Quoted in the Media

From Buffalo to Bellingham, U.S. airports court Canadian fliers, USA Today, February 8, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “What has really changed in recent years is that you really have a number of airlines optimizing to capture those customers.”

Families can pre board with United Airlines — again, LA Times, February 7, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “They are constantly coming to different conclusions when trying to balance between being efficient and making people happy.”

Delta Sole Airline Against Air Traffic Control Privatization, WABE, NPR Atlanta, February 4

American vs. Delta: USA’s next great airline rivalry?, USA Today, February 2

Airport grinding back from downsizing, The Commercial Appeal, January 23, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Memphis has rather quickly gotten back on its feet, thanks partly to just the macroenvironment: decent national economy and falling fuel prices and also because of the airport’s efforts to recruit new service.”

New Orleans’ Armstrong International Airport set passenger record in 2015, The New Orleans Advocate, January 22, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “It looks like last year was a phenomenal growth year,” he said. “This year, it will continue growing but probably by a lesser clip.”

Logan to have most low-cost trans-Atlantic flights in US, The Boston Globe, January 22, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “When Norwegian launched those routes here, a lot of us thought they lost their mind.”

The CEO of Delta Air Lines has made the company into an industry powerhouse, Business Insider, January 20, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “When companies merge, executives commonly talk about how they will draw from the best parts of both companies. ”

SeaPort Airlines abruptly cancels service in several states, USA Today, January, 19, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “When times are tougher for pilots, many of them have no choice but to work for the wages that these airlines offer.”

Buying flights too far in advance can cost you, CNBC, January 15

Frontier restores Colorado Springs service, adds new routes in Denver, The Denver Post, January 12, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Some of those markets are the kind of places where airlines are willing to experiment when the risk is relatively low.”

WABE (NPR Atlanta), January 11

Will $99 fares to Europe become the new normal?, USA Today, January 11, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “You can’t stimulate long-haul travel quite like short haul.”

BTR, January 11

Book: How Utah played a role in Delta’s big turnaround, The Salt Lake Tribune, January 7, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “It’s hard to think of a more improbable turnaround story.”

Spirit’s New CEO Knows How to Pull Off Airline Mergers, Bloomberg Business, January 6, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Spirit remans one of the most profitable airlines in the world but its shares are under pressure.”

New book examines Delta’s recovery, rise, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 5, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “When they think, ‘Why in the world doesn’t an airline do something?’ — they may or may not agree with it, but they [could] understand what the airline is thinking.”

Ben Baldanza out as CEO at Spirit Airlines, Sun Sentinel, January 5, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Sometimes one CEO is the right person to grow a company to a certain point, and then someone else is the right person for the next phase.”

Airlines: Frontier became the airline we love to hate a little bit less in 2015, The Denver Post, January 3

Will 2016 Be As Good As It Gets For Airlines?, Investor’s Business Daily, December 29, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “In the U.S., what you have right now is a race to the bottom between falling fuel prices and falling airfares.”

Interview with Erika Hill, MSNBC, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses holiday season travel, bad weather and fuel prices.

American Airlines adds new seat category between economy and business, LA Times, December 13, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Business class has become so nice that people want to pay for something more comfortable but they can’t afford business class.”

Frontier’s contraction spurs expansion of competitors at DIA, The Denver Post, November 29, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “You see Frontier out there with $15 fares. That kind of stuff wasn’t necessarily there a year or two ago.”

Fox Business Cavuto, November 25

An Airport Survival Guide for Thanksgiving Travel, The New York Times, November 24

Air France: Demand dipped after Paris attacks, USA Today, November 19, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: The one thing that’s still working pretty well for Air France right now is trans-Atlantic. If this impacts that demand, that wouldn’t be helpful.”

CCTV America, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses airport security, airplane passengers and crew screened differently

U.S. airlines battle Persian Gulf carriers, Marketplace, November 16, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “The airlines of either country can fly as much as they want to the other country. They don’t have to ask special permission to do that.”

TSA security lapses point to management, training failures, experts say, Sinclair Broadcast Group, November 11, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “In terms of perception, you certainly can’t blame the public for hearing a story like that and questioning their safety.”

Frontier adds surcharges on bags during holiday travel season, The Denver Post, November 4, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “For consumers, it changes the math. If you are going to be carrying more presents than Santa and his reindeer, then maybe Southwest (with no baggage charges) is the airline for you.”

Unruly Passengers Can Cost Airlines Up to $200,000 for Diversions, NBC, October 22

Passenger fees are boosting profit margins for many small airlines, LA Times, October 19, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “There is no question that unbundling has been very profitable.”

US Airways Flies For One Last Time, NPR’s here & Now, October 16

How two airlines become one: American, US Airways ready to combine, Miami Herald, October 15, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan commments: This time, “they seem to be taking extraordinary steps to make it go as smoothly as possible.”

