ZeroHedge on Southwest Airlines "sickout"

Southwest airlines canceled nearly 2,000 flights between Saturday and Sunday - blaming the FAA and the weather for problems that didn't seem to affect other airlines. According to FlightAware, Southwest canceled over 1,000 of the flights on Sunday.

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There was speculation on social media that the flight cancelations were being triggered by employees calling in sick en masse. In its statement Saturday, Southwest did not make reference to the speculation.

~ "Sickout? Southwest Airlines Cancels 1,000 More Flights As Disruptions Increase," ZeroHedge, October 11, 2021

WSJ: airline subsidies in the $900 billion Covid-19 relief bill

Tens of thousands of airline employees would get their jobs back, at least for a few months, under the new bill, which includes $15 billion to cover airline salaries and benefits through the end of March. The bill also includes $1 billion for airline contractor payrolls. 

Airlines received $25 billion under the Cares Act in the spring to cover workers’ pay and benefits, and in exchange agreed not to lay off or furlough employees until Oct. 1. As that date neared without much improvement in their outlook, carriers and labor unions warned that job cuts would be coming and pleaded for another round of aid. When it didn’t arrive in time, they furloughed tens of thousands of workers, including 19,000 at American Airlines Group Inc. and over 13,000 at United Airlines Holdings Inc. The bill also includes $2 billion for airports and airport-based businesses.

~ The Wall Street Journal, "What’s in the $900 Billion Covid-19 Relief Bill," December 27, 2020

The New York Times on the uneven recovery in retail, air travel and restaurants

There is little evidence in government data that the spread of the Delta variant has suppressed spending in retail stores.  But air travel, as measured by the number of people screened at airport security checkpoints, has tailed off in recent days after returning to about 80% of where it was during the same week in 2019.

Restaurant bookings on OpenTable, which had nearly returned to normal in June and July, are back down to 10% below their prepandemic level.  Data from Homebase, which provides time-management software to small businesses, shows a sharp decline in the number of hours worked at restaurants and entertainment venues.

~ Matt Phillips, "Biden's Challenge: A Wobbly Economy," The New York Times, September 1, 2021

Donald Trump on travel industry bailouts

We will be helping the airline industry. We will be helping the cruise ship industry. We probably will be helping the hotel industry.

~ President Donald Trump, White House press conference, "Trump says he would support government stake in certain companies," Reuters, March 19, 2020