Flight-time requirements are those set by the governing body that certifies pilots to fly; there are strict requirements put into place to keep pilots up to date and nimble in their profession. If pilots had been locked down for months with the rest of us, they would lose their certifications. During the first six months of the pandemic, airlines were flying planes on limited major routes with skeleton crew (pilot, co-pilot, limited flight attendants) and cargo holds close to empty (occasional freight), in order be up and running when the lock down lifted. Because major routes were limited and many minor routes were canceled, flight crews to spent more time in hotels (layovers) and using rental cars to reach the next departing flight, or return to their domicile. The airline industry was burning through millions of dollars during this time, as pilots, flight attendants, aircraft mechanics, ground crew, airport runway maintenance workers... all had to be paid, in addition to the cost of jet fuel. At this time, the airline industry requested help from the government in the form of a bailout, and received not only one, but two bailouts, which offset the cost of planes flying in the skies mostly empty.