The Case for Shutting Down U.S. Airlines Now

In California, children cannot go to school, visit the playground, or play with friends. No one can eat in restaurants, or hike on many of the state's most beautiful trails. Most people are being told to stay home. Yet airports continue to operate. Their employees have been been deemed essential, exempted from the state’s stay at home order. This speaks to the power of aviation, and how much governments value it. Airlines fly during wars. They fly just before and after natural disasters. They fly after terrorist attacks. They fly because in an interconnected world, flying means freedom. If America shuts down airlines, citizens may lose the ability to go anywhere within the country, any time. But these are not ordinary circumstances, even by disaster standards. In a world where people are told to keep six feet apart from others, and at least two states are trying to limit the domestic visitors,