Despite a $50 billion infusion of cash from American taxpayers, coronavirus will likely completely alter the U.S. airline industry for the foreseeable future.
“The U.S. airline industry will emerge from this crisis a mere shadow of what it was just three short months ago,” according to Senate testimony by Nicholas Calio, head of Airlines for America, an industry trade group.
The average number of passengers on a domestic flight right now is fewer than two dozen —about one passenger per row.
What will the future of air travel look like? When will consumers feel safe enough to get back on a plane? How can consumers get refunds or credits for flights that can’t take or don’t want to take during the pandemic? Will U.S. airlines need another taxpayer bailout in the fall?
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