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.

Latest Stories

Airlines

Boeing Secures $10 Billion Credit Agreement to Bolster Balance Sheet

With strike action crippling production and a series of expensive regulatory hurdles to navigate, this extra liquidity gives Boeing greater flexibility to top its war chest. Will it be enough to silence the company's growing band of critics?

Gordon Smith | 1 month ago

Airline Weekly

For Delta, No Glee in Q3. But Happy Times Ahead?

It wasn’t Delta’s greatest summer. Enough went wrong (the CrowdStrike disruption, lost business during the Olympics) to spoil all that went right (strong demand, cheaper fuel). Fortunately, almost everything’s coming up roses this fall, including heavy capacity cuts by domestic rivals. Will United finally beat Delta in the margin fight? We’ll find out later this week, when Scott Kirby and company report for Q3.

1 month ago

Airline Weekly

Setting the Scene for Airline Earnings Season

In this week's show, Gordon Smith and Jay Shabat explain the key elements to watch as third-quarter earnings season begins. The pair discuss all-important factors including aircraft supply shortages, oversupply in U.S. markets, and a possible resurgence in corporate travel.

1 month ago

Airlines

Houston’s Getting a Low-Cost Link to Tokyo

This bold move by a Japanese budget carrier will see it compete directly with two formidable big-name competitors. With no transit partners for smooth onward connections, will low fares be enough to fill the planes profitably?

Gordon Smith | 1 month ago

Airlines

Fresh Blow for Airlines as Boeing Withdraws Pay Offer to Striking Staff

It’s an unwelcome return to the gate for everyone onboard these high-stakes union talks. With Boeing taking its ‘best and final’ offer off the negotiating table, the prospect of an extended dispute affecting plane deliveries is increasing by the day.

Gordon Smith | 1 month ago

Airlines

Inside the Minds of Four Middle East Airline CEOs: 2025 Plans Revealed

The idea that every airline in the Middle East is a money-making machine is wholly unfounded. We hear from four airline leaders from across the region who share very different metrics for success for 2025 and beyond.

Gordon Smith | 1 month ago

Airlines

Gulf Air CEO Teases U.S. Launch as Expansion Plans Gather Pace

Decades before Emirates and Etihad graced the skies, Gulf Air leveraged its location to bridge east and west. Outclassed by the new(ish) kids on the block, Bahrain's national carrier is back on the offensive and hoping to grow its way back to profitability and global relevance.

Gordon Smith | 1 month ago

Airline Weekly

Diamonds in the Sky: Will the Transatlantic Boom Continue?

During 2023 and again in 2024, transatlantic routes shined bright like a diamond. Will they once again, in 2025, be diamonds in the sky?

1 month ago

Airline Weekly

Southwest’s New Plan

1 month ago

Airline Weekly

Turn Baby Turn: Jordan’s Plan To Revitalize Southwest

What’s the right tool to fix Southwest? A scalpel or a sledgehammer? What the company needs, argued CEO Bob Jordan last week, is not a new leadership team but a network and inflight product adapted to meet new post-Covid trends.

2 months ago