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What podcasters are saying about Airlines & aviation
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In the past 30 days, 11 speakers on 8 finance podcasts discussed Airlines & aviation in 17 views. Chorus has followed Airlines & aviation since October 2, 2026.
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Newest first. Every quote is checked against the episode's transcript.
Jim Cramer · CNBC
The aerospace complex looks weak now, so a listener shouldn't buy Beta yet despite a possible rally.
Cramer says the whole aerospace complex looks so weak right now that he won't put a listener into what he calls a lion's den. He thinks the group could rally, but for now it is a lion's den. He advises waiting, which is a near-term call on the sector rather than a long-term view.
“The whole aerospace complex right now is looking so weak. I'm not gonna put you in that lion's den yet. It could rally, but right now, it's a lion's den.”at 40:29
Mad Money with Jim Cramer: Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer 10/28/26 ·
Jim Cramer · CNBC
Higher fuel prices and rates won't kill aerospace demand; the sector is a long-term winner.
Aerospace stocks have sold off over recent months on the fear that high oil prices and rates will cut airline demand for new planes and financing costs. Cramer calls that mostly theoretical because wait times for new aircraft stretch for years. He points to GE Aerospace's order growth, including commercial orders up 58% and equipment orders up 235%, and to Boeing's $612 billion backlog, as evidence the fear is wrong. He says that if investors take a long-term view, the sector is a secular winner. He adds that if oil comes down, investors should act now.
“The idea that higher fuel prices and higher interest rates will kill demand looks flat out wrong to me.”at 28:10
Mad Money with Jim Cramer: Mad Money w/ Jim Cramer 10/27/26 ·
Steve Van Metre · Steven Van Metre Financial
Airlines cannot pass fuel costs to consumers, so they are cutting unprofitable capacity.
Van Metre argues that when airlines say they are absorbing higher prices, it is not because consumers can afford them. Airlines know what each seat costs, and raising fares about 10% would leave empty seats. Their response is to cut capacity and drop unprofitable flight legs. He notes that much of the earlier travel demand was prepaid before fuel prices rose, which supports the view that the margin squeeze is real.
“when you start hearing a business say, we're trying to absorb higher prices, it isn't because consumers can afford it.”at 2:30
Eurodollar University: Airlines Just Sent a TERRIFYING Warning About the Economy ·
Jeff Snider · Atlas Financial
Rising fuel costs are shrinking airline capacity and demand, not just squeezing margins.
Snider argues that airline fuel costs are producing demand destruction: airlines cut productive capacity because they know their business, and the result is fewer flights rather than layoffs. Premium and business travel have held up because wealthy customers are still spending on a strong stock market. Airlines serving the bottom of the income distribution cannot raise fares to pass on fuel costs, so some routes are no longer profitable to fly. He reads the capacity cuts as a sign that airlines expect a weaker spring season.
“Yeah, that's the thing. It's demand destruction. Productive capacity shrinks because they know the business.”at 3:15
Eurodollar University: Airlines Just Sent a TERRIFYING Warning About the Economy ·
Anas Alhajji · Energy Outlook Advisors
Passenger airline business has declined; only cargo is profitable, driven by AI-related shipping.
Across airlines worldwide, everything related to passengers has declined as fuel prices have risen. The only profitable segment is cargo, which he attributes to AI, through the equipment and shipping it generates.
“The only segment in the airlines that made money so far is the cargo. And why? Because of AI.”at 43:20
MacroVoices: MacroVoices #554 Dr. Anas Alhajji + Louis-Vincent Gave: Developing Crises in Middle-East and France ·
Shawn O'Malley · The Investor's Podcast Network
Airlines are revolutionary but have created little shareholder value; engine and parts makers earn the profits.
Shawn compares airlines like United and Delta, which have long histories and are essential to society, with aerospace suppliers such as GE, TransDigm and HEICO, which earn highly profitable returns. Airlines have created little shareholder value over their histories. The profits go to the parts providers and engine builders that supply inputs to flying. Shawn suggests the same value-chain logic may be a useful parallel for AI, where the companies enabling the technology may capture more value than its users.
