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1. It would have to be much higher than 80%. Airlines aren't software companies; their margins are horrible ;-) 2. "whatever it costs to actually operate the f

1. It would have to be much higher than 80%. Airlines aren't software companies; their margins are horrible ;-) 2. "whatever it costs to actually operate the flight" is... well, good luck negotiating that bill :) NB: they are not flying empty because no one wants a seat! They would be able to sell some seats! Even at previously-prevailing market rates! And of course could fill the plane if they sold the seats at any price! They are flying empty because they can't sell enough seats at a high enough price to justify the fixed cost of the number of cabin staff required if there are customers on the flight. It's about cabin staff regs, not about literally no one wanting to fly. So... that 20% does matter.

version_five 5y ago
Thank you, this is an interesting insight that I hadn't considered. So planes are flying without cabin staff or catering, and potentially with less fuel (no idea if the weight of passengers is material here). And in return, they are maintaining a complex system that has no central authority and is not easy to change. It doesn't sound ideal, but I also know that it's not something the single "they should just" solutions that outsiders propose will actually work in. Hopefully things get closer to normal soon and we won't have to worry about it.