Jay Shabat

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.

We’re thick into earnings season now. Here’s what that means for three big U.S. airlines.

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.

In this week's show, Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat criss-cross the Atlantic to review the latest earnings from United Airlines and low-cost giant Ryanair.

Copenhagen is one of Europe’s fastest growing airports this summer. Scheduled seat capacity in the Danish capital is up 7% y/y, according to Cirium Diio. Surprisingly, Copenhagen is growing without much help from Europe’s low-cost airlines. It's legacy player SAS that’s responsible for most of the rise, as we explain in this week’s feature story.

In this week's show, Gordon Smith is joined by Jay Shabat and Meghna Maharishi to discuss the key takeaways from Delta's Q2 financials. The conversation then shifts to Wizz Air exiting its Abu Dhabi joint venture and the wider impact on the ULCC's business.

Tariff uncertainty. A slowing job market. Negative Q1 GDP. Does a fragile American economy spell trouble for U.S. airlines? There’s seemingly no need to panic. All is well, at least for Delta. The carrier kicked off Q2 earnings season not just the airline industry but all of Corporate America. Were the numbers any good? Yes, but with some caveats, as we explain in this week’s feature story.

In this week's show, Gordon and Jay look at the oneworld alliance and its latest member, Oman Air. Then they ask the big question: are airline alliances worth it?

If a week is a long time in politics, then six months in the airline industry can feel like a lifetime. It's been a tumultuous start to 2025, even by the standards of this least predictable of sectors, and don't expect things to slow down much as we enter Q3. In this week's feature story, we briefly hit pause to reflect on the first-half of the year. Don't miss the Airline Weekly team's top 10 developments of 2025, so far.

In this week's show, hosts Gordon and Jay take a step back to reflect on a fascinating first six months of 2025. From geopolitical shocks to consolidation questions, we assess some of the biggest trends of the year so far.