Era of airline merger mania comes to a close with last US Airways flight, USA Today, October 15, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “This whole era of consolidation really started with the management team that’s now running American.”

Airline Tech Glitches Are the New Norm—What Can You Do?, Yahoo Travel, October 15, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “It’s always a good idea to keep a paper record, because once things go wrong they can go very wrong.”

U.S. Airlines Balance Good and Bad of Oil, Currencies, Bloomberg, October 14, Airline Weekly’s discusses the impact of currencies and cheaper fuel prices on U.S.-based airlines. He speaks on “Bloomberg Markets.”

Delta Tops Q3 Profit, Should Slow Q4 Capacity Growth, Investor’s Business Daily, October 14, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “As Delta’s bad hedges keep wearing off, fuel expenses can continue dropping.”

Will Boeing Profit Get Hit By A Used-Plane Bubble?, Investor’s Business Daily, October 14, Delta is in the market for older planes, which are less fuel efficient but are cheaper to fly as oil prices have fallen, according to Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan.

Analyst: Delta Layoffs To Give Other Employees Raises, WABE (NPR Atlanta), October 13, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Delta, having been so successful, knows that its rank and file workers want a piece of the action, and so it proactively told them, ‘Hey, we’re going to give you very big raises.’”

United Airlines falls short on operating profit margin front, Chicago Business Journal, October 12, United Airlines has posted better profits recently, but according to new airline operating profit margin data just crunched by trade publication Airline Weekly, the Chicago-based airline doesn’t crack the top 10 airlines worldwide based on that metric.

A contrite United refocuses, The Record, October 12, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan, said former CEO Smisek had recently made progress in improving United’s operations and finances, and that should make Munoz’s task less daunting.

Frontier launches to fifth-most profitable airline in the U.S., The Denver Post, September 30, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: They’re not having to reinvent the wheel. They still have to execute it right, but the consensus at this point is rather clear: It’s working.”

Airlines expect high demand for new routes between U.S. and Cuba, LA Times, September 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: Airlines “want the opportunity to serve Cuba.”

John Stancavage: Air travel might be a little cheaper for holiday season, Tulsa World, September 17, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “One, jet fuel is a lot cheaper and airlines are beginning to pass that savings on. And, two, carriers are starting to add more flights, which means additional seats will be available. So supply and demand will come into play.”

Delta Employee Pay Hike, CBS 46, September 17

Airfare continues to drop after steep July decline, CNBC, September 16, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Airlines are still growing their capacity, their supply of seats, more rapidly than the U.S. economy is growing.”

Why do airlines choose routes? It’s not always about $, CNBC, September 11, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Airlines play much broader, legal games that aren’t so different. This stuff goes on all the time.”

Bloomberg TV, September 11, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses United Airlines and a federal probe that took down CEO Jeff Smisek.

Airfares drop along with fuel prices, summer close, Philadelphia Inquirer, September 4, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Cheaper fuel encourages airlines to grow, and then that growth – all those new seats – push down airfares.”

Airfare deals pop up as airlines wage limited fare wars, AP The Big Story, August 26, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “This is the big break consumers have been waiting for in response to lower fuel prices.”

Airlines upscaling amenities for high-paying fliers, LA Times, August 22, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “They are not going around spending money like drunken sailors, but they are putting it where they see that investing money will pay off.”

Airlines Slash Fares Amid DOJ Probe, Capacity Growth Investor’s Business Daily, August 19, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Fares fall when airlines grow more quickly than the economy.”

Airfares see sharpest monthly decline in 20 years, CNBC, August 19, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “The one thing I’m surprised about is how quickly it happened.”

Yuan Devaluation Sends China Airlines Into Tailspin, Investor’s Business Daily, August 11, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “They are growing very rapidly and they are a very well managed airline that has executed the low cost model to perfection.”

Precision Castparts Is Warren Buffett’s Biggest Bet, U.S. News & World Report, August 11, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “This doesn’t seem like a change in Warren Buffett’s philosophy.”

Frontier is latest airline to do away with toll-free customer service number, USA Today, August 11, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “The ultra-low-cost model … is all about not accepting any costs unless those costs clearly drive revenue, and this is one where they probably had a hard time figuring out where it was translating to meaningful revenue.”

Frontier Airlines eliminates toll-free customer service calls, The Denver Post, August 10, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “This is the airline saying: ‘Why should we pay for something a lot of people don’t care about anyway anymore?’ Of course, some people will care.”
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Airlines still not ready to invest in direct Asia Pacific flight from Philadelphia, Philadelphia Inquirer, August 9, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “The benefit of Philadelphia vis-a-vis New York or Washington is that it’s a rather robust hub for American with a lot of feeder flights that they don’t have at JFK.”

