United Execs Predict Airlines Will Only See Half the Demand Until a Vaccine Arrives
Photo Credit: A United Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The company says that the company will only reach half demand until a vaccine comes. Flickr / Bill Abbott
Skift Take
After revealing some rough earnings on Tuesday night, United is trying to weather the storm of the pandemic. But executives said it's going to be hard — really hard until a vaccine is widely available.
United Airlines executives said they expect an uneven recovery for demand as the United States continues to navigate the coronavirus pandemic. But they said they expect about half the demand for air travel will not return without a widely available vaccine.
Those thoughts were expressed on Wednesday in a call with reporters and analysts, a day after the company announced earnings for what it called “the most difficult financial quarter in its 94-year-history.”
“We expect the recovery in demand to be jagged,” United Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella said. “Everyone has a view of what the recovery will look like, but we'll not pretend to be able to predict the path of th
