Pushing back . . .

A new (near) daily blog on the industry I love/hate/cannot quit . . .

Appropriately being written from somewhere over the Rockies.

For over twenty years, my career has almost exclusively been in and around the airline industry.

I’ve been an actual airline employee for a few of those years, an airline vendor (errrr “business partner”) for many of those years, and an airline customer for all of those years. I have seen the business go from bankruptcies to record profits (and back). I have participated in some very successful initiatives and some that were decidedly less so. I have watched the business chew up some very smart and capable people and have seen others thrive in some incredibly difficult circumstances. I’ve had a front-row seat to the dotcom boom and bust, 9/11, SARS, liquid bans, consolidation, a random Icelandic volcanic eruption, onboard internet, COVID (of course) and the joys of labor relations.

At the encouragement of a good number of friends and colleagues, I’ve decided to provide a look at the industry through my own unique lens. I’ll try to mix my usual irreverence with a deeper look at some of the more subjective issues driving decision making at airlines (and other travel companies) and how those decisions affect customers like you and me.

I’ll leave the route analysis, RASM/CASM breakdowns, and aircraft purchase projections to other far more capable pundits (many of whom I call friends).

And, when it makes sense, I’ll take the occasional trip down memory lane or the appropriate detour to somewhat-related subjects.

I hope you will come along.

Al

p.s. Yes, I know it looks like A.I. on the airlines, not “A-l” on the Airlines and if that gets me more eyeballs so be it!