Domestic Airlines Prepare to Shut Flights Nationwide

[SBoy]

Source: DJ Marketwatch

Major U.S. airlines are drafting plans for a potential voluntary shutdown of virtually all passenger flights across the U.S., according to industry and federal officials, as government agencies also consider ordering such a move and the nation’s air-traffic control system continues to be ravaged by the coronavirus contagion.
No final decisions have been made by the carriers or the White House, these officials said. As airlines struggle to keep aircraft flying with minimal passengers, various options are under consideration, these people said.
But amid the quickly spreading pandemic and mandatory stay-at-home orders covering some 80 million U.S. residents, airline executives, pilot-union leaders and federal transportation officials said they increasingly view as inevitable further sharp reductions from already-decimated schedules in passenger flights.
U.S. airlines have already eliminated the vast majority of international flying and have announced plans to cut back domestic flying by as much as 40%. Travelers are staying home at even greater rates. The Transportation Security Administration reported that passenger flow at its checkpoints was down more than 80% Sunday from the same day a year earlier.

Read more: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-airlines-prepare-plans-to-virtually-shut-down-domestic-service-amid-outbreak-2020-03-23

[dweller]

1. time to ground, clip?

fatnixon's wings

✌🏼

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. AF1 is military, wouldn't be affected.

Fat Nixon will still be able to fly to Mierda Loco on our dime, except that it's being fumigated right now.

[turbinetree]

4. Can I use your fatnixon....................I like that.............fits him to a tee.............

[dweller]

6. sure

and speelchuck approves 🤣

✌🏼

[turbinetree]

8. Another good one ..............can I use also...............

[dweller]

10. hold my beer

🥂

✌🏼

[turbinetree]

11. Thanks......................

[turbinetree]

3. My brother-n-law just flew back to Florida.................with 10 people on board A320............

not counting the two pilots and the three flight attendants.................

trump you own this recession or depression, you were warned...................and you did nothing .................and you are still doing nothing....................

[totodeinhere]

9. At least with so few people they are able to maintain a safe distance form each other. n/t

[Indykatie]

5. Why Haven't Airlines Already Reduced Domestic Flights Dramatically if Traffic is Down 80%?

Bail out money will not replace passengers.

[BigmanPigman]

16. Bingo!

[MineralMan]

23. They have. Check flight schedules.

[mn9driver]

7. Picked my stepdaughter up from MSP today.

Her study abroad program terminated and all the kids had to evacuate. She spent 36 hours on three different airlines to get back, and she was one of the lucky ones.

The parking ramp is totally empty. So is the terminal. The only people I saw on the arrival level except for a couple stray individuals, were the very few passengers from her flight. There are dozens of empty jets parked all over the airport because all of the gates are occupied by empty jets that are also parked. Ghost town.

The airlines will have no choice but to shut down, very soon.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

12. Are you still flying?

[mn9driver]

13. Well, yes and no.

I have 4 trips scheduled this month and three have Nooped so far, with no replacement flying assigned. I’ve got one left at the end of the week, but right now the system has no FO, no FAs, no airplanes and no passengers showing, so I’m not holding my breath.

I bid reserve for April, so maybe I’ll get called for something then...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. Just... wow. 9/11 was bad but this is horrendous.

and good luck to you and everybody else.

[mn9driver]

15. Yah it's bad. Thanks for the good wishes!

[mn9driver]

17. Forgot to add:

The reliable rumor is that we have 5 pilots down with the virus right now, at least a couple of them having a rough time. No word about Flight Attendants, but their numbers have almost certainly got to be higher.

Might be time to retire.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

19. It might be time, indeed. I'm glad I did when I did.

I still remember how freaked out we were after 9/11 but I can't imagine how bad this situation must be. I'm not surprised that there are sick pilots and FAs, hope they'll be OK.

[sfstaxprep]

18. Don't Worry....It's Only For A Few Days

Everything is getting back to normal next week. Idiot says so.

[montana_hazeleyes]

20. Welcome to DU sfstaxprep.

[wnylib]

21. I've been thinking lately how

quiet the skies have been, like after 9/11. I'm in a small city, with a small regional airport. Not much commercial traffic there, mostly private planes. Not even hearing the local private ones. Used to be flights overhead from larger airports nearby, but I am not even seeing those anymore.

Strangely, not even medical helicopter flights for quite a while. Our hospital lifts patients to larger cities for care it can't provide. But for some reason, even they have been pretty silent. Maybe just fewer urgent cases, or other hospitals are busy with covid cases. Don't know.

[Bengus81]

22. That will look really strange on my Flight radar24 tracker

[Marrah_Goodman]

24. I believe delta is flying with about 20 % capacity

and that is after stopping 40% of the flights. A shut down cannot be far off.

[captain jack]

25. Domestic Airlines Prepare to Shut Flights Nationwide Unless Bailed Out Immediately. nt

[SBoy]

28. I've read that the six top domestic airlines as well as Boeing pissed away

Over 75% of free cash flow on stock buybacks, instead of keeping the money stashed in rainy day funds for the unforeseen....like now. Then they cry and beg us to bail them out. I say fuck em.

[sarcasmo]

26. Finally some common sense.

[KYBlue]

27. Good let them go the way of PanAm and TWA

There will be new airlines popping up in a matter of weeks if the airlines start stopping flights. Let them lose customers and never get them back.

[Celerity]

29. they are stopping flights to stop the coronavirus, so no, there will not be new airlines popping up

to take their place.