What is America's Most Profitable Airline?
Q2 2025 was a mixed bag for U.S. airlines. We help make sense of it all in a special round-up show.
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.
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.
What is Air France-KLM's Weakest Link?
Air France-KLM's Q2 results were a broad improvement, but stubborn problems remain.
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.
American, Alaska, Southwest: Who Came Out on Top?
We’re thick into earnings season now. Here’s what that means for three big U.S. airlines.
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.
United Airlines and Ryanair in an Age of Uncertainty
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.
SkyTeam’s New Star: The Rise of Copenhagen
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.
Wizz Air Abu Dhabi: What Went Wrong?
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.
Has Delta Dodged the Storm?
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.