The Air Show

Brett Snyder recaps his trip to Dallas for Southwest Airlines' investor day, even though we already knew the news: assigned seating, expanded extra-legroom sections, and network changes, plus how Southwest is planning to improve productivity. And the big question: will all of this be enough to please Elliott Management, Southwest's activist investor?

We would like to thank our sponsors, Rokt and TCG Digital.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

Now that the U.S. government has approved the merger, Brett Snyder, Brian Sumers, and Jon Ostrower talk (and speculate) about how Alaska might navigate the logistics of acquiring Hawaiian. Alaska has a lot of work to do to combine the airlines' fleet, loyalty programs, and network strategy. It also needs to do something highly unusual for a U.S. airline — run two full-service brands on a single operating certificate.

We would like to thank our sponsors, Intelsat and TCG Digital.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

It was a busy week in the aviation world in the Pacific Northwest. We'll get to the Alaska-Hawaiian merger soon — this week Jon Ostrower, Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers talk about the strike by the largest group of workers at Boeing, the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM). The strike, the first in 16 years, affects production on the 737, 767, and 777 lines. Boeing's financial response includes a hiring freeze, travel cuts, and furloughs (and more).

We would like to thank our sponsors, Rokt and TCG Digital.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

The U.S. Department of Transportation informed the four biggest airlines it would like more information about their frequent flyer programs because it is concerned about hidden pricing, extra fees, devaluation of rewards and miles, and reduced competition. Brian Sumers, Brett Snyder and Jon Ostrower discuss DOT's apparent interest in this crucial aspect of the airline business, the timing (and the politics) of the inquiry, and the potential for regulatory intervention.

We would like to thank our sponsors, Intelsat and TCG Digital.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

This week Jon Ostrower and Brian Sumers discuss Airbus — its history, its engineering and development strategies, and its approach toward sales. Ostrower and Sumers also explain how Airbus’ relentless desire to make its aircraft incrementally better over time has given it an advantage over Boeing (at least for now).

We would like to thank Ferrovial and TCG Digital for sponsoring The Air Show.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

It's August and we've been on vacation recently, so our inbox is pretty stuffed with emails, feedback and questions from you. Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder read feedback from a former CEO (whose former company was the subject of a recent episode) and answer listeners' questions about the fate of ULCCs in Europe, Southwest's metal needs, exemplary C-suite behavior, and more.

We would like to thank Ferrovial and TCG Digital for sponsoring The Air Show.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

Avelo found a good thing in New Haven and grew into Hartford.  Breeze had been in Hartford, but now it's going into New Haven. Despite these seemingly related movies, this might actually be about... JetBlue? Listen in to hear about this grand battle, and stay for the Revolutionary War history.


We would like to thank Ferrovial and TCG Digital for sponsoring The Air Show.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

Jon Ostrower spent time at this year's Farnborough International Airshow, and he brought back all kinds of knowledge to share. Who had the most orders (and does anyone care)? What airplane is going to be able to take off on its own? Who might very well be running Boeing by the time this episode goes live? It's all there this week. 

A programming note: This is our last episode before a two week break. We'll be back the week of August 19.

We would like to thank Ferrovial and TCG Digital for sponsoring The Air Show.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

It is not looking great for ultra-low-cost carriers based in the U.S. — especially Frontier and Spirit. Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder discuss what's making business tough for the ULCCs, a dark prediction for the sector from a premium airline's CCO, and some possible solutions for these airlines.

We would like to thank TCG Digital for sponsoring The Air Show.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

Alaska Airlines is on a mission to do something about its dark, dismal winters (and no, we're not just talking about this past winter's foibles). The airline has been trying to figure out a profitable winter strategy that works for its West Coast-heavy network since its very gloomy 2023 Q1. Brian Sumers, Jon Ostrower and Brett Snyder discuss the new routes the airline announced this week, and what it forecasts for the U.S.'s fifth largest airline.

We would like to thank TCG Digital for sponsoring this episode.

Questions, responses or feedback? Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.