Something unnerving is happening in the airline industry. Just over the past few months, with the tourist industry forecast to grow even greater next year - Spain, and the Balearics set for another record season, although it could be the last as the traditional competing destinations come back online and the islands face losing their so-called "borrowed" tourists - a number of once wellestablished airlines have gone to ground.
Monarch, a British flag carrier, folded, along with Air Berlin, which in Germany carried similar status; a British start-up airline created for skiers never took off the ground despite having taken bookings; and now Niki, a wing of Air Berlin, has also stopped operating.
And as the larger airlines all shuffle to try and pick up the slots and operating bases across Europe, British airlines have been warned that they could lose all flying rights to the European Union if there is no transition agreement after Brexit. In the meantime, Ryanair could be hit by festive strikes, or rather its passengers will, so what is going wrong?
Again, here in Majorca, we’ve seen that the airlines still have little stomach for operating flights this winter, the north of England and Scotland are cut off again, despite demand. So, how can the tourist industry be on course for another record year, particularly in Europe, with the airline industry literally up in the air?