Originally Posted by
AYLflyer
I think people were getting too ahead of themselves even just a few weeks ago. I've been watching the TSA numbers every few days and while there is clear demand, those saying in other threads that we'd hit close to last years numbers by the end of this year aren't seeing what's going on in the world.
First off, I still don't understand why many are aiming for 2019 numbers. 2019 was an absolute record all time high for air travel. Airlines couldn't get airplanes fast enough to meet demands, and walking through some airports you were stuck shoulder to shoulder with the pax. Those numbers also include a network of international flying, which doesn't exist right now. I don't have international travel numbers off hand, but I bet quite a bit of that 2mil/day average came from people connecting to/from other parts of the world.
Those days are done, and using 2019 as a metric for today's world is setting yourself up for disappointment
It’s the last known good configuration. We were record setting 2020 until Covid. So let’s reset defaults to the last backup.
Second, what goal would you rather airlines set? We all have goals to zero bleed, then gradual pickup to 2019-early 2020 numbers. But if you want less than that, there are dying airlines that may reach your subpar goal.