United Airlines News

The rollout of Covid-19 vaccines has the airline industry looking toward an "inflection point" when the travel recovery takes off later this year. That spike in flyers could mean some sky-high fares but, after more than a year stuck at home, travelers may not care.

United Airlines executives are betting that structural changes on the international front mean it can emerge larger and stronger from the pandemic. But this won't occur until travelers return in significant numbers, something they don't expect for some months.

Flight crews are on the front lines of America's latest culture war: wearing masks. But even as some travelers are increasingly belligerent — even hostile — to these rules, leaders are optimistic that the new Biden administration will set the example from the top and shut down opposition.

A handful of travel leaders were quick to condemn the violence and terror that we all witnessed among Donald Trump's supporters on Wednesday in Washington. The top execs' bottom line: It's not who we are.

Fears that U.S. travelers would go out of their way to avoid the Boeing 737 Max appear unfounded a week after the jet returned to U.S. skies. American Airlines is ramping up service, and other carriers are due to follow over the next two months.

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.

Airlines promised that more payroll assistance would allow them to avoid dramatic staffing reductions. That relief is now here to the tune of $15 billion but it looks like the furloughs, while temporarily rolled back, are still coming.

Ordinarily, an airline might refuse to transport a passenger with Covid-19. But airlines know they need to repatriate crew members who develop Covid-19 abroad. If they do not, crew members might refuse to fly the trips, and airlines would lose revenue.

Developing an effective vaccine in such a relatively short time is nothing less than a miracle. Delivering those vaccines to the world is the next enormous challenge. The airlines took on that task earlier this week. So far, they are giving a thumbs up.