Originally Posted by
LegalTender
The interlining dividend kicks in during a system meltdown outage with 1800 flights cancelled. Giving away revenue to another airline in times of trouble is still done. An interline agreement doesn’t mean the airlines HAVE to accept passengers in all circumstances. In most cases, it should be found revenue.
Because the 2 or 3 other main airlines that accept interlines have a few hundred-thousand seats available to accommodate everyone?
No. The airline with the issue first takes care of their frequent travelers. Then if they want, if there's room, they can move on to other flyers. Mr. Ultra-Basic-Economy isn't going to be intralined to another airline unless he gets real lucky.
Unfortunately, some people live in a 1990's world where they believe airplanes fly at 50% and airlines will happily move you around to get you wherever you need to go. That world is long-gone.