Is it Too Early to Celebrate?
TSA screenings have topped one million
On October 18th the TSA reported screening more than 1 million people at the nations airports.
This is the first time the number of screenings has risen this high since March. At first glance, it appears that is good news for the travel industry. It was reported that only 100,000 travelers were screened in March and April, but has been steadily climbing ever since, as described in an Airline Weekly article (US Ariport Screening Top 1 Million: Hiccup or Signs of a Recovery?).
Although this suggests a positive trend, these numbers are still 50% of what they were
last year which is in line with airlines’ reports of 40-50% demand. So, what can we take away from this report? Should we be celebrating or is it too soon?
One of the trends noted in the article is a move away from business travel and a steady increase in leisure travel. For example, some airlines are re-tooling and opening new routes to ski and mountain destinations.
This article is spot on with what we are seeing at ELP in Oct 2020. However, it begs the question… what will happen to business travel post COVID-19? Many businesses, similar to ours, are now realizing that travel for business is necessary, however not as much as in past. This new world has embraced virtual conferences and zoom meetings. Our business travel will be more targeted and with specific intents in the future. Carriers that strictly depend on business travel will need to reinvent themselves to be profitable and grow. Only time will tell…