Airlines are like pumps. Money pumps. I have used this analogy to explain how airlines can go from billions in profits to the brink of disaster in seemingly no time at all. I cannot take credit for it but I don't remember where or who to attribute it to. But it is so relevant right now. I'm flashing back to 9/11 - I remember it so well. I was flying for a start-up airline based in Dallas, Texas. That airline went out of business and many others struggled to keep going; my college friend was killed - he was the first officer on the aircraft that flew into the Pentagon; I switched careers from being a pilot to being a part of this magazine because I could not find work flying. I have thought a lot about that time and how it feels so strikingly similar. You probably have similar tales of woe from that time period. Maybe you have had a flashback or two as well. However, this is different and potentially even worse.
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