Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder discuss the business of the sky on this aviation podcast.
Jon Ostrower updates Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers on some recent developments in the aviation space: Airbus's A220-500, Avelo's deal with Embraer, GE Aerospace's efforts to improve engine durability (and address known issues), and shiny, new, techy highlights from the UP Summit. We would like to thank Plusgrade for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder discuss how the expansion of transatlantic joint ventures has affected the U.S.-to-Europe market. Consumers now have far more choices than ever before, as airlines are operating more flights than at any time in history. But with essentially just three groups setting the fares on transatlantic routes, Sumers and Snyder ask: Is the current paradigm a good one? If you would like our audience of airline executives and decision-makers to know about your company, please g...
We continue our series focusing on American Airlines, and this episode is about the airline's brand. Thank you to all our listeners who sent in comments, feedback and questions from our first episode about American Airlines, and please keep your messages coming. Get in touch with us (anonymously) at www.theairshowpodcast.com . We would like to thank Plusgrade and SES for supporting The Air Show....
Jude Bricker, the CEO of Sun Country Airlines, joins Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder at the APEX Global EXPO 2025 in Long Beach to talk about Spirit Airlines’ bankruptcy, the future of ultra-low-cost carriers in the US, and why Sun Country’s variable capacity model gives it an edge. We would like to thank Plusgrade and SES for supporting The Air Show. If you would like our audience of airline executives and decision-makers to know about your company, please get in touch with us about sponsorship o...
Once again, Spirit Airlines has filed for bankruptcy. Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers talk about the challenges Spirit will face, even if it dutifully follows its new plan. It's a tough time to be a ULCC. If you would like our audience of airline executives and decision-makers to know about your company, please get in touch with us about sponsorship opportunities on The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com .
It's time to start looking under the hood at American Airlines. As promised before our summer break, Jon Ostrower, Brett Snyder, and Brian Sumers are starting with a detailed analysis of American's fleet and network. When it comes to American, do you have other areas in mind (besides brand) or questions we should address in future episodes? Get in touch with us (anonymously) at www.theairshowpodcast.com . We would like to thank Plusgrade for supporting The Air Show....
With network changes, new routes and new "brand expressions," Alaska Airlines is starting to solidify its plan to transform into a global airline. Jon Ostrower and Brett Snyder discuss Alaska's news, its increasingly complex fleet, and also what these transformative steps could mean for Alaska's home market (Seattle) and nearest competitor there (Delta). We would like to thank Plusgrade for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
Southwest is in the midst of a transformation. Brian Sumers, Jon Ostrower, and Brett Snyder discuss how it’s going so far. It was a rough second quarter but at least one of the hosts is unusually optimistic about the airline’s future. We would like to thank Plusgrade for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.
Jon Ostrower and Brian Sumers welcome Steven Greenway, CEO of Saudi Arabia’s low-cost carrier Flyadeal, for a primer on Saudi aviation, the airline’s international ambitions amid a geopolitical shift for Saudi Arabia on the world’s stage, and how its all-Airbus fleet is performing in the desert heat. We would like to thank Plusgrade for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers discuss Delta’s new routes from Los Angeles to Hong Kong and Chicago, planned for next June. Is this…all about United? We would like to thank Plusgrade for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.
Jon Ostrower, Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers discuss what is known — and unknown — after the release of the preliminary report on the fatal Air India Boeing 787 crash. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us.
Jon Ostrower and Brian Sumers recap the Paris Air Show, beginning with the somber impact of the Air India Dreamliner crash and the concerning lack of official information. They delve into the ongoing debate around a stretched Airbus A220, discussing design challenges and customer needs for range. The conversation also explores JSX's unexpected move to acquire ATR turboprops and how Americans perceive propeller aircraft, before concluding with the significant geopolitical undertones of LOT Polish Airlines' A220 order, highlighting how national alliances influence aircraft sales.
Darren Hulst, Boeing's vice president of commercial marketing, joins Jon Ostrower and Brett Snyder on this episode to talk about the company's 20-year market outlook for commercial aircraft. This year's CMO — released Saturday in the United States — forecasts 43,600 new airplanes from 2025 to 2044. Darren gets into the details about how his team formulates the prediction and what they're watching in the industry, in emerging markets, in geopolitics, and (most importantly) global GDP growth. NOTE...
It's been a few weeks since JetBlue and United announced their partnership, and Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder have some analysis about what it says about the rest of the industry. The short version: United looks good, JetBlue can't lose, Delta looks dismissive, and American still looks like it lost out. Brett and Brian get into the details on this episode. We would like to thank Plusgrade and Intelsat for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
Will the next major competitor to Boeing and Airbus be JetZero and its blended wing passenger airplane? Jon Ostrower and Brett Snyder talk about JetZero's Z4 design, which aims to offer significant fuel efficiency gains over traditional tube-and-wing aircraft, and United Airlines' investment in the company. Like other companies seeking to develop new aircraft and technology, funding is a big headwind. Find photos and more information on the Z4 on Cranky Flier and The Air Current . We would like ...
