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Operating as usual
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.
Big news in the U.S. ultra-low-cost-carrier market this week, as Spirit and Frontier announced their plans to merge. Meanwhile, Allegiant's long-serving CEO Maury Gallagher, who helmed one of the most profitable airlines in the world, announced his retirement. Madhu Unnikrishnan and Edward "Ned" Russell. discuss the hurdles ahead for the merger, why Gallagher's retirement is significant, as well as why India's IndiGo is not concerned about a revitalized Air India.
Boeing hinted it would launch a new aircraft, and it did: The 777-8F, a freighter variant of its 777X program. Launch customer Qatar Airways put in an order for up to 50 of the new aircraft. Meanwhile, Ryanair's normally bullish CEO Michael O'Leary is less confident about summer demand. And network changes at the discounter make us wonder where the airline will put all its new Boeing 737 Maxes, or as Ryanair calls them "Gamechangers." Madhu Unnikrishnan and Edward "Ned" Russell ask why Ryanair is still trying to make "fetch" happen.
Cathay Pacific is struggling under new travel restrictions from the Hong Kong government, and the lack of any significant support from the government means it’s back in the red. Hosts Edward “Ned” Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan also discuss cargo’s continued growth in 2021, and Airbus’ plan to launch a new cargo carrier with its bulbous Belugas, and they wrap with the throughline from the U.S. Big 3’s results.
The rollout of 5G wireless technology threatened major disruptions to the U.S. air transport system until it didn’t, in a crisis that J.P. Morgan analyst Jamie Baker likened to Y2K. Hosts Madhu Unnikrishnan and Edward “Ned” Russell also discuss the pilot shortage, and what they expected from American Airlines and United Airlines 2021 results.
Airbus and Boeing have split the commercial aircraft market for a while, but analysts say Boeing could become the junior partner if it doesn't come up with something for the middle of the market. Hosts Madhu Unnikrishnan and Edward "Ned" Russell chew on Boeing's options and discuss Airbus's rather good 2021.
Podcast: Southwest Airlines CEO on Optimism and Recovery https://hubs.li/Q011n_gB0
New Southwest Airlines CEO Robert Jordan said that he sees 2022 as another “transition” year in the recovery. He is optimistic that business travelers
Delta, Virgin Group Invest $530 Million in Virgin Atlantic https://hubs.li/Q010KZ6r0
Delta Air Lines is investing up to $1.2 billion in three of its foreign airline partners — Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico, and Latam Airlines Group — as those carriers emerge from bankruptcy and restructuring. The move is a sign that Delta is betting that its pre-pandemic international expansion pl...
Who is Robert Isom? Madhu and Ned discuss American Airlines' new CEO, and recount retiring CEO Doug Parker’s long career. Also, Southwest Airlines is cautious for 2022, while Azul charges ahead with the bulls.
Avianca to Test Whether a Legacy Airline Can Become a Low-Cost Carrier https://hubs.li/Q010BgKM0
Newly restructured Avianca has a robust vision for growth for the next few years. The airline aims to launch as many as 200 new routes by 2023, grow its passenger fleet by a quarter, and compete vigorously with rapidly expanding Latin American low-cost carriers. But that vision requires Avianca to c...
Qantas, Virgin Australia Gird for Price Wars as New Low-Cost Carriers Swoop In https://hubs.li/Q010vSt40
Australia's domestic airline industry, held back during the pandemic by state border closings, is gearing up for a price war as new entrants into the jet
Southwest Airlines Takes Cautious Approach to 2022 Growth https://hubs.li/Q010x8hY0
Southwest Airlines, encouraged by growing leisure travel demand, expects to be profitable this quarter and through all of 2022, making the third quarter of 2021 the last loss-making quarter for the carrier. So far, the threat of the Omicron variant has not discouraged Southwest’s passengers from b...
Qantas Sees Pent-Up Demand Driving at Least 2 Years of Strong Long-Haul Business https://hubs.li/Q010nx120
Qantas Airways forecasts robust international traffic through 2023 amid strong demand for the long-haul flights it resumed flying in November. The Sydney-based carrier expects at least two years of pent-up demand as it ramps up its long-haul flying, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said at the CAPA Australia P...
