Delta's Q1 Earnings: Our Key Takeaways
As is customary, Delta was first out the gates in reporting its quarterly earnings. There were plenty of warnings, but executives also highlighted underlying strengths in the business.
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.
The Scary Canary? Delta Speaks Up
The whole world was watching. On Wednesday, Delta became the first major U.S. travel company to report first quarter earnings. What would it say about the crisis in confidence unfolding throughout the U.S. economy? How much worse have things gotten in the past month, since Delta first warned about deteriorating demand trends?
Making Sense of Market Turmoil
This week we examine our turbulent economic skies, including the impact of tariffs and oil prices on airline operations and demand.
Transborder Disorder: Big Trump Trouble for Canada’s Airlines
Alright, so here we go again. Something’s gone awry in the world, and airlines are among the first to feel it. Following last week’s U.S. plan to essentially dismantle the global trading system, uncertainty has reached a fever-pitch. In this week's feature story we deep-dive into one of the thorniest battles in this emerging economic conflict, and ask how (or perhaps, if) Canada's airlines can come out fighting.
Riyadh Air CEO on Building an Airline from Scratch
If you thought being CEO of an international airline was tough, try starting one from scratch. That's the formidable challenge facing Tony Douglas and his team as Riyadh Air prepares to launch later this year.
David’s New Goliath: Neeleman’s Breeze Gathering Scale
Is there ever a good time to start a new airline? Certainly not during a pandemic. Recurrent airline founder David Neeleman launched Breeze Airways in May 2021, a month in which U.S. airports handled just 50 million passengers. Last May, for perspective, they handled 80 million. In this week's feature story we examine the opportunities and the stubborn challenges of this plucky outlier that doesn't mind flying against the wind.
What India's Biggest Airline CEOs Think
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat debrief on two big-name interviews from the Skift India Forum 2025. The pair digest key takeaways from Air India CEO, Campbell Wilson, and Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo.
Pegasus: Turkey’s Other Airline Champion
What’s Turkey’s largest airline? Of course, it’s Turkish Airlines. But don’t overlook another Turkish carrier that’s growing and profiting at least as impressively...
The Kings of the Caribbean
In part one, Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat examine the key players serving the Caribbean from the United States. In part two, we take a closer look at the latest financials from Lufthansa.
Bear Market in the Air Market? U.S. Airlines Face a Downturn
A longterm plan to rightsize the federal government and reindustrialize the U.S.? Or economic suicide? To large swathes of corporate America right now, it feels like the latter. Tariff uncertainty and mass layoffs are rattling consumer and business confidence while erasing trillions in value from stock markets. Are airlines affected? As America’s largest carriers made clear last week, the answer is an emphatic yes.