“you know, the airlines taking folks from point A to point B who actually make the most money. In this case, you know, it's the parts providers, the builder of engines,”at 9:21
We Study Billionaires: TIP854: GE Aerospace: Chris Hohn’s Biggest Bet w/ Daniel Mahncke & Shawn O'Malley ·
Daniel Mahncke · The Investor's Podcast Network
Rising global air travel is a massive long-term tailwind, as people spend more on trips than luxury goods.
He likes the long-term tailwind of more people traveling by air and expects it to be a massive driver over the next twenty to thirty years. He ties this to a shift in consumer spending, with many people spending more time and money on visiting places such as Hawaii and other parts of the world rather than chasing luxury goods. He had made the same argument in the Transom and LVMH episodes.
“I think that will be a trend that over the next twenty, thirty years' time will be a massive tailwind.”at 1:13:49
We Study Billionaires: TIP854: GE Aerospace: Chris Hohn’s Biggest Bet w/ Daniel Mahncke & Shawn O'Malley ·
Scott Kirby · United Airlines
Six to 10 US airlines will lose money this year, though airfares remain below 2019 levels in real terms.
Kirby says six to 10 US airlines will lose money this year. Airlines are coming off the COVID low, and airfares are up sharply this year. Even so, after inflation, fares are still down compared with 2019. That means higher fares have not yet restored the sector's profitability. The clip is a short teaser, so the full argument is not shown.
“Six to 10 US airlines are gonna lose money this year, and you're coming off of the COVID low. So while airfares are up a lot this year, they're still down in real terms compared to 2019.”at 1:27
Squawk Pod (CNBC Squawk Box): Musk Floats Mega-Merger, United CEO on Airfares & Fuel 10/21/26 ·
Scott Kirby · United Airlines
Airspace capacity, not airports, is the main constraint on air travel and causes delays and cancellations.
Kirby says airports are being upgraded across the country, citing United's new Houston terminal built in 33 months and Dulles going quickly. He argues that the bigger issue is airspace, which limits the number of flights. Using airspace efficiently and continuously when safe would do far more to cut delays and cancellations than new terminals. He says the FAA and the administration are on the right path.
“The bigger issue for us is really getting the airspace. The constraint on air travel today is the airspace.”at 58:09
Squawk Pod (CNBC Squawk Box): Musk Floats Mega-Merger, United CEO on Airfares & Fuel 10/21/26 ·
Tim Seymour · Seymour Asset Management
Airline gross margins are the best ever, and conservative fuel assumptions make airlines worth buying.
United's assumption of $4.80 a gallon jet fuel for next year is almost a dollar above current prices, which he reads as a conservative and prudent management stance, something airlines have not always shown. He argues airline gross margins have never been better, and capacity is under control even though it is being cut for geopolitical reasons. He expects oil-price-driven costs to become tailwinds at some point. Airline stocks are well off their highs, with United falling from about $138 to about $95, so he thinks investors should be nibbling at airlines here.
“I would just get back to gross margins for all the airlines. They've never been better.”at 18:25
CNBC Fast Money: Netflix & SpaceX Report Results… And Next Move For Neoclouds 10/20/26 ·
Michael O'Leary · Ryanair
European airfares will rise 10-20% next year, the biggest jump in history, as jet fuel costs bite.
O'Leary predicts European airfares will rise by 10, 15 or maybe 20% next year. He says it will be the biggest increase in airfares in European history over the next twelve months. The reasoning given is that airlines have little protection from higher jet fuel costs. US fares are already surging, with the Hopper data showing Thanksgiving round trips 31% higher and Christmas 23% higher, which suggests the trend is underway.
“You're going to see airfares rise next year in Europe, I think, by 10, 15, maybe 20%.”at 32:06
CNBC Power Lunch: Cracks in the AI Trade, Tech Earnings Preview, Surging Airfares 10/20/26 ·
Chris Sununu · Airlines for America
US airfares are rising 20-30% into the holidays as jet fuel costs surge and airlines pass them on.
