Airline Weekly Lounge

This week Edward Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan chew over why optimism reigns among airline CEOs, who believe the third quarter was the inflection point, and now the recovery will be more real. CEOs say, of course, warn that no one knows how Covid-19 will play out, but they're bullish on next year. Next, Madhu and Ned discuss delivery delays at Boeing and whether Airbus will face similar problems when it ramps up production over the next couple of years. 

This week in the 'Lounge, Ned and Madhu discuss the U.S. reopening for vaccinated travelers and what that means for airlines. But what caught their attention was the strong rebound Brazil's airlines have made. After a terrible second quarter marked by devastating Covid wave, Brazil's airlines are reaping the benefits of the country's strong and widespread vaccination program. Finally, Ned and Madhu mourn the Eastern Shuttle, which American is finally ending, and wonder where they can watch "Love on the Eastern Shuttle," a long-forgotten movie about the route.

Ned Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan make the water jump across the Atlantic this week, where Air France-KLM, Lufthansa, and Ryanair reported results. Optimism abounds for 2022, and competition is heating up, with Ryanair playing offense and Lufthansa defense. And in South America, Azul has its eyes on a big prize: Latam Airlines Group.

Earnings season continues, with JetBlue, Hawaiian, and Spirit rounding out the U.S. carriers. Once again, all eyes are on the fourth quarter of this year and the first quarter of next year. Ned Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan chew over why JetBlue has reason for hope. Meanwhile, the best thing that anyone can say about Boeing is that its loss narrowed, and the Airline Weekly team looks at what's going on with the airframer. Finally, Avianca had its day in court.

Ned and Madhu digest United's third-quarter earnings in this latest episode of the Lounge and observe that airline CEO predictions about the recovery run the gamut from United CEO Scott Kirby's extreme bullishiness to the more cautious optimism expressed by Southwest CEO Gary Kelly and Avianca CEO Adrian Neuhauser. And will Norse Atlantic make a go of low-cost longhaul? Find out in this week's show.

This week in the Lounge, Madhu and Ned breakdown Delta's third-quarter earnings, and take bets on whether premium leisure is the travel trend of the future that CEO Ed Bastian thinks it is. Also, Southwest burns out and United wants its Pratt & Whitney-powered 777s back for what could be a blockbuster Summer 2022 across the North Atlantic.

Airline Weekly's' Edward "Ned" Russell heard a variety of forecasts for when business travel will return at the IATA Annual General Meeting this week in Boston. He and Madhu Unnikrishnan discuss whether Emirates President Tim Clark is right that business travel will return next year or Avianca CEO Adrian Neuhauser is correct to be more pessimistic in predicting half of all business travel is gone forever. Later, the Airline Weekly team discusses sustainability and how IATA plans to reach its ambitious climate goals.

Airline Weekly's Edward Russell reports back on the annual Regional Airline Association Leaders Conference, where executives said their long-standing labor issues expanded during the crisis. Also, Madhu and Ned discuss Qatar Airways' results, and the American Airlines and Southwest Airlines pilot union objections to vaccine mandates.

This week's episode of the 'Lounge comes to you live from the TWA Hotel at New York Kennedy during the Skift Global Forum 2021. The Airline Weekly team discusses why Air France-KLM Group CEO Ben Smith was "pleasantly shocked," incoming Southwest CEO Robert Jordan's concerns about hiring, and what the Justice Department hopes to accomplish with its suit agains

This week the Airline Weekly team chews over why Australia's competition regulator denied Qantas and Japan Airlines a joint venture. Will Fly Play buck the odds and make low-cost longhaul work? And, with gratuitous references to unicorns, Sasquatches, white whales, and other mythical animals, Ned and Madhu discuss Boeing's $9 trillion aerospace outlook.