Brian Sumers

Airlines are reverting to old strategies, like so-called tag flights, to try to maintain service in an era of depressed demand. It is not a panacea, but it might help them conserve cash for a bit longer.

Amtrak wanted to break even this year on an operating basis. That was a nice goal, but it was all academic. Amtrak is the U.S. national railway, and the government will do what it must to keep it running.

A $2 billion loss is a big number. But at least some people were traveling in the first part of the first quarter. What's going to happen in the second quarter?

Ultra-low-cost carriers have gotten a raw deal from the U.S. governments bailout. There's no good reason these airlines should be forced to fly so many flights when demand is near zero.

American Airlines' reputation took a beating the last three years. The airline is now doing its best to take care of customers. Will they remember when demand improves?

If the goal is efficient transportation in Europe, politicians may consider only bailing out the five biggest EU airline groups. But many other airlines are expected to receive significant government funds, partly for reasons of national pride.

As an airline that is 80 percent owned by the Latvian government, perhaps Air Baltic wasn't the most nimble carrier. But that government support will be vital over the next 18 months.

Crisis or not, the U.S. government made it clear that airlines owe refunds to a lot of customers. Airlines don't want to see cash go out the door, so look for more carriers to take creative approaches to try to buy passengers off and keep them from asking for their money back.

United Airlines is in great peril, losing $100 million in revenue per day. But its CEO-in-waiting is already thinking about how the airline can emerge stronger from this crisis. Let's see if he can pull it off.

The surprise here is not how many international flights American Airlines is cutting this summer. It is how many the airline intends to operate. American is only cutting 60 percent of its international flights this summer, compared to 2019. That seems optimistic.