British Airways Is a Profit Machine
When the North Atlantic market is good, British Airways performs strongly. BA's spectacular numbers suggest something is going very right.
Gordon Smith
Gordon Smith is Airlines Editor at Skift and Editor at Airline Weekly. He’s been writing about the sector for more than a decade and enjoyed a front-row seat for some of the aviation industry’s biggest stories. Since joining Skift in January 2024, he has interviewed more than a dozen global airline CEOs, often helping make headlines along the way (special thanks to Michael O’Leary!). His informed insights have led to contributions for international media, including the London Evening Standard and Canada’s CBC Radio.
Overseas Scramble: The Fight to Win India’s International Markets
Ready for a shakeup? India’s international airline markets are about to change, big time. India’s own airlines want a bigger piece of the pie. Foreign carriers see the pie getting larger. Even distant low-cost carriers like Wizz Air want a taste. In this week's feature story, we examine who will be the likely winners and losers.
Is India the World's Hottest Airline Market?
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat set the scene for the upcoming Skift India Forum and preview the big topics ahead of interviews with the CEOs of Air India and IndiGo.
Smiles in the Aisles: A Q4 U.S. Review
For an airline, the closest thing to happiness is cheap fuel. No wonder so many American carriers are smiling. During the final quarter of 2024, U.S. airlines enjoyed a roughly 20% drop in jet fuel prices.
Is Southwest Airlines Losing its Magic?
Southwest just had its first round of compulsory layoffs in its history. What does that mean for the low-cost pioneer and the industry as a whole?
Tired of Finning: Can Finnair Up Its Profit Game?
Should Finnair hire a party planner, or a funeral director? No, it’s not in danger of dying. But after a surprisingly strong showing in 2023 and 2024, 2025 is looking uncomfortably fraught with peril. Labor unrest. Ballooning costs. A once-prized Asian network still disrupted. It’s enough to make any airline nervous, let alone a smallish government-owned carrier that lacks scale. In this week's edition, we ask if Finnair can defy the odds again.
Breaking Down Japan Airlines and British Airways
After a sensational run of impressive profits in the 2010s, what can Japan Airlines do to restore its weakened commercial cut-through?
JAL-function: What’s Wrong with Japan Airlines?
Down. Down. Down. In 2024, Japan Airlines saw its annual profit margins drop again. Putting aside the pandemic-blemished period, JAL’s profitability declined for a sixth consecutive year. Last week, it posted a 7% operating margin for calendar year 2024. Not just down versus 2023, but a far cry from its 15% heyday. What’s happening? In this week's feature story we ask if the double-digit margins are gone forever and if JAL can turn things around.
What a Frontier-Spirit Merger Means for Air Travel
There are plenty of ifs, buts, and maybes, however, if a Frontier-Spirit merger does occur, it'll shake up the U.S. airline industry in a huge way.
Why JetBlue is Seeking Blue Skies
In a victory of sorts, JetBlue managed a slim Q4 profit. It wasn't a fantastic performance, but this reversed an operating loss in 2023’s fourth quarter. Might it mark the start of a much-needed turnaround? JetBlue delivered its earnings presentation a day before Frontier launched a new bid to buy Spirit. Will it consider a revised offer too? Or could JetBlue itself become an acquisition target? In this week's feature story we examine the latest ups and downs at New York's Hometown Airline.