There is no denying that 2020's COVID had an impact on the air travel industry. Amid various lockdowns and business closures, many people cancelled their flights and largely stopped traveling altogether for a time period.

This hurt airline companies and the people working for them. However, airlines in the United States also received more than $54 billion in collective bailout money from the federal government.

The obvious purpose of these bailouts was to help airlines avoid going under amid COVID-engendered disruptions to the industry. Though ever since COVID, airlines have been running into one major disaster after the next.

In 2023, airlines are now out of excuses for the all-too-often poor customer service that travelers are experiencing.

A series of unfortunate events

Over the course of recent years, airlines have made breaking news for cancelling flights or delaying them for obscene time periods. While a portion of these problems stem from weather concerns outside of airlines' control, many others do not.

In the period since airlines received government bailouts to present day, these companies stand accused of overscheduling flights that they know they don't have the staff for. Then, when airlines cannot meet the demand for these flights, travelers end up with cancellations.

Despite getting the aforementioned bailouts, airlines helped many of their employees retire amid COVID, as a means of cutting labor costs.

However, this came back to bite them. As the increased demand for travel emerged in 2021 and 2022, airlines continuously struggled (and still struggle to this day) to keep up.

Had these airlines not been so hasty to rush their staff into retirement for the quick buck, they would have fewer problems today. Now, these problems are piling up at an unbelievable rate.

Over the Christmas 2022 holiday season, Southwest Airlines made headlines for not just cancelling a high percentage of its flights, but also for leaving travelers and even its own personnel stranded.

Then, just earlier this week on Wednesday, American travelers were stunned when all US domestic flights were temporarily grounded due to technical problems experienced with the Federal Aviation Administration's communications system.

Enough is enough

Because of the colossal complications with airlines, travelers keep running into the following problems

• Major flight delays/cancellations
• Missing connecting flights
• Missing planned engagements, such as weddings, parties, Christmases, etc. with loved ones
• Being stranded in airports, sometimes for up to 24 hours or beyond
• Struggling to get refunds on flights

It is high time for airlines to get their act together. Americans pay good money for flight tickets and shouldn't have to brace themselves each time they head to the airports.

A degree of air travel issues will always be outside of airlines' control. However, the current back-to-back problems are largely fueled by the missteps of airlines since 2020.

It is now time for these companies to course correct....fast.