Hopes Dashed for a Quick U.S. Airline Recovery Amid Coronavirus Spikes
Photo Credit: Several U.S. airlines report the recovery has slowed. Pictured is the United Airlines terminal lobby in Boston. United Airlines
Skift Take
The messaging about the U.S. airline recovery includes some, shall we say, irrational exuberance. Sure, some people will always want or need to fly. But many more want to manage their risk, and that's hard to do when the United States can't control a raging pandemic.
America is built on optimism, but it is not immune to the laws of science.
It's a lesson some U.S. airlines have learned the past two weeks, as Covid-19 cases continue to increase in many regions. As cases go up, some state and city governments have instituted new quarantines that limit what travelers can do for two weeks after they fly.
Perhaps not surprisingly, some Americans are deciding they no longer need to take that summer vacation, while businesses are rethinking plans to resume travel.
Just this week, several U.S. carriers, including United Airlines and Delta Air Lines, warned that they may pause adding new flights, as they see how the situation unfolds. In a letter Thursday to employees, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the airline had "renewed caution" about growing its schedule later this summer. Meanwhile, United signaled August probably would be its high-water mark for flight resumptions.
It probably should not come as a surprise. Starting in May, U.S. airlines spent
