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.

An illustration showing planes flying over China.
Asia-Pacific

China’s Changing Airlines: 10 Things to Know

China’s 'Big Three' airline groups are still struggling to turn a profit. Domestic travel remains strong, but flights to and from places like Thailand, North America, and Europe are a challenge. Air China and China Eastern are losing money, while China Southern is scraping by with a slender margin. In this week's feature story we ask why.
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat |
An illustration showing Azul and Gol aircraft over Brazil.
Latin America

Azul and Gol: Together at Last or Separate Paths?

To merge or not to merge? That's the question for two of Brazil’s three major airlines. In January, Azul and Gol signed a non-binding deal with "intent to combine their businesses.” Then came a snag. Azul filed for Chapter 11, just one week before Gol exited bankruptcy. Today, the prospect of a Brazilian mega-merger is increasingly uncertain, as we discuss in this week's feature story.
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat |
An illustration showing the aircraft tails of the AF-KLM Group.
Europe

Air France-KLM’s Diverging Fortunes

Charles de Gaulle once famously asked: “How can you govern a country in which there are 246 kinds of cheese?” Fortunately for Ben Smith, governing Air France-KLM isn’t quite that complicated. But he does now preside over four different airlines, some faring well, others faring poorly, as we discover in this week's feature story.
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat |
An illustration showing Latam planes on the world map.
Latin America

Frozen in Time: Latam’s Cost Miracle

Will someone in South America please check the calendar? Is it still 2019? Latam, South America’s largest airline group, is paying a remarkably low 4.8 U.S. cents, excluding fuel, to fly one seat one kilometer. That’s almost identical to the 4.6 cents it paid six years earlier. In this week's feature story, we explore why Latam’s cost structure is basically the same as it was before the Covid crisis.
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat |
An illustration showing American trailing United and Delta.
North America

The American Bronze Age

There’s no shame in winning a bronze medal. Unless it’s a game of three players. The U.S. has just three global airlines. And for seven straight years now, the medal stand has looked the same. In the contest for best operating margin, Delta always wins the gold. United always wins the silver. And American always gets stuck with the bronze. In this week's feature story, we examine why.
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat |