sinkrate3278

I'm always hearing about how the airline industry (including the career paths of airline pilots) have changed since 9/11 but no exact details on WHAT or HOW things changed. If its that less people are flying, isn't that no longer the case since we are talking about exponential increases in air travel over the next 10 years?

So, at the risk of sounding naive, could someone shed some light on what exactly changed?

I was only a kid when 9/11 happened so I really haven't followed the changes as they happened.

Bellanca

The basics: Right after 9/11 the government shut down air travel, all flights were cancelled, and airlines lost money. Upon the reopening of air travel, there was a big drop in air travel ~30%, and the economy slumped after 9/11 when there was a mini-recession. Also, new security measures costed the airlines money. Since the TSA started there have been estimates that airline travel has dropped by around 10%. People try to find other modes of transportation to avoid long airport security waits.

Meanwhile, the price of oil went from $23/barrel to over $90/barrel right now. (It maxed out at ~$145/barrel in '08 and has been up and down since). That was probably the biggest hit the aviation industry took. Oil in the 90's had dipped as low as $10/barrel, so the airlines were already feeling some pain from oil prices when 9/11 hit, and it just got worse the more the oil prices went up. Then, the recession hit in 2008.

It seems that since 9/11 it has been one thing after another that has hit the airline industry hard. Some are a result of 9/11, some are not, and combined they have changed the state of the industry quite a bit.

SkyHigh

Don't forget that 9-11 caused airlines to go into bankruptcy that they used as a tool to slash airline pilot wages and benefits. A year before the attack I recall it was possible to hit 400K as a legacy wide body captain with a top of the line retirement at 60 years of age.

Not the same now.

Skyhigh

JamesNoBrakes

We always hear that "911" did it, but what was happening at the same time? Ticket transparancy, the death of travel agencies. At right about the same time, we could easily see all the ticket prices right away and choose the lowest one, regardless of the airline. 911 was a bump in the road, one that hurt an industry that can't afford to own their own planes, but what really made the difference was the internet IMO. That's when it was "up and comming"...