How the US fell out of love with flying

Cancelled flights, missing bags and disappearing routes are infuriating passengers - and galvanising a push for tighter regulation

The travel misery being heaped upon passengers is leading to more existential questions. Is this period of disruption for America’s air travel industry a short-term consequence of the pandemic or the culmination of long-term under-investment and shortcomings in regulatory scrutiny?

Key takeaways

• The demand side is pretty good, and the supply side is pretty constrained - putting the industry in a pretty good position in terms of ability to generate cash;
• Despite this positive outlook, airlines say their schedules will remain limited because of a shortage of pilots and planes, and an overburdened and underfunded FAA, which operates air traffic control;
• The US has the largest, most complex air system in the world - when something goes wrong, it’s going to have relatively large effects.

Get the full story at The Financial Times