on a major new Skift feature examining the business case for Qantas' 'Project Sunrise' ultra long-haul…
Airline Weekly LoungeAirlines in 2026: Flying into Trouble?
In this special episode, we bring you the full recording from our recent LinkedIn Live webinar (Click This Link For Video Version). Titled ‘Airlines in 2026…
Airline Weekly LoungeEven Emirates Can't Rest on its Laurels
In part one, Gordon and Jay reflect on the latest financial insights from Emirates, and examine the challenges that could lie ahead for the Dubai-based giant…
Airline Weekly LoungeWhat Makes Ryanair So Darn Profitable?
In part one, Gordon and Jay break down Ryanair’s latest earnings and uncover what keeps Europe’s biggest low-cost airline flying high. In part two, they share…
Airline Weekly LoungeIs the Government Shutdown Affecting Air Travel?
In part one of this week's show, Jay and Meghna discuss the latest developments regarding the U.S. government shutdown and its impact on air travel. In part…
Airline Weekly LoungeWhat's Driving United's Domestic Headwinds?
In part one of this week's show, Gordon and Jay examine some of the factors creating headwinds for United in the U.S domestic market. In part two, we turn our…
Airline Weekly LoungeVirgin Atlantic Gets a New CEO
In part one of this week's show, we discuss a changing of the guard at Virgin Atlantic, as CEO Shai Weiss prepares to step down after seven years. In part two…
Airline Weekly LoungeThe Megatrends Shaping Q3 Earnings Season
On the eve of Q3 earnings season, Gordon and Jay explore the key trends to watch as America's biggest carriers get ready to reveal their latest financials…
Airline Weekly LoungeHong Kong Stages Global Comeback
In this week's show, Gordon and Jay discuss the latest developments in the Hong Kong aviation scene. From a return to profitability at Cathay Pacific to a new…