I said this on another thread, but economically speaking, the airlines could afford to lose a couple planes a week (and all the ancillary costs associated with such a loss, like passenger death settlements), and still be MILES ahead financially where there are with the total ban in place. So, I agree. I'm not entirely convinced the airlines have safety first in their minds.
“a couple of planes a week” ? Each airline? Or for all the airlines there. If the payout is six figures per person in a plane crash, and a couple of million for the plane, you’re not going to make that up in a couple of days.
As someone who has been in the airline industry with a major airline for 25 years, I find that to be a wild-assed statement.