Airlines cash in as flexible work changes travel patterns

Markets are convulsing, and inflation is squeezing consumers. But people are still flying. A lot.

Travel didn’t slow much after summer ended, and airline executives now say they expect changing and recovering travel patterns to keep them busy through the holidays and into next year.

“Many of the demand trends we saw emerge during the pandemic are becoming more consistent and shaping our commercial focus for 2023 and beyond,” American Airlines CEO Robert Isom told reporters and analysts on a call Thursday to discuss the carrier’s quarterly financial results.

The airline is feeling “very bullish about overall demand, even in an uncertain economic environment,” he added. Executives at United Airlines and Delta Air Lines share that optimism.