COVID 19: Air cargo suddenly attractive for US airlines

As demand for air travel disappears in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, passenger airlines operating around the world are turning to cargo in order to produce fractional revenue.

In the US, major passenger airlines - after turning their attention away from freight during the past year in order to push up revenues from credit card deals, frequent flyer miles and other general ancillary sales - are opting to operate cargo flights. North America's cargo traffic declined by 3.4% in 2019, and cargo revenues for the largest US airlines fell solidly year-on-year.

Obviously, cargo is not a long term saviour for the airlines, as they continue to navigate fast-moving changes brought on by the COVID-19 outbreak, but operators are turning over every rock in order to recapture even a fraction of their lost revenue.