The Biggest Challenge to Airlines’ Recovery in 2021
Photo Credit: Airlines are eager for travelers to return in 2021. Denver International Airport / Denver International Airport
Skift Take
Airlines face a myriad of challenges in 2021. But above them all is the question: when will travelers return in significant numbers? Once flyers do, the industry can exit crisis mode and look forward again.
It goes without saying that the airlines collectively are eager for travelers to return in significant numbers. Only then can they begin to build back their decimated flight schedules, return furloughed staff to work and bring their balance sheets back into the black. Not too much to ask for, right?
But when flyers will return in a notable numbers, ratcheting up the stalled travel recovery, is one of the top questions in airline C-suites. One thing everyone agrees on: travelers are eager to return. You only have to look as far as China, where domestic demand is already at 2019 levels, to see that air travel can recover quickly once Covid-19 is under control.
“It's the demand recovery that gets us back flying our entire fleet, getting the revenue back,” American Airlines Chief Financial Officer Derek Kerr said in October. Words that remain true today.
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