The Air Show
Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder discuss the business of the sky on this aviation podcast.
Episodes
112 episodes
The Air Show Live at Alaska Investor Day
Alaska Airlines President and CFO Shane Tackett joins Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers, and Brett Snyder in front of a live audience in Seattle to talk about Alaska's media and investor day. They talk about the company's push into premium travel, its...
Lounges Are The New Moneymaker
Airline lounges have evolved from exclusive perks into a powerful revenue engine driven by memberships, premium tickets, and credit card partnerships. Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers, and Brett Snyder unpack the increasingly complicated rules behind...
An Extra Long Range Summer is Coming
Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder dissect the airlines’ plans for summer 2027, led by the rapid rollout of the Airbus A321XLR. It's supposed to be the game changer for longer, thinner routes, and they examine how United, American and Air Canada are...
American Needs More Urgency
Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder unpack American Airlines's latest course corrections to play catch-up with Delta and United, from adding more premium seats and bringing back screens to reshuffling senior leadership. It's good news, but is it happ...
Southwest's COO on the MAX 7 and Ops Fixes
Southwest’s Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson joins Brett Snyder to talk about the certification of the MAX 7, the airline’s operational troubles, and yes, even Andrew’s responsibilities themselves.Thank you to
The Shifting Role of LaGuardia
LaGuardia is one of the most congested airports in the country, and the way that airport has been used has changed dramatically over time. Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder dig into LaGuardia’s service over the years and where it migh...
The Air Show Attends An Air Show
Jon Ostrower is back to talk about what he saw at the Farnborough International Airshow in the UK. He tells Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder about the breakthrough of a Saab 340B modified with a hybrid electric power design, how the show was surpr...
The Unsettled Transpacific
Transatlantic strategies are pretty well set for North American carriers, but transpacific strategies are definitely not. Delta seems to be making its move now, though Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder disagree on whether this should have happened ...
Mergers Improve Competition
The U.S. Government Accountability Office came out with a new report on airline competition and the challenges for lower-cost airlines. But Brett Snyder and guest host Courtney Miller, ...
Is There Room For An All-Premium Airline?
A listener asked why can’t an airline be successful doing either a premium or, at least, an elevated experience? Something like a resurrected Midwest Express? Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder explain how the economics – from segmentation to upsell...
The Unique Hawaiian Interisland Market
Hawaiʻi is more than paradise, it's also home to the unique and complex interisland market. Between the dramatically shifting demand and the nature of the flying that limits the choice of fleet, Jon Ostrower and Brett Snyder talk about how airl...
Gossip, Hot Topics, and Jumpseats at IATA
Brian Sumers and Jon Ostrower are back from the IATA annual general meeting in Rio. They tell Brett Snyder about what they saw and heard, from how US airlines aren't worried about the price of fuel to the way fares are moving differently in the...
Jon Says U.S. Airlines Are Going In Reverse
U.S. aviation, the world’s original air travel marketplace, is going backwards rapidly. That's what Jon Ostrower argues, and he says there are signs in things like premium, capacity and airports. He'll try to convince Brian Sumers and Brett Sny...
Fort Lauderdale: The Most Interesting Airport in America
With its largest airline – Spirit – out of business, FLL has become a fascinating airport where airlines are all jockeying for position. Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder talk about which airlines are trying to get a leg up in Fort La...
Allegiant Drops The Drama
Just a few months after selling its ill-fated hotel in Florida, Allegiant completed one of its most profitable quarters in recent memory. Now, it needs to focus on how it can make its acquisition of Sun Country a winner. With the deal now close...
The Government’s Role In Spirit’s Demise
Spirit is the first major airline to have abruptly shut down in the U.S. since 1991. Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder explain how the government, from the Obama Administration to now, all had a role in the company's demise.Tha...
The A220-500, An Airplane Palate Cleanser
The Airbus A220 Stretch, aka the A220-500, is a plane that's stalked the industry since the C Series was launched in 2008. But it sure looks like Airbus is getting closer to bringing it to reality. Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder ta...
The Government is Making Things Worse
There’s been overwhelming weirdness in the decisions coming out of the federal government, and it is creating real harm in this industry. Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder talk about the President weighing in about a rumored United-American merger,...
We Have to Talk About Mergers
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said recently that the administration would like to see one of the larger airlines buy one of the smaller ones. At around the same time, Bloomberg reported that United talked about buying American. Jon Ostrow...
Breeze's Lukas Johnson Sounds Off
Brian Sumers talks with Lukas Johnson, Breeze Airways' opinionated chief commercial officer, to get his views on demand, fuel costs, credit card revenues and the power of an airline's brand. He also tells us who he thinks should replace Robert ...
Oil, and the Rest of the World
U.S. airlines may be cautiously optimistic about the effect that high oil prices will have on their bottom line, but not so much executives at non-U.S. airlines. Fuel is really expensive out there for them. Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers and Brett ...
United’s Media Day Extravaganza
Jon Ostrower and Brett Snyder report back from United's media day where new hard products were shown off on several different aircraft. It was also on full display that the airline has been preparing for the next downturn with strategies that a...
Euphoria Sweeps the Airlines
U.S. airlines gave an update of the business at the JP Morgan Industrials Conference and, despite the state of the world and spiking fuel prices, they basically said everything is awesome. Jon Ostrower, Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder explain the...
The Myriad Aviation Angles in The War In Iran
The war in Iran sent a massive wave of disruption to flights operating throughout the region and any flight crossing overhead because it's a major aerial thoroughfare between India, Australia, Southeast Asia and Europe. Jon Ostrower and Brett S...
A Path for Spirit/The Chicago Drama
Spirit Airlines has a plan to save itself by adjusting to seasonal demand, pivoting into more premium seats and shrinking its debt and lease obligations. Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder break down whether the move will revive the Spirit brand. Pl...