Frontier Airlines “The Works” offers travelers savings, flexibility, The Denver Post, August 6, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: If there’s a way that an airline can, in a profitable way, address that anxiety that some passengers have about the fees, why not do it?”

Tips for flying on private jets while on a budget, Today, August 4, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “This is a clever move by Delta to keep its most loyal fliers using its services rather than going elsewhere.”

CNN en Español, August 4

CNBC Power Lunch, July 27, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the $4 billion overhaul of New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

Airline Upgrades Are Reaching Economy Passengers, The New York Times, July 22, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “That whole experience of being broke caused these airlines to make a lot of changes, some of which they later concluded were smart changes and have maintained, such as bag fees, and some they had to do to get through the day.”

Monday’s Travel News: American Merges Systems; Fare Deals to Europe., The New York Times, July 20, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “On the one hand, it’s hard to imagine they can pull it off in a way that customers won’t notice, but they’ve taken some impressive steps to have it more or less be that way.”

Fort Lauderdale adds direct flight to Venezuela after 10-year hiatus, Sun-Sentinel, July 17, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Supply in the market is so constricted that I’m sure people will drive from Miami to Fort Lauderdale for flights.”

Airlines, yes, less competitive but colluding?, The Docket, July 14, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan interprets the ‘not cost plus business’ of airlines by comparing lag time in fuel prices as they move from consumers via road to consumers via sky. What’s next for DOJ’s investigation of price-fixing?

Airlines carve US into markets dominated by 1 or 2 carriers, July 14, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments:”The airline industry is less competitive now than it used to be.”

United flights again grounded by glitch, Democrat-Gazette, July 9, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “United has not established that kind of reputation as being an extraordinarily reliable airline.”

MSNBC, The Rundown with José Díaz-Balart, July 9, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the United Airlines ground stop due to a company-wide computer glitch.

CNN, The Lead with Jake Tapper, July 9, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the United Airlines computer glitch that caused a company-wide ground stop.

United blames travel-snarling system outage on router problem, LA Ties, July 8, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: United already lags in popularity compared with airlines such as Delta, and Wednesday’s bad publicity might not help.

Complaints against Frontier Airlines down, on-time performance is up, The Denver Post, July 7

Airlines’ service, competition under the microscope in probe, Consumer Affairs, July 7, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “For the first time in history we’ve had air fares rising in real terms on a consistent basis.”

Denver, national airfares projected to drop this fall, report says, The Denver Post, July 6, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “This is the fall in airfares that consumers have been waiting for.”

MSNBC, Weekends with Alex Witt, July 4, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the DOJ investigation into possible airline collusion.

CNBC, Power Lunch, discusses, July 2, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan the Department of Justice investigation into possible airline collusion.

Improving ‘awful’ isn’t airline collusion: Experts, CNBC, July 2

Al Jazeera America, July 2, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan on discusses the Department of Justice investigation of possible airline collusion.

Airline Stocks, Electrolux Dive On DOJ Actions, Investor’s Business Daily, July 1, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Even as airlines promised they wouldn’t grow more rapidly, they are growing more rapidly because the economic incentives are there.”

Are airlines colluding to keep ticket prices up? Feds are investigating, LA Times, July 1, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: A more likely reason for the restraint carriers are showing in adding capacity is that airline executives have learned from past mistakes when airlines expanded too fast and lost money or eked out razor-thin profit margins.

Fox News, Channel’s Your World with Neil Cavuto, July 1, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the Department of Justice investigation of airlines for possible collusion.

Fox Business Network, Risk and Reward, July 1, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the Department of Justice investigation of possible airline collusion.

JetBlue rolls out new fares; first checked bag no longer free, Sun-Sentinel, June 30, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan said JetBlue’s changes put it in line with with most other airlines. And it could add up to higher profits.

Delta Ups Cross-Country Seats As Rivals Boost Flights, Service, Investor’s Business Daily, June 30, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments:”I’m sure American is looking at this very closely. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did something.”

JetBlue Expands Premium Service To Grow Market Share, Investor’s Business Daily, June 23, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “It’s always a tough game for a low-cost carrier to play. It’s like playing an away game. Legacy carriers are well positioned to combat low cost carriers with powerful frequent flier programs.”

How United Airlines’ operating margins stack up against domestic competitors, Chicago Business Journal, June 23

Allegiant Air tops profitability ranking, American Airlines also strong, Tulsa World, June 23, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “There are different ways to make money in the airline industry, but if you had to pick one model—if you were starting an airline today and wanted to make money—that’s the kind of airline that tends to do well.”

Private Chinese airlines seek larger market share, CCTV America, June 15

Profitable airlines face grumpy investors, Marketplace, June 12, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Investors are worried that airlines are just going to put too much supply in the marketplace and grow more quickly than the economy.”

Airline profits are soaring — but it’s not good news for consumers, Fortune, June 9, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “The key for customers is what the airline does with the profits.”

