Flagging carriers: war shuffles the Gulf-airline flight deck

About this episode

<p>Cancelled flights, longer routes, higher prices: the war in Iran is taking its toll on the airline industry. The conflict may force <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2026/03/16/war-may-bring-lasting-change-to-the-airline-business?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">lasting change</a> on the big Gulf carriers. We ask why the once-frothy fake-meat industry is <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2026/02/26/the-fake-meat-industry-is-in-trouble?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">losing its bite</a>. And why PDFs, one of technology’s most pervasive file types, may <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2026/02/24/the-war-against-pdfs-is-heating-up?utm_campaign=a.io&utm_medium=audio.podcast.np&utm_source=theintelligence&utm_content=discovery.content.anonymous.tr_shownotes_na-na_article&utm_term=sa.listeners" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">meet their end</a> thanks to AI. </p><br><p>Guests and hosts:</p><ul><li>Simon Wright, industry editor</li><li>Hollie Berman, news editor</li><li>Shera Avi-Yonah, business writer</li><li>Rosie Blau, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li><li>Jason Palmer, co-host of “The Intelligence”</li></ul><p><br></p><p>Topics covered: </p><ul><li>airline industry, Iran war</li><li>meat substitutes, plant-based meats</li><li>PDFs, AI</li></ul><p><br></p><p><em>Get a world of insights by </em><a href="https://subscribenow.economist.com/podcasts-plus" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>subscribing to Economist Podcasts+</em></a><em>. For more information about how to access Economist Podcasts+, please visit our </em><a href="https://myaccount.economist.com/s/article/What-is-Economist-Podcasts" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>FAQs page</em></a><em> or watch </em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gczo71bg1uY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>our video</em></a><em> explaining how to link your account.</em></p><br><p><br></p> <hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> Hosted on Acast. See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.</p>