This week, Jon Ostrower and Brian Sumers discuss Ryanair's recent financial performance and its chief executive's extremely disciplined focus on its growth and cost control strategies — and his colorful dismissals of anything in the way of its goals. (Please be advised this episode contains bleeped vulgarities that are direct quotes, not commentary from the hosts.) We would like to thank Plusgrade for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
With Mesa set to merge into Republic, Brian Sumers, Jon Ostrower, and Brett Snyder look at what's coming for a shrinking industry. They ask whether mainline airlines still need so many regional partners now that E175s and CRJs are much more expensive to operate than ever, and they discuss whether there's any new aircraft technology coming that might disrupt the regional industry. We would like to thank Pittsburgh International Airport and TCG Digital for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theair...
This episode is about the finer things. Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder discuss the ever-escalating race to premium, including United's forthcoming changes to its premium international service, and Delta and American's investments in and strategies for their premium offerings. We would like to thank Plusgrade and TCG Digital for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
This week, Jon Ostrower and Brett Snyder discuss EWR's air traffic control staffing and equipment issues, and the decision to relocate operations to Pennsylvania with special guest Will Guisbond from The Air Current. Then, Brett and Jon talk about the potential partnership between JetBlue and United Airlines, driven by JetBlue's need for a domestic partner and United's desire to re-enter JFK. We would like to thank TCG Digital for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get i...
Impacts from the trade war with China are landing at Boeing and in U.S. aviation more broadly. Due to high tariffs, Chinese airlines are declining to take deliveries of Boeing aircraft — as many as 50 planes destined for China this year will need to be re-marketed to new buyers. But that's just the beginning of it, as Jon Ostrower explains. China's long-term goal is to be self-sufficient in aerospace, with projects like the C919 and C929. As the geopolitical winds shift, it may look to Embraer a...
Brett Snyder has been watching Spirit's network strategy closely, and this week he floats the idea that Spirit is not only becoming more like Sun Country but it could benefit from joining forces with the airline. Brian Sumers, however, thinks this is ridiculous. Come join them and Jon Ostrower as they float statistics in a very... spirited... debate. We would like to thank Rokt for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
Jon Ostrower and Brian Sumers talk about United's earnings call, and the challenges surfacing for Boeing now with delivering aircraft to Chinese airlines. Plus: Brian and Jon answer your questions about ultra-long-haul flying, OEM's commitment to sustainability, and where Avelo Airlines is "cooked." We would like to thank Intelsat for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
With economic uncertainty casting a shadow over the U.S. economy, Brian Sumers, Brett Snyder, and Jon Ostrower dive into the impact this will have on both the aircraft manufacturers and the airlines themselves. (Spoiler alert: it's not good news.) We would like to thank Intelsat for supporting The Air Show.
Jon Ostrower brings the latest news from Airbus’s recent summit in Toulouse: planned innovations in aircraft, efficiency and sustainability, despite an increasingly fragmented global economic and political world. Ostrower tells Brett Snyder the next decade will be “the homework years” — when a lot of work gets done and technology developed to inform a more productive future. And in the U.S., as Boeing continues its push to reshape its culture and industrial operation, there are early signs of pr...
Amid economic and political uncertainty in North America, everyone is trying to read the tea leaves, memes and booking data to figure out what's going on, and that includes the leadership of Canadian and Mexican airlines. Brett Snyder and Brian Sumers talk about what executives are saying and doing about transborder flying in North America, going into the summer season and looking ahead to the '25-26 sun season. We would like to thank Rokt and TCG Digital for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.t...
This week, Brett Snyder, Jon Ostrower and Brian Sumers discuss President Trump's pick for FAA administrator: Bryan Bedford, CEO of Republic Airways. They also discuss Spirit Airlines' turnaround plan as it emerges from four months of bankruptcy protection, and what it did (and did not) accomplish during that period. We would like to thank TCG Digital for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
Amid uncertainty in the U.S. economy and political climate, airlines say they're seeing softness in domestic demand. How bad is it? Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder followed the J.P. Morgan Industrials conference this week and they discuss whether airlines are taking this seriously enough or whether they are in denial, and whether Southwest has any real strategy, or whether it's just coasting on its reputation. We would like to thank TCG Digital for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodc...
Brett Snyder's annual Cranky Network Awards is the event of the year and the place to be for the airline industry professionals that some people (possibly his co-hosts on this podcast) think are the nerdiest of the aviation nerds: network planners. In all seriousness (well, not all...), Brian Sumers, Jon Ostrower and Brett talk about the winners, what makes routes sexy or not, and the behind-the-scenes (and grooming routines) of this year's prestigious bash. We would like to thank TCG Digital fo...
Southwest Airlines is in a major transition — layoffs, an activist investor, and a changing product. Of course, it's an especially major transition for this airline because of its conservative culture, strategy, and history. Brett Snyder, Brian Sumers and Jon Ostrower debate the impact of Elliott Management's involvement, former CEO Gary Kelly's legacy, and the potential for new leadership to drive change. We would like to thank TCG Digital for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcas...
United thinks it has found a way to once and for all make the airline Chicago's dominant player, but American is still standing in the way. Jon and Brett talk about exactly what United has found, and then discuss what American's options are. It's going to be a roller coaster of a decade at O'Hare. We would like to thank TCG Digital for supporting The Air Show. Visit www.theairshowpodcast.com to get in touch with us....