MSNBC, The Rundown with Jose Diaz-Balart, June 9, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses a senate committee looking into TSA security failures.

JetBlue ramps up in Fort Lauderdale, Miami Herald, June 7, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Will some people be a little less happy? Probably. But will that be a meaningful difference in happiness and will it translate into any kind of real changes in behaviors? Probably not.”

CNBC Power Lunch, June 3, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses The Campaign for On-Time Flights, a project of labor activist group Unite Here, and Delta Airlines experimental boarding program where carry-on bags are pre-loaded on to flights.

CNBC Power Lunch, June 2, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses airline security and the TSA.

Why are fliers avoiding the world’s largest airline?, USA Today, May 17, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Actually, most Americans still have a reasonable number of choices when it comes to air travel.”

Is Southwest Airlines Coasting on its Friendly Reputation?, Texas Standard, May 13, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “In some markets, like Austin where people are very familiar with Southwest, they still enjoy the open seating and some of the things that they’ve been used to all these years.”

Fares at Columbus airports are sky high, The Columbus Dispatch, May 13, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan, comments: “If you have a reasonably healthy economy, which Columbus does, and a healthy demand for air travel and the airlines haven’t added countless new seats, the demand outstrips the supply and the cost will go up.”

Norwegian growing in UK and US as Nordic markets stabilise; almost 20 new routes this summer but Oslo Torp sees big cuts, Anna Aero, May 13

Cheap Oil Just Might End the Airline Profit Orgy, Bloomberg, May 12

The Suite Life: Luxe Travel and the New First Class, Entrepreneur, May 6, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “There’s a segment of the population, the corporate community and high-end leisure travelers, absolutely willing to pay for comfort.”

Southwest no longer cheapest airline, Philadelphia Inquirer, May 5, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Southwest is just a more bundled airline. They get less ancillary revenue than the other airlines, so they have to get more of it in the base fare.”

The biggest winner from a tough winter? Florida, CNBC, April 25, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: JetBlue—the airline with the most Florida destinations of any U.S. airline—said at a recent investor conference that cold winter helped bookings going south.

The Rundown with Jose Diaz-Balart, MSNBC, April 17, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses an 11th seat being added to each row of the Airbus A380.

True confession: I do not hate Spirit Airlines, Chicago Tribune, April 17, An Airline Weekly ranking released in January showed Spirit is the most profitable carrier in North America (with an 18 percent profit margin, compared to, say, United Airlines, which reported a 6 percent margin) — and also the second most profitable airline in the world.

Good Question: How Crowded Are Airplanes?, CBS Minnesota, April 14, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments:“Now, airlines just vary their capacity. They fly more when people want to fly and fly less when fewer people want to fly.”

Grim results from airline survey, CNBC, The Airline Quality Rating study found the worst results since 2008, reports CNBC’s Phil LeBeau, April 13: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan, Airline Weekly weighs in.

Virgin America to fly from SFO-Hawaii starting in Nov., tickets now on sale, San Francisco Chronicle, April 7: Virgin disclosed last year that it wanted to begin flying to Hawaii in 2015. Seth Kaplan of Airline Weekly called it a good move. “They Bay Area economy is excellent right now,” he said.

Power Lunch, CNBC, April 6, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses current airfare prices.

Why Spirit Airlines Can Continue Doing Well Whether Oil Prices Stay Down Or Not, Seeking Alpha, April 2

Weekends with Alex Witt, MSNBC, March 28

Cavuto, Fox Business, March 27

Air Safety and Cockpit Protocol, KCRW, March 26, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan as guest discusses.

The American Airlines, US Airways merger ain’t over till it’s over, The Washington Post, March 26, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “This one fortunately seems to be more like Delta-Northwest so far — but with the very big caveat that they haven’t yet gone through those difficult systems integrations.”

The Rundown with Jose Diaz-Balart #1, MSNBC, March 26

The Rundown with Jose Diaz-Balart #2, MSNBC, March 26

Hardball with Chris Matthews, MSNBC, March 26

The O’Reilly Factor, Fox News March 26

The Rundown with Jose Diaz-Balart, MSNBC, March 25

CNN International,Quest Means Business, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan joins Poppy Harlow to discuss the impact of lower oil prices on the airline industry.

Fox News Channel, Your World with Neil Cavuto, March 6, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the impact of winter weather on the airlines and passengers.

Airline infrastructure needs updating now, CNBC, February 26, Phil LeBeau and Seth Kaplan of Airline Weekly, discuss the need to upgrade the airline industry’s infrastructure, including air traffic controls.

Airlines Doing It Again?, Aviation Pros, February 25, The Atlanta Journal used to claim that it “covers Dixie like the dew.” Airline Weekly (AW), which comes to me online, covers airlines—worldwide—the same way. This week it cites examples from all over that indicate airlines are beginning to compete by price.

