American Airlines has a bold, new strategy that forgoes managed corporate bookings for direct bookings while remaking its entire sales effort. With the first quarter over and done, how is that plan-turned-strategy working out so far? This week, Brian Sumers, Brett Snyder and Jon Ostrower discuss the first indicators of American's grand plan.

We would like to thank Plusgrade and Uplift for their sponsorship of The Air Show.

Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

It's not just Boeing that's causing acute headaches for airlines. Pratt & Whitney's geared turbofan engine, which has been in operation since 2016 on Airbus single-aisle aircraft, has serious issues with reliability and durability, and a seriously long MRO timeline. The engine itself is an innovation — a major leap in fuel efficiency, which will only become more necessary — but will these issues threaten Pratt & Whitney's comeback? Make airlines more risk-averse when innovation is sorely needed? Create a RASM-related silver lining? That's what Jon Ostrower, Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers discuss on this week's episode.

We would like to thank Plusgrade and Uplift for their sponsorship of The Air Show.

Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.

Two U.S. airlines have reported earnings so far, and it's United and Delta: two airlines that increasingly have a lot in common. Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers discuss the numbers each airline reported, and what they shared about corporate travel, the summer travel season forecast, the importance of brand and reliability, and more.

We would like to thank Plusgrade and Uplift for their sponsorship of The Air Show.

Or: what happened in Boston and Seattle when Delta established hubs there. Brett Snyder, Brian Sumers and Jon Ostrower discuss how Alaska defended its turf against Delta, and how JetBlue faltered when Delta expanded in Boston. The particulars of each city — their changing economies and corporate needs, their specific brand loyalty, and regional feed and fleet  — make an interesting case study.

We would like to thank Plusgrade for their sponsorship of The Air Show.

Jon Ostrower and Brian Sumers discuss the current moment in Indian aviation, focusing on the two largest carriers in the market. At Air India, Campbell Wilson, a former top executive of Singapore Air, is tasked to remake the flag carrier under new private ownership. Pieter Elbers, the former CEO of KLM, now leads the very profitable and market-dominant IndiGo, despite growing pains. Brian and Jon also discuss the forces that are perhaps containing the growth of the Indian market: infrastructure, aircraft availability, and competitors in the Middle East.

We would like to thank Plusgrade and Intelsat for their sponsorship of The Air Show.

Jon Ostrower recaps and explains a very tumultuous week at Boeing: a shake-up in its executive leadership, prompted by the leadership of four U.S. airlines deciding it was time to bypass the C-suite and ask for a meeting with Boeing's board. Jon discusses those developments and what's ahead for Boeing with Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers.
 
You can read Jon's reporting on Boeing here.

We would like to thank Plusgrade and Intelsat for their sponsorship of The Air Show.

Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers discuss the recent moves of JetBlue and the early signs of what the airline's new leadership is planning, post-NEA and post-Spirit. Jon Ostrower joins from the road to discuss JetBlue's varied fleet.

We would like to thank Intelsat for their sponsorship of The Air Show.

Three top commentators/reporters on the business of aviation and airlines join forces in this new podcast. Jon Ostrower (The Air Current), Brian Sumers (The Airline Observer) and Brett Snyder (Cranky Flier) introduce themselves and this new podcast focusing on the business of the sky, and discuss how the industry has come through the pandemic.

We would like to thank Intelsat for being our launch sponsor.