Adjunct Faculty
B. Ben Baldanza has a 35-year career in the US Airline industry. For eleven years, he was the CEO of Spirit Airlines, helping to transform that airline into the first "ultra low cost" carrier in North America, bringing fares down to as low as $9, while earning record industry profit margins. He has an economics degree from Syracuse University and a Masters of Public Affairs, specializing in Transport Economics from Princeton University. He now serves on the Board of Directors for JetBlue Airways, GoAir in India, and Six Flags Entertainment. His class, Airline Economics, is designed to explain how airlines work in economic terms, and why many concepts that seem odd to consumers actually make sound economic sense.
Ben is also the co-host of the popular weekly podcast Airlines Confidential.
Baldanza, B. Ben, "Measuring Airline Profitability," Handbook of Airline Finance, Gail Butler and Martin Keller, editors, McGraw-Hill, 1999, pgs 147-160
Baldanza, B. Ben, with Lipkus, Lance, "Fundamentals of Airport Operations Staffing and Quality Assurance Measurement," Handbook of Airline Operations, Gail Butler and Martin Keller, editors, McGraw-Hill, 2000, pgs 387-402
Baldanza, B. Ben, "The Evolution of Customer Segmentation," Handbook of Airline Strategy, Gail Butler and Martin Keller, editors, McGraw-Hill, 2001, pgs 361-372
Airline Economics (ECON 471 and cross listed as a section of ECON 695)
BA, Economics, Syracuse University, 1984
MPA, Transport Economics, Princeton University, 1986
B. Ben Baldanza has been a regular contributor to business news shows including CNBC, Fox News, Fox Business News, Bloomberg TV, The Today Show, and NPR. His business activities have also been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and numerous airline industry publications. Twice he has been named as one of the 25 Most Influential Business Travel leaders by Business Travel News. He is an ongoing contributor to Forbes.com and co-hosts the popular weekly podcast Airlines Confidential.