During the course of a year that saw heavy flight delays and cancellations, crowded airports and rising ticket prices and baggage fees, airlines in North America still managed to deliver stand-out passenger experiences. The JD power 2026 North America airline satisfaction study shows the overall satisfaction rate up 8 points (on a 1,000-point scale) year over year, with improvement occurring across all segments. However, as airfares have begun to skyrocket in 2026, airlines may soon find it difficult to offset high costs with great service, and customers can expect to see a lot of new fees this summer for fuel surcharges and checked bags. So, will travellers balk at higher prices or if they do travel, will they be starting their vacation in a lousy mood?

In this episode of In This Economy?!, host Mike Eppel talks to Michael Taylor, senior managing director of travel, hospitality, retail and customer service at JD power, to discuss their recent findings, and what it could mean going forward.

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As Canada gears up for soccer's most exciting time, we can't help but notice the dark cloud that looms over the World Cup.

The current geopolitical reality on the global scale - whether it's the Iran-US/Israel war, the violent fallout after the death of Mexican drug lord El Mencho, immigration crackdowns throughout the US - has stirred real safety concerns for the more than 100 games across the three countries.

Guest host Devang Desai speaks to Aaron Ettinger, political science professor at Carlton University to discuss the intersection of sports and politics, how US President Trump uses international sporting events to his own advantage, and the role of FIFA.

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In early April, the luxury cruise liner MV Hondius set sail from Argentina across the Atlantic ocean, but things did not go as planned. Since then, three people have died and three others had to be evacuated for emergency medical treatment-- including the ship's doctor-- as they deal with an outbreak of Hantavirus. Now, passengers are still quarantined on the ship, as the World Health Organization tries to contain the disease.

In this episode of the Big Story Podcast, host Caryn Ceolin speaks with Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious diseases expert out of the Toronto General Hospital, about hantavirus: what we know, what we don't know, and if this could be the start of the next pandemic.

Then, Caryn speaks with Dr. Muhammad Morshed from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control about what might've happened on the ship that started the outbreak, and what we know about the world's first documented outbreak of this unnerving disease on a cruise ship.

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A lot of the housing conversation goes towards first-time home buyers...but what about second-time? Or those looking to downsize? A clogged-up housing market is a problem that affects Canadians in all life stages.

Host Caryn Ceolin speaks to Dr. Mike Moffat, Founding Director of the Missing Middle Initiative at the University of Ottawa. They discuss how what's impacting Canadians from moving through the housing market, how government initiatives can help residents find a place to meet their needs, and whether the market will recover soon.

We love feedback at The Big Story, as well as suggestions for future episodes. You can find us:

Through email at hello@thebigstorypodcast.ca

Or @thebigstory.bsky.social on Bluesky