Major airlines line up to split $25 billion in federal payroll aid
Indianapolis-based Republic Airways told The Wall Street Journal that it was still in discussions with the Treasury.
Indianapolis-based Republic Airways told The Wall Street Journal that it was still in discussions with the Treasury.
The U.S. Treasury Department and leading airlines continued negotiating Monday over terms of relief payments, with the Treasury sticking to a proposal that could give the government an ownership stake in the nation’s leading carriers.
The number of Americans getting on airplanes has sunk to a level not seen in more than 60 years, as people shelter in their homes to avoid catching or spreading the new coronavirus.
The entire airline industry is in crisis as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying recommendations and mandates for social distancing.
Airlines are seeing bookings plummet and cancellations soar as fear of infection causes many Americans to avoid flying. That’s leading to drastically reduced ticket prices.
United said Sunday night it expects planes to be only 20% to 30% full at best, down from nearly 90% before the virus hit. The airline said the cuts could extend into the peak summer travel season.
The dense crowds Saturday at some of the 13 airports where travelers from Europe are being funneled—among the busiest across the country—formed even as public health officials called for “social distancing” to stem the spread of the pandemic.
President Donald Trump said he is suspending all travel between the United States and Europe beginning Friday as he seeks to combat the viral pandemic. The move was one of several executive actions he announced to the nation Wednesday night.
Delta, the world’s biggest airline, said it will cut international flights by 20% to 25% and reduce U.S. flying by 10% to 15%, roughly matching cuts previously announced by United Airlines.
The airline industry expects the first annual decline in global passenger demand in 17 years, after tallying up the initial impact of the thousands of flights canceled because of the coronavirus outbreak in China.
The airline, which plans to create 55 jobs and establish three nonstop routes from Indianapolis, plans to immediately begin hiring pilots, flight attendants, customer service agents, mechanics and ground personnel to support the new operations.
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines are the first U.S.-based airlines to do so and join several international carriers that have stopped flying to China as the coronavirus outbreak continues to spread.
Las Vegas-based Allegiant will become the “official airline” of the team as part of a multi-year deal.
The FAA asserts that AirXL jets are operating under the wrong section of FAA regulations, but it hasn’t brought an enforcement action.
That timetable—the latest of several delays in the plane’s approval process—will create more headaches for airlines by pushing the Max’s return further into the peak summer travel season or possibly beyond it.
The flights are set to depart Indianapolis twice daily Sunday though Friday and once on Saturdays starting May 7. Tickets will begin going on sale this weekend.
Dave Calhoun, who officially took charge Monday, pushed to release humiliating internal messages last week even though they may darken public perception for years to come.
There are only 34 MAX flight simulators worldwide—Boeing owns eight of them, and more are being made. But U.S. airlines alone have thousands of 737 pilots — Southwest has nearly 10,000, and American and United have more than 4,000 each.
At least some of the messages were written by the same Boeing pilot whose 2016 messages were released in October and were the subject of sharp questioning by lawmakers, according to a person familiar with their contents who wasn’t authorized to discuss them.
By midmorning, nearly 50 flights had been canceled at O’Hare, and more than 70 flights canceled at Midway, split evenly between arrivals and departures, according to the Chicago Department of Aviation.