Six years ago when the world shut down at the onset of the pandemic, airlines had to figure out how to accommodate travelers on a massive scale. They eased fare restrictions and issued travel waivers. But now in the two weeks since the Iran war broke out, carriers are struggling to cope with a sudden surge of canceled flights, refunds requests, and rebookings.
Thousands of travelers stranded across the Middle East and Asia are navigating a complex maze of airline fee waivers and customer service policies. Skift spoke with several travelers who expressed frustrations with airlines’ customer service during a crisis.
Hitit + SKIFT
Hitit Oxygen offers a look at how offer-and-order models are being tested in practice, as airlines pursue scalable paths to evolve without disrupting day-to-day operations.
EDITOR’S PICK
Six Years After Covid, the Travel Industry Faces Another Stress Test
by Meghna Maharishi, Adriana Lee, Deepthi Nair, Dennis Schaal, and Peden Doma Bhutia
March 13, 2026
Even after the Covid shutdown forced airlines to rethink disruption management, the Middle East conflict shows the industry still struggles with the basics.
Indian Airlines Report $576 Million Losses, Despite Growth In Demand
by Bulbul Dhawan
March 10, 2026
India’s domestic aviation market is the third largest in the world, but its airlines continue to post massive losses. Multiple Indian airlines have shut business over the past few decades due to financial hits, despite booming demand.
SKIFT PODCAST NETWORK
On this week’s Airline Weekly Lounge, Jay Shabat is joined by Meghna Maharishi and Skift's Head of Research Seth Borko for an episode that hits two pressure points at once: a sudden jet fuel spike and the growing airport disruptions from the current U.S. government shutdown.
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Market Performance
How are airlines performing around the world? The Skift Travel 200 pulls the data you need to know to understand the market. Paid subscribers get full access here.
