Jon Says U.S. Airlines Are Going In Reverse

Mergers Improve Competition

The U.S. Government Accountability Office came out with a new report on airline competition [https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-107740.pdf] and the challenges for lower-cost airlines. But Brett Snyder and guest host Courtney Miller, founder and managing director of Visual Approach [https://visualapproach.io/], poke holes in why this report isn’t all that useful, even if it’s not a bad report itself. Thank you to Points, a Plusgrade company [https://www.plusgrade.com/made-by-plusgrade-2025-collection/subscription/] and SkyGo [http://theairshowpodcast.com/skygo] for sponsoring this week's episode. SHOW NOTES: GAO's report, "AIRLINE COMPETITION: Indicators Suggest Increased Competition in the Past Two Decades, but Lower-Cost Airlines Face Challenges" - https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-107740.pdf [https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-26-107740.pdf]

Is There Room For An All-Premium Airline?

A listener asked why can’t an airline be successful doing either a premium or, at least, an elevated experience? Something like a resurrected Midwest Express? Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder explain how the economics – from segmentation to upselling – make it pretty hard for that to be viable. Thanks to SkyGo [https://www.linkedin.com/company/skygo-aviation-intelligence/] for sponsoring this episode. Got your own question? Send it to info@theairshowpodcast.com

The Unique Hawaiian Interisland Market

Hawaiʻi is more than paradise, it's also home to the unique and complex interisland market. Between the dramatically shifting demand and the nature of the flying that limits the choice of fleet, Jon Ostrower and Brett Snyder talk about how airlines like Hawaiian and Southwest have to successfully navigate this important market. Thanks to SkyGo [https://www.linkedin.com/company/skygo-aviation-intelligence/] for sponsoring this episode. The Air Show will be taking a break for the July 4th weekend. We'll be back the following week.

Gossip, Hot Topics, and Jumpseats at IATA

Brian Sumers and Jon Ostrower are back from the IATA annual general meeting in Rio. They tell Brett Snyder about what they saw and heard, from how US airlines aren't worried about the price of fuel to the way fares are moving differently in the US compared to Europe. Thank you to Points, a Plusgrade company, [https://www.plusgrade.com/made-by-plusgrade-2025-collection/subscription/] for sponsoring this week's episode. SHOW NOTES: The number of times Scott Kirby has been mentioned on the show [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/137z9rSQbW9RX8aRw62vt68wSpTw5DhrXyl5trNPz3k0/edit?gid=1864722752#gid=1864722752]

Jon Says U.S. Airlines Are Going In Reverse

U.S. aviation, the world’s original air travel marketplace, is going backwards rapidly. That's what Jon Ostrower argues, and he says there are signs in things like premium, capacity and airports. He'll try to convince Brian Sumers and Brett Snyder that America's aviation industry is on the verge of a major structural shift. Thank you to Points, a Plusgrade company, [https://www.plusgrade.com/made-by-plusgrade-2025-collection/subscription/] for sponsoring this week's episode.