On: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

[reaperducer]

The airlines that are stockpiling capacity at our expense will come hat in hand for a bailout at our expense.

Yep. The same airlines that today are crying because of their "razor-thin margins" are the same ones that recorded billions of dollars in profit just a few months ago.

[koheripbal → reaperducer]

Airline margins are highly cyclic. Making "billions" in one month, might be countered by huge losses in the next.

Evey yearly numbers don't tell the full story - you have to look at multi-year trends in profitability.

...and, indeed, they aren't great for the industry as a whole. Most nations operate a national carrier at a loss.

[p_l → koheripbal]

One of the biggest signals is always the price of fuel.

You need a ton of signals to actually interpret the condition of an airline.

[refurb → reaperducer]

Just because profits are measured in the billions doesn't mean that they aren't still "razor-thin".