In this Deep Dive, InteliDay unpacks one of the most paradoxical realities in the modern U.S. economy: the airline industry is reporting historic revenues — yet delivering some of its weakest profit margins in years.

Across 33 minutes of high-clarity, research-driven analysis, Ethan Cole and Maya Thompson break down the structural forces reshaping the sector, including:

• The “profitless boom” — why 2024’s record $247B in revenue masks a 35% collapse in profits.

• The Triple Constraint Wall: • A historic, structural pilot shortage • Severe aircraft OEM delivery delays • Worsening MRO maintenance backlogs

• Why labor has replaced fuel as the dominant — and inflexible — cost driver.

• The collapse of corporate travel and the rise of the premium leisure traveler.

• How legacy carriers like Delta and United are winning with diversified high-margin revenue, while low-cost carriers are losing their structural advantage.

• The long-term existential challenge: scaling Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) — a “necessary impossible” requiring billions in new infrastructure.

• The 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act and its new era of costly consumer-protection mandates.

• Our 2024–2029 forecast: Why revenue will grow, but capacity won’t.

The final verdict: The next decade of U.S. aviation will be defined by two battles — the immediate war for pilots, planes, and maintenance, and the long-term industrial transformation required to decarbonize aviation fuel. Whichever challenge the sector solves first may determine the price, reliability, and availability of air travel for years to come.

If you want to understand the real forces shaping the future of flying — this is the episode.