Skift hires Russell, Muñoz for airlines coverage

Travel industry news site Skift has hired Edward “Ned” Russell from The Points Guy as an airlines reporter.

Russell will write for Skift and the newsletter Airline Weekly. Previously, he wrote for FlightGlobal and FinanceAsia. Russell, who has a wide following among aviation professionals, will be based in Washington, D.C.

Skift also hired freelancer Ruthy Muñoz as a contributor focused on airlines.

Muñoz is a former National Association of Black Journalists Fellow with Reuters, and currently writes for palabra, the in-house publication for the NAHJ. Muñoz is a U.S. Army veteran and a former flight attendant. She will split her time between Houston and Florida.

Separately, Senior Analyst Jay Shabat, a co-founder of Airline Weekly, is leaving Skift to pursue a new undisclosed opportunity. Skift purchased the 16-year-old subscription newsletter in 2018. On Thursday, Skift held its first Skift Aviation Forum as an online event.

In a memo to staff, Skift editor-in-chief Tom Lowry, wrote: “Between Mahdu (Airline Weekly Editor Madhu Unnikrishnan), Brian Sumers, in his role as editor-at-large, and now the additions of Ned and Ruthy, Skift’s aviation talent is an unrivaled team of A-game all-stars that will make our coverage even more essential to an industry facing historic challenges.”

In October, Skift hired Lebawit Lily Girma as a global tourism reporter replacing Rosie Spinks.