Allegiant Air announces routes in and out of MEM, WMMC Action News 5, February 24 Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “If you play the game right, you can save a lot of money.”

Allegiant Air Entering Memphis Market, Aviation Pros, February 24, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “It’s an airline that when you buy a ticket from them, all you’re getting is base transportation. Everything else is extra, but if you play the game right you can save money.”

Silver Airways makes changes to focus on Florida, Sun-Sentinel, February 19, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Even as Silver sells flights under its own brand, it also hedges its bets via partnerships with quite a few larger airlines like United and JetBlue, which can put their own passengers on Silver.”

Expedia buys Orbitz – what it means for you, Marketplace, February 12, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan: “Certainly, there is one less independent choice, and anytime that happens, let’s face it, that’s not likely to push prices down for consumers.”

John Stancavage: With fuel costs down, why aren’t air fares declining?, Tulsa World, February 10, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “It’s not based on how much it costs them to put each seat in the air. Instead, it’s a matter of what people are willing to pay.”

Togetherness has a price when flying with family, LA Times, February 9, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Airlines, to varying degrees, have basically taken the position that the base airfare should include safe, reliable travel — and most everything else is a desire, not a need, which people should pay extra for.”

Atlanta Vs. Chicago: Who Has The World’s Busiest Airport?, WABE/Atlanta NPR, February 9, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “If you torture the data enough, you can get it to say anything. In the end, for busiest airport, it makes more sense to look at how many passengers, how many seats and so forth.”

Fox News Happening Now, January 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan on discusses airline delays/cancellations due to winter storm Juno.

MSNBC, January 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses airline delays/cancellations due to winter storm Juno with Jose Diaz Balart.

American Airlines’ fuel-buying bet pays off in record profit, LA Times, January 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “American doesn’t hedge. So, they have won big time.”

Columbus airports flying high in passengers, cargo, The Columbus Dispatch, January 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: ““Any airport that is growing is doing a good job.”

How Airlines Got Smarter About Canceling Flights, Bloomberg, January 26, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “In many ways, the dramatic numbers of flight cancellations before winter storms is great news for travelers, given that U.S. airlines once treated “irregular operations” as a matter of canceling flights only when they were forced to do it. The old mentality was, you fly as long as it’s safe to fly.”

On the Spot: Airfares stay sky high despite oil price drops, LA Times, January 26: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan, realigns thinking with this analogy: “It’s just like if you’re running a diner, and the prices of flour, butter and eggs drop. You don’t just drop the price of your pancakes with no other reason to do so. For the moment, at least, you just benefit from the drop in those cost inputs, and you become more profitable.”

NPR’s Here & Now, January 26: This week could be a nightmare for anyone hoping to travel in or out of the Northeast. But when weather cooperates, it’s a great time for road trips, with oil prices at the lowest levels in years. It seems the same should be true for air travel. Not so.

Airlines are happy to keep prices high, because their customers just keep coming. Seth Kaplan of Airline Weekly joins Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson with details.

Jacksonville International Airport still trying to overcome decline in flights, passengers, The Florida Times Union, January 26, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: But the lack of tourists means that Jacksonville International has fewer routes — and higher fares — than cities like Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, said Seth Kaplan, managing partner at Airline Weekly, a trade publication. In the second quarter of 2014, Jacksonville’s average fare was $389, Orlando’s was $309 and Fort Lauderdale’s was $300, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

“Jacksonville is kind of caught in between — it doesn’t have that international marketing cache in terms of a destination, but it’s not a big originating market.”

United predicts lower fuel costs, The Record, January 23, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “United, like other airlines, had some of those wrong-way fuel hedges. But they still did better than they would have done without the drop in fuel prices.”

Delta Airlines Sees Profits Soar In 2014, WABE/Atlanta NPR, January 20, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: They got numbers that airlines used to hope for during peak quarters.”

Travel trends in 2015: more millennials, cheap European fares, frequent flier restrictions and more mobile technology, Sun Sentinel, January 15, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments:”Airline loyalty programs have become somewhat less generous to the average traveler than was the case in previous decades.”

The effect of cheap oil on the jet making industry, Marketplace, January 13, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “There will be less oil revenue flowing into places like the Arabian Gulf where airlines like Emirates, Qatar and Etihad have been ordering planes by the hundreds.”

Eastern Air Lines hopes to launch flights in mid-March, USA Today, January 12, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments to the Miami Herald about the “new” Eastern: “I’m not sure that this start-up has yet risen to that level.”

New Eastern Air Lines unfurls its wings, Miami Herald, January 11, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “However much money you think you need to start an airline, you need more.”

CNN Newsroom, December 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses AirAsia Flight 8501 with Martin Savidge and Richard Quest.

