56 Empty Flights from Southwest This Past Monday Alone

The travel sector is experiencing unprecedented ramifications. Flying empty flights to hold landing slots and move planes to key

[{"selector":"#anim-5a66359c-3174-4068-8839-5959a35774c9","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-59624948-6a78-4117-bfd0-c0788720cba2","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-18e672df-df80-4401-88e0-615de743ea49","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-8815297a-8701-4ad0-8411-0d230e201e3e","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-91d78ffe-46b3-456f-a6d0-1a274d412549","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] White Frame Corner

places was inevitable. I doubt anyone could have imagined 56 empty planes in one day.

[{"selector":"#anim-0e7ca092-0bc9-49bd-87d7-cf2b1b69db4d","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-44667d28-611e-4ebf-b6c1-a14a9fc8f69f","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-c3e67743-3e34-45cf-beb7-e819ce7aa8d9","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-7b3fc958-729f-45a5-80db-53d197864810","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-0a356394-57ef-43da-8865-b55b8caead8d","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] White Frame Corner

Slashing capacity seems insufficient; numerous carriers are flying more empty flights than expected. Why are they still around?

[{"selector":"#anim-997de4cd-a9dc-4388-855a-6e2d71a59f9c","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-dc3255b9-19e1-41df-a8e4-f3bb12df1677","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-6746b827-4c17-4e92-b892-b59aae1335f4","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cc083471-6b98-4249-b8cd-f0c603605c91","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1075f700-1083-477b-96a9-c9dacb71b4eb","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] White Frame Corner

Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven gave three reasons. First, air travel is considered "essential" by the government, which may

[{"selector":"#anim-cea70d7e-d2d8-420f-ac0f-6b2e7e3e4083","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-bda455a5-e454-4117-8f1a-e21e9a24d5c2","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ca9cfd7a-64c8-4575-919e-dc7fb6a099c8","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-a0543171-850d-4b87-8adc-d1a00563b2ab","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-1d081a04-41f5-4c98-b1bd-795515d4a048","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] White Frame Corner

come with perks. Second, government aid implies service continuity. If they stopped flying, even empty planes, they would

[{"selector":"#anim-0ad430e7-19c3-4a83-9ccb-30c60c6ef51b","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-ec6fe6a0-0155-4dd4-a428-2aa99c322b4f","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3e04e0bd-05a2-486f-86d1-e8893291c579","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b949dfa1-2aee-4fda-8608-423bf71ab9b8","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-66c8ad8a-5ca2-42e2-ab20-bebc02da98e2","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] White Frame Corner

lose government funding that will presumably be forthcoming. The last point he stated was the immense logistical and financial

[{"selector":"#anim-adf92f92-043b-42ce-94fe-9bc2fc7327dc","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-43bed24d-7d83-41a4-a348-db7b03711476","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-030b5434-cae8-4941-8bce-40d0d15508d1","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-41dcf04e-a1f9-445e-8c2f-9520b502e317","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-061f2253-cd6d-4b2a-940d-ce83ea815d09","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] White Frame Corner

obstacles of restarting an airline once it stops all operations, which hasn't happened often.

[{"selector":"#anim-5bbe08c1-1667-453c-b90a-ae29d50987f8","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-4b2e6c4b-3287-413a-a8ad-90c9ef0882be","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-05e38155-ad89-42d9-9c5f-97ded67e313f","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-edb901d2-4644-4731-a9d7-9b66d60b4057","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-f6ca3590-f0dd-4b64-964c-e8c3736b6878","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] White Frame Corner

As travel demand drops and more localities implement shelter-in-

[{"selector":"#anim-05473930-cc89-4960-b63d-5b27a7ab750a","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3dfa2493-27e7-4db7-81d4-01146c0f2c2e","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-228c0de4-14a3-4530-aaaf-a424fe41d393","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-e7fc60b8-c5e1-40e7-972c-752d74885c91","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-13994bf0-8c2c-4371-a3bf-029854629788","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] White Frame Corner

place orders, the travel industry will take more extreme methods to survive until travel can resume.

[{"selector":"#anim-7456b41a-e5bb-46a2-9308-7b2cbedc1c5e","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-cb5859a1-a302-4088-9df9-009e821d9dfd","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-d5bd891f-4fa5-4633-a2c2-9dd5ec90f4e7","keyframes":{"opacity":[1,1]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-922fac23-f47d-4107-9343-b335862a8849","keyframes":{"transform":["scale(3)","scale(1)"]},"delay":0,"duration":4000,"easing":"cubic-bezier(.3,0,.55,1)","fill":"forwards"}] [{"selector":"#anim-3439d487-291f-4bb8-a146-6a333b503842","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":350,"duration":1500,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.4, 0.4, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] White Frame Corner

check our new stories

[{"selector":"#anim-abbb6afa-c970-496f-9465-a5d50879b809","keyframes":{"opacity":[0,1]},"delay":0,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] [{"selector":"#anim-b1a4ef3c-7dad-48b0-955d-38fe3d68fb90","keyframes":{"transform":["translate3d(0px, 98.44684%, 0)","translate3d(0px, 0px, 0)"]},"delay":0,"duration":1600,"easing":"cubic-bezier(0.2, 0.6, 0.0, 1)","fill":"both"}] Learn more