Originally Posted by Hedley

UAL alone has dropped around 20 small markets. If the legacy, LCC’s, and freight companies significantly reduce hiring, that would buy time more than anything. Fuel prices went way down during the pandemic also. Prior to the pandemic air travel was predicted to significantly grow. Our ATC system is pretty saturated and the only way to handle that growth is with larger aircraft. Considering that the regionals have all of the 70/76 seat aircraft that they are allowed, coupled with the age, unpopularity, and inefficiency of the 50 seaters, that growth will occur at the legacy level. Unless a viable 50 seat aircraft hits the market quickly, the regional fleets are going to significantly shrink over the next few years. Higher fuel prices will accelerate that. A full blown recession could slow everything down as well.