Airline Weekly Lounge

Airlines are sparring over Newark Liberty International Airport, as United claims the FAA is allowing low-cost-carriers to go over the 79 flight operations per hour cap. But Spirit and JetBlue refute that claim and say United should reduce its own operations if it wants fewer delays. Who's right? That's what Madhu Unnikrishnan and Edward "Ned" Russell discuss, before turning to how the lack of spare Airbus A220 parts is forcing AirBaltic to wet-lease a Boeing 737 from Ukraine International Airlines. 

Edward “Ned” Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan are in the thick of first quarter earnings. The takeaway so far: demand changed for the better in March but summer may not be as rosy as many hoped, at least for travelers. Staffing concerns continue to weigh on schedules, threatening limited and pricey options for those with pent-up demand to travel.

Cape Air CEO Linda Markham warns that the U.S. industry’s every-airline-for-themselves approach to easing the pilot shortage may not be the best way to address supply. Edward “Ned” Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan discuss her comments, and our favorite spokes-seagull. Then, Delta Air Lines was the industry’s bellwether on financials with the recovery turn it saw in March apparently set to carry other U.S. airlines back to the black.

It’s that time of year again: earnings! Delta Air Lines kicked off the first quarter results season with better than expected financials that reflected the two halves of the quarter; one characterized by Omicron and the other by pent-up demand. Edward “Ned” Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan also discuss how the U.S. pilot shortage has spread to mid-size carriers Alaska Airlines and JetBlue.

In a surprise move, JetBlue Airways unveiled an unsolicited bid for Spirit Airlines, potentially derailing the latter’s deal with Frontier Airlines. But, given the potential market clout a larger ULCC could be to JetBlue, especially on busy Florida routes, maybe it’s not such a surprise. Edward “Ned” Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan discuss the merger machinations, and the word from European airlines at the recent Airlines for Europe summit.

Delta Air Lines is making a play for more premium passengers in Los Angeles. Our reporter Brian Sumers took a field trip to LAX to talk to Delta leaders to see what the airline thinks sets it apart at the country's second-largest market. Then, Brian and Madhu Unnikrishnan use the "garden center index" to gauge how far the travel recovery has come.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine initially sent oil markets into a spiral. Prices may have come back down to earth, but oil remains volatile. Yet, U.S. airline executives aren't terribly concerned. More pressing is how to hire enough pilots to operate flights. Edward "Ned" Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan report on what they learned at a recent industry conference and discuss which airlines plan to add or trim capacity this summer.

How does a country that spans 11 time zones function without long-haul aircraft? That is among the questions Russia Edward "Ned" Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan consider in this week's episode. Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to roil the airline and aerospace industries, as lessors write off their assets in the country and a growing list of companies say they no longer will support Russia's airlines. Meanwhile, the war's economic effects are only now beginning to come into focus. And Ned learns why edible oils are critical to the the world's economy.

In this week's episode, Edward "Ned" Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan break down the many ways the Ukraine war will affect global aviation. Will lessors repossess jets by March 28? How will airlines reroute their polar flights? This global crisis has the potential to set aviation and aerospace back years. After the break, Madhu and Ned turn their attention to the growing U.S. pilot shortage and what that may mean for airline recovery.

This week, Accenture's Emily Weiss, global travel lead, and Scott Davidson, managing director-travel industry, talk to host Madhu Unnikrishnan about how different business travel may look when it returns. If the pandemic has taught the travel industry anything it's the "art of the possible," Weiss noted. Will digital nomads offset the slow return of business travel for airlines? And just how promising are eVTOLs in solving the urban mobility conundrum? Listen to this week's episode to find out.