I really hate that this argument keeps popping up. There's plenty of reasons to hate bailouts or airlines or anything else, but who the hell could have predicted the world was going to shut down like this in 2015-2019? We were in one of the biggest bull markets in the history of the United States, business was good, and the companies used some of that money to buy back stock. People make it sound like they were buying back their stock as they were cutting flights and laying off employees. No business is going to hoard 50 billion dollars in an emergency fund for a pandemic that cuts 90% of revenue, that's just absurd.
The reality of the situation is that these airlines employ a lot of people and enable even more commerce and economic activity through their operation. You can disagree with a bailout all you want, but if they go under, the economy most likely suffers by a lot more than $50B.
The reality of the situation is that these airlines employ a lot of people and enable even more commerce and economic activity through their operation. You can disagree with a bailout all you want, but if they go under, the economy most likely suffers by a lot more than $50B.