Airlines attempt to reboot transatlantic routes

Airlines have restored flying capacity between the US and Europe at a rapid rate, setting up a test of passenger demand amid spikes in coronavirus infections on both sides of the Atlantic that threaten to lead to new restrictions on travel. While the number of available seats remains a fraction of pre-pandemic levels and is likely to stay that way for years, transatlantic capacity bottomed out in May, according to data from aviation consultancy Cirium. Airlines added back capacity every month since the nadir, with published schedules for August showing nearly four times the number available in May. The 1.9b “available seat miles” between the US and Europe in May was far less than 18.6b a year earlier, but month-on-month increases have been large from this low base. The metric measures an airline's carrying capacity and is calculated by multiplying the number of plane seats by the distance travelled. Airlines increased capacity by 40% in June and 67% in July, and published schedules for August show another 60% increase. But experts said the August capacity was likely to drop, as airlines cancel flights closer to departure, even before accounting for concerns over an uptick in Covid-19 cases in Europe this week.<br/>