Business

Airlines begin to feel the squeeze of the delta variant

By Zach Halaschak
Published August 11, 2021 7:12pm ET
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Airlines begin to feel the squeeze of the delta variant
A Southwest jet takes off Monday, April 4, 2011 from Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix. The peeling away of a 5-foot-long hole recently on a Southwest Jet as the plane traveled at 35,000 feet raised questions about how vulnerable the worldís passenger air fleet is to similar cracks, and federal aviation officials were considering ordering more widespread inspections. | (Matt York/ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Southwest and Frontier Airlines are starting to brace for the delta variant’s economic impact as infections in the country rise.

Southwest Airlines on Wednesday announced that it estimates its August revenue will be down 15% to 20% after previously estimating it would be down 12% to 17%. It blamed rising cases of COVID-19 for the revised forecast and predicted that the third quarter would also feature its operating revenue down 15% to 20% compared to before the pandemic in 2019.

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Air Travel COVID-19 Southwest Airlines Travel