CNN Newsroom, December 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan on discusses AirAsia Flight 8501 with Martin Savidge.

CCTV America, December 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses AirAsia Flight 8501 with Anchor Mike Walter.

CNN Newsroom, December 29, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses AirAsia CEO Tony Fernandes and flight 8501 with Carol Costello

Fox News Happening Now, December 29, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses AirAsia Flight 8501 with Jon Scott.

CNN Newsroom, December 29, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan on discusses airline safety and AirAsia Flight 8501 with Ana Cabrera.

MSNBC’s Hardball, December 30, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses AirAsia Flight 8501 with Chris Matthews.

United’s 2014 profit lagged all U.S. airlines, even as stock soared, Chicago Tribune, January 5, A ranking of 67 airlines worldwide by Airline Weekly released Monday showed United had a 6 percent operating profit margin over the most recent year disclosed, which for United was through September.

Delta Boosts Fourth-Quarter Margin Estimate as Fuel Costs Fall, The Street, January 5, In a report released Monday, trade journal Airline Weekly ranked Delta as the 11th most profitable airline in the world with a 12% operating margin. The publication ranked airlines by operating profit or loss margin for the 12 months ended September 2014.

AirAsia: The question on everyone’s mind ‘Why is it easier to find an iPhone (than) to find a plane?’,KSPR, December 30, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: Cost has been the biggest hurdle, though the technology is slowly finding its way onto airplanes.

Frequent Criers, Slate, December 24, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “JetBlue has tried all these years to believe that even the lowest-paying passenger can have lots of legroom, a free checked bag, and everything else, but it just hasn’t worked.”

CNN’s OutFront with Erin Burnett, December 22, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses a streak of air scares rattling airline passengers.

CNBC’s Power Lunch, December 18, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses what the end of restrictions on Cuba would mean to airlines and the travel industry.

John Stancavage: Cheap gas may cost state economy down the road, Tulsa World, December 17, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: Even though jet fuel prices have fallen significantly, most consumers won’t see any change in ticket prices. “The airline industry doesn’t really operate on a cost-plus basis. Ticket prices are more based on supply and demand. There’s only a fixed number of seats in the sky, so they are like a commodity.”

Lack of competition blamed for Newark Airport’s prices, The Record, December 13, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: Airport fees overall are “a small percentage of the cost pie.” Fares are higher at Newark because it is “a less competitive environment than JFK or La Guardia.”

The Willis Report, Fox Business, December 9, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses Spirit Airlines rising seat assignment and baggage fees, Delta Air Lines seat assignment fees and other airline ancillary fees that may increase during peak travel times.

Spirit Airlines Rides Cheap Seats To New Heights, Investor’s Business Daily, December 2014: Airline Weekly also cited Spirit as the second most profitable airline in the world for the 12 months ended June 30, based on operating profit as a percentage of operating revenue.

CCTV America, November 26, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the holiday season traveling forecast, lower oil prices and what to expect from the airlines in 2015.

Fox News Channel, November 27,Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan with tips about what to do if your flight is cancelled.

JetBlue will no longer offer first checked bag free, Sun Sentinel, November 19, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: Consumers also are likely to see cheaper base fares from JetBlue as the airline begins recouping more revenue from checked bags.

CNBC Power Lunch November 18, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the impact of lower oil prices on the airline industry

Virgin CEO: Critics ‘don’t understand what our business model is’, San Francisco Chronicle, November 14, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “The industry as a whole posted an operating margin (operating profit divided by revenue) of 10.2 percent. Virgin America’s was 7.4 percent. Historically, that’s not bad for an airline, but it was still lower than any other U.S. carrier except United.”

Opinion: Investors should consider flying Virgin America, Market Watch, November 13, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Virgin America has a tough business model. You cannot optimize for cost and revenue. You have to pick a model.”

CNBC Power Lunch, November 4, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses ancillary airline fees and lower oil prices.

Cheap Oil Lifts All Airlines, but Spirit Gets to Fly Highest, Bloomberg, October 29, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Legacy airlines are better equipped to win the revenue game, whereas low-cost carriers are better equipped to win the cost game.”

How Cheap Oil Could Become a Real Problem for Airlines, Bloomberg, October 17, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “If it keeps trending lower, it totally changes the economics of the industry again.”

Customers struggle, but low-cost model boosts Frontier’s fortunes, The Denver Post, October 12: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “There are many ways to make money in the airline industry, but there is no better model than this.”

Service without a smile: why airlines aren’t nice, Associated Press, October 8, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “If you’re going to be a fancy steakhouse, you better not be charging McDonald’s prices.”

Low-cost Frontier landing at MIA, Miami Herald, September 29, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “If the revenue opportunity is there, then they’re willing to do the math and consider a higher-cost airport.”

CCTV America, September 26, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the Air France strike.