A Pandemic Pattern Begins to Emerge: Just when the airline industry says the worst of the pandemic is over, a new virus variant emerges. It happened earlier this year with the Delta variant, which took a bite out of airlines' third-quarter bookings and results. Now, the Omicron variant, first identified two weeks ago in Southern Africa, threatens to do the same. https://hubs.li/Q010nwjc0
A Pandemic Pattern Begins to Emerge Pushing Back: Inside The Issue This has happened before, and now it seems like a pattern. Just when the airline industry says the worst of the pandemic is over, a new virus variant emerges. It happened earlier this year with the Delta variant, which took a bite ou...
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker to Retire, Robert Isom Will Be New Chief https://hubs.li/Q010pc_70
American Airlines on Tuesday made it official. CEO Doug Parker will retire from his role on March 31, and be succeeded by his longtime deputy, President
This week Edward Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan mull the new Omicron variant, and what impact it may — or may not — have on the airline recovery. Also, how EasyJet and SAS did during their 2021 fiscal years (hint: Lots of red), and the busy, yet uneventful, Thanksgiving holiday travel week in the U.S.
Like many airline chiefs, Doug Parker is “bullish” on the future, particularly after a surge in demand for transatlantic flights after the travel ban lifted on Nov. 8. But American Airlines is poised to begin 2022 as a larger airline — despite labor woes.
Speaking at Skift Aviation Forum on November 17, 2021, Parker said business travel will return to 2019 levels, at some point.
Listen now for the full interview with Skift Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan.
Read more coverage of the aviation industry at airlineweekly.com
"We will win customers on quality,” Kirby said at the Skift Aviation Forumon November 17, 2021. And he had plenty of examples quality improvements to cite: The addition of premium-heavy “high-J” Boeing 767-300ERs that fly to Europe, the Bombardier CRJ-550 that met pilot contract rules while bringing a dual-class product to smaller cities, and a return of in-seat entertainment screens to its domestic mainline narrow-body fleet to name a few. And, while further out, United is investing in new spaces in Denver and Newark, and possibly in Washington, D.C.
Listen now for the full interview with Skift contributor Brian Sumers.
Read more coverage of the airlines industry at skift.com/airlines
[email protected] CEO Pieter Elbers speaking with @ByERussell #SkiftLive
[email protected] CEO Tony Douglas is speaking with @ByERussell on the Skift stage #SkiftLive
[email protected], Michelle McKinney Frymire CEO from @my_CWT and Managing Director Bryan Terry from @Deloitte join @matt_parsons on the stage #SkiftLive
[email protected] and @ALPAPresident join @BrianSumers on the stage #SkiftLive
@united CEO Scott Kirby joins @BrianSumers on the Skift stage #SkiftLive
Julie Kyse, vice president of global air partnerships at @ExpediaGroup, and @Skyscanner CEO John Mangelaars joins @Skift founding editor Dennis Schaal. #SkiftLive
Helane Becker, managing director at @Cowen_Inc, and Amelia Deluca, managing director of sustainability at @Delta, join Skift travel and tourism reporter Lily Girma for convo on sustainable travel. #SkiftLive
Scott Laurence, head of revenue and planning at @JetBlue, and Adam Decaire, vice president of network planning at @SouthwestAir, join @ByERussell #SkiftLive
Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Chief Commercial Officer @FlySwiss & Senior Vice President Channel Management @Lufthansa, joins @ByERussell #SkiftLive
Right out of the gate, @munnikrishnan talks @AirLeaseCorp's new A350 freighter order with Steven Udvar-Házy, the company's exec chairman of the board. #SkiftLive
[email protected] CEO Sean Donohue in conversation with @Skift founder and CEO @rafat #SkiftLive
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker sits down with @munnikrishnan #SkiftLive
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Airlines' end-of-week equity prices are still in the dumps compared YoY, but there are some WoW bright spots https://skft.it/2GipxE0
A look at the world’s airlines, including end-of-week equity prices. It's still a sea of red. New issue online now. https://bit.ly/3d5A5QS
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