With airlines facing a $250-billion loss in revenue for 2020 at a minimum, the additional $35 billion they might have to pay in the form of refunds over the next few months makes for a staggering amount. The dire situation has led pundits to ponder whether the industry might be willing to climb into bed with the government in a quasi-nationalization plan that would bail them out. The rules of the airline bailout game changed mid-match. Congress had promised $58 billion to the airlines in the form of a bailout in line with the CARES Act . Of that, $50 billion was to be directed to passenger airlines, with $25 billion in grants and $25 billion in loans to be paid back. At the 11th hour, however, that $25 billion in grants was reduced to $17.5 billion , with the remainder another low-interest rate loan. In other words, the […]