Gordon Smith

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.

An illustration showing a Southwest plane in the sky.
North America

Southwest's Numbers Are Still Ugly

Southwest Airlines is changing faster than at any time in its history. Assigned seating, bag fees, even talk of first-class cabins and airport lounges. But are its bold moves starting to pay off? Not quite yet. Southwest's latest results were rough once again, with margins barely positive and far from the glory days that made it a Wall Street darling. Still, there are signs that better times are on the horizon, as we discuss in this week's feature story.
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat |
An illustration showing Delta logo and aircraft.
North America

Delta Decouples From Airline Gravity

Big changes are underway in the U.S. airline market. In its Q3 earnings presentation last week, Delta described a domestic sector that’s getting significantly stronger, but that's far from the only highlight. In our feature story, we dissect the data and cut through the executive commentary to explain why Delta is upending industry norms.
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat |
An illutsration showing a large widebody aircraft factory.
Global Analysis

Wide Awake: A Golden Era for Widebodies? 

Building airplanes? Things haven’t been easy for aircraft manufacturers with supply chain bottlenecks, labor shortages, and cost inflation. But selling airplanes? That's no problem. In this week's feature story we deep-dive into the widebody market to find out which models are literally flying off the shelves, and identify those gathering dust on the showroom floor.
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat |
An illustration showing transatlantic air traffic
Global Analysis

Transatlantic Triumphs

This year. Last year. The year before that. It’s been a great run for transatlantic markets, lifted by Americans visiting Europe in droves, often flying there in a premium seat. But demand for non-premium seats is now showing signs of stress. Does that herald an end to the transatlantic boom? This week’s feature story discusses the market in detail.
Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat |