Airlines want relief from flying near-empty planes

A lobbying group representing US airlines Wednesday said federally mandated minimum service requirements are “unsustainable” for carriers as the Covid-19 pandemic sends passenger numbers to the lowest levels since the 1950s. One of the requirements to receive portions of $25b in federal payroll grants and loans under the coronavirus rescue package is that airlines have to keep a certain number of flights, which varies by carrier and is based on networks before the disease spread widely. The DoT has issued some waivers but Nicholas Calio, president and CEO Airlines for America, said in prepared testimony ahead of a Senate hearing that “the cost associated with operating nearly empty flights to communities with little to no demand significantly exacerbates air carrier liquidity.” Airlines aren’t currently planning to seek additional federal aid to weather the coronavirus, Calio told lawmakers. Even with the reduced schedule, airlines are averaging about 17 passengers per domestic flight, A4A said. “We would ask both this Committee and the Administration to seek solutions to address the challenges posed by this unsustainable requirement,” Calio said in the prepared testimony ahead of a hearing at the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. US air travel demand dropped 96% in April to the lowest levels since before the jet age, according to A4A.<br/>