The airline industry’s recovery is being tested this holiday season as passengers return in near pre-pandemic numbers.
The resurgence in air travel is being fuelled by pent-up demand and the availability of vaccines, along with an apparent lull in virus cases since summer’s big wave.
The Transportation Security Administration says that passenger checkpoints are nearly as busy now as they were in 2019, before the pandemic.
Airlines have been ramping up capacity to meet this demand, but the industry is hampered by a lagging workforce recovery. They’re struggling to hire more staff, especially air crews. That’s raised concerns that major airlines could be in for a rough December.
