How Airlines Are Generating Revenue on Flights That Will Never Take Off

U.S. leisure travelers often buy airfare months ahead of departure, betting they can score a deal with shrewd advance planning. But in these atypical times, that may not be the best strategy — provided they want to fly what they bought. That's because many airlines have not yet decided what they're going to fly more than a month or two in advance. With Covid-19 significantly depressing demand for air travel — yes, even despite slight recent improvement — airlines are desperate to have the right number of seats for passengers who show up, and they're waiting until much later than usual to make cancelations. Typically, a major airline might lock schedules 120 days in advance, but many now push significant changes 30 to 60 days in advance. Some even make operational cancelations as soon as a few days before departure, wrecking travel plans at the last last minute. Airlines are waiting longer than usual to set schedules for several reasons. Perhaps most importantly, while ai