Clockwise from top left: Travel Weekly's Robert Silk; Brad Beakley, CEO of Hospitio; and host Rebecca Tobin talk aviation trends and updates on the Folo by Travel Weekly.
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It's time this week to geek out over airlines: We're going to talk about the major U.S. carriers, what they've been doing right, and where they may be facing headwinds. In this episode, aviation editor Robert Silk and Brad Beakley, an aviation-industry veteran and CEO of the Hospitio consultancy, talk with host Rebecca Tobin about the importance of gauge (the size of the airplane), route selection, the lingering benefits of revenge travel, the economy and how these factors might be affecting mainline carriers and low-cost airlines differently.
Keep in mind that this conversation took place Oct. 20, ahead of earnings results for several carriers, including low-cost carriers Frontier and Spirit, so this conversations refers to their latest guidance.
In the later part of our episode, we'll talk about the loyalty battle, which has been on the forefront of many road warriors' minds since Delta reworked its SkyMiles program. How are other airlines -- including Delta itself -- responding? What is the right path forward for a loyalty program for an airline? Is it money, or miles, or is it something else that frequent flyers prize?
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Episode sponsor
This episode is sponsored by Air France/KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
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