CNBC’s Street Signs, September 24, Seth Kaplan discusses Airline Weekly’s profitability rankings, United Airlines reduced winter service and how Spirit Airlines makes money.

Panama’s Copa, U.S.’s Spirit are most profitable airlines – magazine, Reuters, September 22, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Everyone would prefer flying JetBlue to Spirit” because of its free snacks and wifi, however, they instead choose Spirit’s lower fares.

Seven U.S. carriers among the world’s most profitable airlines, Dallas News, September 22, Airline Weekly has calculated the 15 most profitable airlines and the 15 least profitable airlines in the world, and U.S. carriers make up nearly half of the list of the most profitable.

Europe’s Big Airlines No Longer Want to Fly in Europe, Bloomberg, September 11, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Non-hub, short-haul flying is all a cost game, and that’s a game the true low-cost carriers like Ryanair and EasyJet will always win.”

Airlines make first class ultra-luxurious; any hope for coach?, LA Times, September 8, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: The premium economy experience has improved too, although not on U.S. airlines, which still consider a little extra legroom a premium experience.

Reclining backlash causes flight diversions, The Record, September 5, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Recline into others as you would have them recline into you.”

CNBC’s Power Lunch, September 5, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses reclining seats on airplanes with Tyler Mathisen and Phil Lebeau.

The Colbert Report – Coach Class Conflicts, September 3, as Airline Weekly put it “Densification is a major trend in the industry now.”

Cramped seats and angry passengers lead to diverted flights, LA Times, September 2, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “People say they hate it, but they reward the airlines that continue to do that.”

CNBC Power Lunch, August 30, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses reclining seats and legroom with Sue Herera.

American Airlines Veers Out of Orbitz, E-Commerce Times, August 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: American “will surely lose some business, but it seems to have concluded this is marginal business.”

It’s no wonder fliers are fighting over legroom. Just look at these numbers., The Washington Post, August 27: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “It’s one of the most unmistakable trends over the past number of years: densification.”

Malaysia Airlines Burning More Than $2 Million In Cash Reserves Every Single Day: Report, Huffington Post, August 26: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “An airline which was barely surviving after the first incident let alone the second.”

United Airlines adds meals on shorthaul flights, Ameican Airlines adds a new fee,CNBC’s Power Lunch, August 22: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses with Tyler Mathisen.

Airlines compete over flights to Brazil, Sun-Sentinel, August 1, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “American’s new management team from US Airways has a long history of aggressively defending their turf, and this is an example of that.”

Airline Profits Soar, KCRW’s Press Play with Madeleine Brand, July 29, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses record profits for U.S. airlines

CCTV America, July 29, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses Malaysia Airlines and the airline industry.

Fliers love Virgin America, but will investors love its IPO?, San Francisco Chronicle, July 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “There aren’t a lot of airlines that look like Virgin that make good money.”

Does Virgin America Have Too Many Frills to be a Good Stock?, Bloomberg, July 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “So it’s now a revenue game, not a cost game, in Virgin America’s big markets, and that is a game the legacy airlines are best positioned to win.”

CCTV America, July 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the crash of TransAsia Airways Flight GE222.

U.S. airlines snubbed in world’s best seat rankings, LA Times, July 27, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “Surveys, in general, are silly,” said Seth Kaplan, managing partner of the trade publication Airline Weekly. “Don’t listen to what people say. Watch what they do.”

Want major new aircraft designs? Wait until 2030, CNET, July 23, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: Incremental updates don’t guarantee success.

MSNBC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, July 19, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the crash of Malaysia Airlines flight 17.

Will Malaysia Airlines survive?, The Telegraph, July 18, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: “It was an airline which was barely surviving after the first incident let alone the second.”

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17: Ukraine crash may be too much for airline to recover from, CBC News, July 18, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments: The airline was in “worse shape” financially that almost any other airline before Flight 370 vanished.

Azul Brazilian Airlines may come to Fort Lauderdale in December, Sun-Sentinel, July 18: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan: “Unfortunately, this kind of [low-cost, long-haul] business model has failed so many dozens of times over the years that it’s difficult to be too optimistic about [Azul’s] attempt.”

When choosing airline, ask: Am I customer or cargo? The Inquirer, July 13, But you don’t have to be a no-frills, price-is-everything, satisfaction-is-irrelevant airline to make money. Alaska Air, which is at the top of J.D. Powers’ satisfaction list of traditional airlines, ranked in the top 10 in profit margin, according to an Airline Weekly 2013 profitability report.

Rules may pull curtain on airline conduct, USA Today, July 7, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan predicts: When it comes to on-time statistics, airlines such as Allegiant and Spirit would lag behind their larger competitors.

Spirit Airlines lifts off on high margins and future growth plans, Medill Money Mavens, June 9, Airline Weekly’s: Seth Kaplan, “Right now, particularly for domestic travel in the U.S., fares are very high so it’s a great environment for Spirit.”

Allegiant Air profit margins are flying high, Journal Gazette, June 8, Airline Weekly’s: Seth Kaplan, “They don’t bring a ton of luggage and don’t come on board thirsty or hungry. For some people, safe transportation and nothing else is all they’re concerned with.”

Allegiant ranked one of the most profitable airlines despite its lack of high-quality services, Peoria Journal-Star, May 22, Airline Weekly’s: Seth Kaplan “While a carrier like Southwest Airlines wants to keep their planes in the air, Allegiant doesn’t care if its planes are not flying.”

Impact of Virgin America IPO may be up in the air,The San Francisco Chronicle, May 18, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan: “Virgin is correct that people will pay more for a better experience – but will they pay enough?”

Latest Airplane Amenity: An Apartment, The New York Times, May 13: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on Etihad’s apartments in the air

Spirit Airlines has fun with its new ‘bare fare’ marketing pitch, Sun-Sentinel, May 7, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on Spirit’s new Less Money, More Go campaign

Airlines’ profits soar, despite bad winter, The Record, May 4, 2014, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on supply and demand seat pricing.

New Orleans airport is fastest growing in U.S., says airline industry publication, The Times-Picayune, April 28

Virgin America to end Philadelphia flights, The Inquirer, April 28, Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on the shift from PHL to DAL

Why PHL ranks just 18th for air passengers, The Inquirer, April 23: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on PHL’s ranking as 18th busiest U.S. airport

Spirit Airlines: nation’s highest complaint rate and highest profit margin, LA Times, April 20: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on Spirit’s profits

Airlines look for new ways to squeeze in more seats, LA Times, April 20: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on airlines adding more seats

After rough winter, outlook good for airlines, The Philadelphia Inquirer, April 18: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on pilot rest rules, winter weather and expected strong earnings from airlines

Spirit tops in profitability, leads in complaints, Sun-Sentinel, April 15: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on how Spirit customers complain but still choose Spirit’s low fares.

Delta tops list of most profitable airlines in 2013, Deseret News, April 15: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on Delta being the most profitable carrier in 2013.

Sky Writer: Fees adding up to big profits for ultra-low-cost airlines, Tulsa World, April 15: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on “unbundling” products for profit.

The Search for Malaysia 370 Now in its Fifth Week, CCTV America, April 11 : Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan talks to CCTV America’s Mike Walter about the ongoing search for Malaysia 370.

Spirit Airlines is tops in complaints and profits, Miami Herald, April 14: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan comments on how Spirit customers complain but still fly Spirit.

Mitchell airport’s traffic drop was largest of major airports in 2013, Milwaukee Business Journal, April 14

Spirit Airlines in talks to expand to Miami,Sun-Sentinel, April 9

What are the Best Methods to Track Down a Plane?, CCTV America, April 6: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the latest with Malaysia 370 on CCTV America with Susan Elizabeth Roberts.

Malaysia 370, the search continues, CCTV America, April 2: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan discusses the latest in search efforts for Malaysia 370

Is Malaysia Airlines doomed? Bloomberg TV, March 28: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan with Tom Keene and Scarlet Fu on Bloomberg Television discussing the financial health of Malaysia Airlines.

Malaysia Airlines faces financial troubles, Bloomberg TV, March 26: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan on Bloomberg’s Street Smart discussing Malaysia Airlines finances with Trish Regan.

Relatives protest and legal action begins, Los Angeles Times, March 25

Solving mystery could take years, Fox News Channel, March 25

Questions remain about Malaysia’s conclusions, CCTV (China), March 24

“All lives are lost,” HLN, March 24: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan on HLN News Now with Mike Galanos discussing the dwindling hopes for Malaysia 370.

Malaysia Airlines has been missing profits for years, Businessweek, March 24: Airline Weekly data leads off this Businessweek article about the financial troubles at Malaysia Airlines in recent years.

Malaysian PM confirms worst fears, CTV (Canada), March 24

Answering your questions, CNN, March 21

Why your last flight was so expensive, Entrepreneur, March 21

Investigators look at lithium batteries in cargo, CNN, March 21

The search for flight 370, MSNBC, March 20: Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan on MSNBC’s All In with Chris Hayes discussing Malaysia 370.

Planes search area of southern Indian Ocean, CTV (Canada), March 20: More on Malaysia 370 with Airline Weekly’s Seth Kaplan on Canada’s CTV News.

Thai radar bolsters “left turn” theory, CNN, March 18

Search area for plane covers 11 countries, CNN, March 16

Malaysia Airlines Mystery, Fox News Channel, March 16

What happened to the plane? CNBC, March 14

Spirit soars above other airlines, Medill Reports, March 11

Boston secures five new int’l airlines in two years, WBUR-90.9 FM, March 10