International flight restrictions, local stay-at-home orders, and a general fear of contracting and spreading COVID-19 through air travel had a sudden and profound effect on the U.S. aviation industry. According to Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics, passenger traffic in April 2020 was 96 percent lower system-wide than April 2019, and remained 60 percent below 2019. This book examines the immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses across the aviation industry; actions those businesses took in response; actions the FAA took to help the industry respond to the pandemic; and the outlook for industry recovery, among other issues.
