Opinion: Airlines took billions in taxpayer subsidies. Now, they can't fly on time.
With two-thirds of the country fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and the federal mask mandate lifted, Americans are flying again. However, airline mismanagement has left many travelers’ flights delayed and even canceled – and the situation is likely to get worse this summer.
During Memorial Day weekend, U.S. airlines canceled more than 2,800 flights, according to tracking service FlightAware. That's likely a preview of the frustration and disappointment Americans will experience this summer as their vacation plans and family reunions are interrupted by flight delays and cancelations.
Taxpayers kept airlines afloat
The flight scheduling issues are particularly hard to swallow given that U.S. airlines received a multibillion-dollar federal bailout to allow them to prepare for this very moment. The government rightfully pulled every possible lever to support the American airline industry in preparing for passengers to return to the skies.
Congress provided more than $50 billion in subsidies to U.S. airlines during the pandemic to prevent the industry from buckling under the weight of a drastic, sustained reduction in air travel unlike anything seen before.
In recognition of the importance of safe and efficient air transportation to the nation, the federal aid was intended to enable airlines to survive the economic downturn, retain their workforce and be ready for the economic recovery we are experiencing today.
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As a result of this federal aid package, along with the sacrifice of thousands of front-line aviation workers who answered their company’s call to retire early, some U.S. airlines began this year with less net debt than before the pandemic.
Many airlines are also flying at higher domestic capacity levels in 2022 than in 2019. That’s right: Because of the billions in taxpayer subsidies, there are U.S. airlines that are in a better financial position now than before COVID-19.
Despite this historic federal support, some U.S. airlines failed to properly prepare for recovery. In fact, they bet against a strong American recovery, ushering thousands of pilots out of the industry and ineffectively managing training resources for their current employees.
Flight delays and cancelations surge
This mismanagement is now affecting reliability, with a nearly 65% rise in canceled or delayed flights.
Airline executives are now attempting to distract the public by blaming their failures on others. The truth is they have no one to blame but themselves. While a few have admitted that their failure to plan has resulted in employee training backlogs and operational meltdowns, others are trying to use this crisis of their own making to weaken safety regulations that ensure pilots are properly qualified and trained.
In receiving a taxpayer bailout, U.S. airline executives promised to keep passengers flying. Now that the money is in the bank, they are leaving passengers stranded at the gate.
Unless airlines get back on course, flight delays and cancellations will become more severe this summer. This country’s highly trained and experienced airline pilots are more than ready to fly. The question is: How much will U.S. airlines’ failure to plan for recovery continue to cost their passengers?
Capt. Joseph G. DePete is president of the Air Line Pilots Association, International, which represents more than 64,000 pilots who fly for 38 airlines in the United States and Canada.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Opinion: Airline flight delays this summer are result of bad management
