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Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

businessinsider.com

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Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#161

Post by jaynetics »

capkutay wrote: post #114

Does anyone have any reliable information on the risks of flying right now? I took a couple flights this week, seemed to be status quo. People of all ages flying with no one practicing any special hygiene measures.

Are you referring to the risk of getting infected on board? I've read about a German case where a passenger was found to be infected. They tried to trace everyone who sat within 2 rows of him. Not sure if this is a very thorough approach and really represents the "danger zone". Might even depend on the plane model and quality of air conditioning.

Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#162

Post by refurb »

erik_seaberg wrote: post #147
viburnum wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Airlines (and other businesses with very high fixed costs) can be profitable if there’s enough consolidation in the industry. Otherwise they get into price war death spirals with no way out.

https://philip.greenspun.com/flying/unions-and-airlines is why airlines go bankrupt so often.

The answer is to look at who controls the pilot's union: very senior pilots. The airline management is mostly interested in what percentage of its revenues are paid out to pilots; the distribution of the money among the pilots does not affect profitability. The very senior pilots on the other side of the table say "We need the most senior pilots to get $300,000 in pay and benefits." The airline's response is "The only way that could work is if we pay the new pilots $16,000 per year." The group of senior pilots responds "We can live with that."

Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#163

Post by NikolaeVarius »

Reedx wrote: post #138
emiliobumachar wrote: post #108

Ironic. I had heard tales of the old Soviet Union about trains running empty to fill distance quotas. It was presented as the ultimate proof of how messed up their system was.

This appears to be happening in China with electricity quotas. Running AC and machines in empty factories to make quota. "Local companies and officials are fraudulently boosting electricity consumption and other metrics in order to meet tough new back-to-work targets" https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Caixin/Lights-go-on-but-no... "Video evidence. In #Wenzhou, factory manager told they must consume 3000 kWh electrici…

I wonder what this will do to the method of estimating Chinas economy via Electricity/Coal usage. What is next on the line that isn't being actively tampered with.

Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#164

Post by NikolaeVarius »

stevenwoo wrote: post #149
allovernow wrote: post #119

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In authoritarian states you frequently get situations where you're punished for not meeting certain bureaucratic metrics. For example, in China word is factory output is used as a proxy for productivity, so they're allegedly running factories without producing anything just to raise the power bill to appear productive. Face is ingrained in Chinese culture partly because in an authoritarian state where your behavior m…

The American model for government funding is also a bit messed up ( at least what I remember from high school civics in the 1980s) where each department must spend what they are allocated or the department is guaranteed to get less money in the next fiscal year budget. I could be wrong but this creates a disincentive for saving money as most states and the federal government work on the same model.

As much as I've seen people complain about use-it-or-lose-it I've never actually seen an alternative that seems to work better for the amount of effort put into it

Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#165

Post by EamonnMR »

capkutay wrote: post #114

Does anyone have any reliable information on the risks of flying right now? I took a couple flights this week, seemed to be status quo. People of all ages flying with no one practicing any special hygiene measures.

The risk is that you'll be the one who infects a new community.

Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#166

Post by fma »

partiallypro wrote: post #152

The oddity I've personally had, is I had been planning a summer trip to Germany for the Euro 2020 tournament (assuming they don't get cancelled.) However, I hadn't bought plane tickets yet. Due to the virus, I figured I might get cheaper rates. The opposite has been true. The round trip went from ~$1200 up to ~$1800 in just a month or two. I'm still tracking flights, but so far I haven't seen a good dip in pricing. I…

Coworker of mine is in a similar situation. He said tickets were 2x before. I joked he's making up for the other person who cancelled.

Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#167

Post by EarthIsHome »

refurb wrote: post #127
EarthIsHome wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Another reason why work shouldn't be a precondition for being alive. I think that would be a sensible change.

Yet it's work that funds the taxes that would pay for basic income. Unless people are willing to take a massive decrease in quality of life to fund such a system, it will never happen.

Your statement isn't true in the US. The wealthiest in this country don't really do any work.

In fact, the wealthier you are, the less you actually have to work.

The people who are working for a wage are the ones who are working to live, and the wealthiest don't have to do that. Often, people who work the hardest make the least.

I reject your premise that that people will have a reduced quality of life. These taxes will go to public services and increase the quality of life for the masses instead of for the few.

Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#168

Post by Skunkleton »

Bombthecat wrote: post #144
Skunkleton wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is similar, but different. We have an system that works in the normal case, that is struggling with an exceptional case. Could it be improved? Sure. Is it a sign that western civilization is doomed? No.

Yeah, that will never happen. Because we are immortal! All the civilizations before us weren't that smart and rich!

Of course we will evolve into something else. Flying some empty planes isn’t going to be why.

Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#169

Post by llukas »

dukoid wrote: post #148
emiliobumachar wrote: post #108

Ironic. I had heard tales of the old Soviet Union about trains running empty to fill distance quotas. It was presented as the ultimate proof of how messed up their system was.

I heard they were running heavily loaded (= not empty) trains back and forth without any purpose other than meeting ton-km quotas, but I wasn't able to find a source... Edit: Found an article mentioning this practice: https://mont.thesentinel.com/2019/10/03/one-imperfect-day-in...

I read that some types of track require stressing every so often otherwise it loses its properties (in context of Polish railway laying new track then not running heavy trains on it and in consequence track had to be replaced again).

Re: Airlines flying empty planes to keep flight slots during coronavirus outbreak

#170

Post by seppin »

allovernow wrote: post #121
zukzuk wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

zerohedge.com is leaking again

Zerhoedge has also been a month ahead of the media with respect to coronavirus reports. The fact that ZH speculates about conspiracies does not mean that everything on their site is BS.

> The fact that ZH speculates about conspiracies does not mean that everything on their site is BS.

It's exactly that reason why they are a useless source for information.

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