The Airline Weekly Lounge Podcast

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...

How does a country that spans 11 time zones function without long-haul aircraft? That is among the questions Edward "Ned" Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan consider in this week's episode. Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues to roil the airline and aerospace...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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"...

It should have been a great holiday season for the U.S. industry, with bookings approaching 2019 levels, but a combination of Omicron-related crew shortages and terrible weather forced airlines to cancel thousands of flights. Edward Russell and Madhu Unnikrishnan dig...

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.

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...