Sununu says jet fuel is up about 250%, more than doubling, and fuel is most of the cost of flying a plane. Airlines are absorbing most of that cost and will lose $12 billion this year. Some of it has to be passed to customers, which is why fares rise 20-30% into the holidays. He argues Europe is far more sensitive to oil and Hormuz disruptions, so its fares are up 30-40% already and may rise another 15% next year. He thinks the US is less susceptible because it refines much of its own oil, and the US likely won't see that second jump.
“So jet fuel is far more than doubled. The vast majority of the cost of... putting a plane in the air is jet fuel. Now the airlines themselves are eating most of that cost.”at 33:09
CNBC Power Lunch: Cracks in the AI Trade, Tech Earnings Preview, Surging Airfares 10/20/26 ·
Chris Sununu · Airlines for America
US airfares stayed flat since 2019 because credit card points programs keep flights cheap for middle-income travelers.
Sununu argues that airfares have been flat from 2019 into early 2026, before the Iran crisis, and did not even keep pace with inflation. He attributes this to credit card points programs, which he says let lower and middle-income Americans fly far more often, so demand for cheap seats stays high. He presents this as a reason to think airfares are not rising the way the market or critics assume.
“Prices didn't budge at all. They did not even move with inflation. They stayed absolutely flat because so many folks are taking advantage of the credit card program.”at 37:21
CNBC Power Lunch: Cracks in the AI Trade, Tech Earnings Preview, Surging Airfares 10/20/26 ·
David Kang
US airlines hedge less after 2014-2015 losses and are structurally more exposed to fuel spikes than large international carriers.
Kang says US carriers hedge less than they used to after getting hurt in 2014-2015, and some dropped out because their balance sheets are too small to carry a sizeable hedge book. Smaller airlines simply pass fuel costs on through surcharges, leaving them structurally more exposed to fuel spikes than the large international carriers that have the balance sheet to hedge.
“some of The US carriers actually dropped out, right, because they don't have a hedge book big enough or rather they don't have a balance sheet big enough to maybe take on these risks of hedging.”at 11:06
David Kang
Airline fuel hedging works best when oil is low, as surcharges then pass through costs while hedges gain.
Kang argues hedging is mainly useful when oil is low, because fuel surcharges cannot be charged then and the weak economy depresses ticket prices. A hedge protects against a low level and pays off as prices rise, locking in cost while the surcharge is also passed to customers. Done well, an airline can effectively earn on both, but only while the economy is improving and travellers ignore surcharges. He stresses that an airline must stay situationally aware.
“hedging has its uses because it can protect you from a low level as it moves up, so you're making money and you've locked in your cost... because oil is going up... you can charge the surcharge as well.”at 27:00
David Kang
Large international airlines can earn roughly twice as much by hedging fuel while charging surcharges in a strong, high-demand economy.
Kang says international carriers with large balance sheets and revenue books can charge a fuel surcharge while also hedging fuel consumption. Passing costs to customers is possible when the economy is strong and demand is high, so travellers do not mind surcharges. He estimates the fuel surcharge is currently around 25% of the ticket charge, and says airlines can make roughly twice as much money in that environment.
“everybody wants to travel, people are paying up, they don't really care right now how much a surcharge is, you can make twice as much money while you can.”at 27:53
David Kang
Airlines wary of fuel hedging after big past losses are mainly passing higher fuel costs to customers through ticket prices.
Airlines today are wary of consumption fuel hedging because of large past losses (Delta over $1B, an Asian carrier near $2B in 2020), and with geopolitics making oil unpredictable they are mainly passing higher fuel costs through to customers via ticket prices rather than hedging. He doesn't know what they should do, but says pricing is the weapon of choice.
“I think they're very wary of the consumption hedging, and they're mainly passing it through to the customer right now because they don't know what to do.”at 53:18
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Chorus reports what speakers said. It isn't investment advice.