The world after covid could shake up business flights

The aviation crisis triggered by 9/11 eventually made budget carriers the undisputed leaders in leisure flights. Covid-19 could give them the keys to business travel.

Three major U.S. carriers, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines, recently warned that sales are deteriorating as the winter season approaches. But demand for cheap holiday flights could bounce back once a vaccine is distributed, as it did when lockdowns were eased this summer.

Business travel is another story. Airline executives believe that increased use of videoconferencing could take a permanent 15% bite out of the market. The battle for this shrinking pie could reshape the most profitable part of their industry.