US: Airlines experiment with new routes in ‘game of musical chairs’ to stem billions in pandemic losses

Airlines spent the first few weeks of the coronavirus pandemic slashing routes and parking hundreds of planes to cut costs as passenger numbers fell to the lowest levels since the 1950s. US airlines are now launching new routes, hoping they can turn a recent rebound in air travel into desperately needed revenue after losses topped $20b this year. Some airlines are moving into some of what are normally a few of the country’s most congested airports, hoping to make inroads as air traffic is relatively low. “It’s a game of musical chairs,” said Robert Mann, an airline industry analyst and former airline executive. JetBlue last month announced two dozen new routes, including several from United’s hub at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey to the Caribbean. Southwest last week unveiled plans to fly into Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport where United dominates as well as Chicago O’Hare International Airport, a United and American Airlines stronghold. Meanwhile, United launched a host of new routes to Florida for the holiday season and is aiming to return to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport early next year after a more than five-year absence. United this weekend plans to extend those nonstop flights to Florida into Q1 2021 for later winter and early spring travel. “It has been all about cash burn over the last six months,” Ankit Gupta, United VP of domestic network planning. “Going forward, hopefully we will be able to change those metrics now that we are trying to get out of survival mode and rebuild the airline again.” Story has more detail.<br/>