JulesWinfield

Yes, because investing your cash in stock buybacks seems to be fiscally responsible.

rickair7777

Could yes. The good news is that the politicians know that while there might be electoral blow-back down the road, the wolf closest to the door is the immediate threat to the global economy and infrastructure. And that wolf is actually quite a bit larger than some voters holding a grudge about lost luggage or legroom.

Profane Kahuna

I’m not talking about voters holding a grudge against politicians or any political party.

I’m talking about the American people turning against the “bailed out” airline industry in the future. Whether that’s letting us get screwed by flags of convenience schemes, or wanting to control airline stock in exchange for the bailout I don’t know. But the backlash against the banking and auto bailouts the last time around should instruct us to steer clear of accepting bailouts.

Slaphappy

Let's hope the relief goes only to the necessary airlines.

Chimpy

whom might that be?

GogglesPisano

We're still waiting to hear how Angela Merkel being childless has anything to do with anything.

Qotsaautopilot

he’s throwing bait. Don’t take it

Profane Kahuna

why not let the open market decide?

Simpsons

https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/17/coro...nions-say.html

Whoops

FNGFO

So here we are more than a decade later. Do you run into people holding active grudges against the Auto industry and to a lesser extent the banks for the Great Recession?

Most of the angst with the auto industry was manufactured by the media and grandstanding politicians fanning the flames of class warfare with the auto execs flying their private jets to DC. That plays well with Joe and Susie Walmart, but we all know they’re legitimate business tools. Granted, the optics are bad, but the logistics are justifiable.

I guess my greater point is that it’s easy to be self absorbed with the industry we’re familiar with, but the public at large has a 3 minute attention span, and won’t give a rip about this 18-24 months from now. Particularly given that so many aren't equipped to weather this themselves.

Having said that our execs need to message this right and our crews need to put their best foot forward when the music start again. And, like the auto industry, we need to emerge as leaner organizations, better run, more solvent and presenting better products than what the airlines had become before this sorry episode.