With surging COVID-19 cases in the U.S., airlines are feeling the burn, with hundreds of flight cancellations and a recommendation from infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci to implement a vaccine mandate for domestic air travel.
Reuters reported Monday (Dec. 27) that these travel issues saw thousands of people stranded in airport queues and clogging company phone lines to work out fights, even long periods of time after they were booked.
Airlines have seen many staffing issues in the last few weeks, with the omicron variant’s spread keeping those who fell ill in quarantine. The omicron variant has also been reported to be more contagious than those before it.
The average number of new U.S. cases has risen 55% to more than 205,000 per day over the last week, per Reuters.
Fauci said a vaccine mandate for domestic travel could be “reasonable to consider,” but President Joe Biden didn’t say whether he would be endorsing that plan yet. However, Biden said he was amenable to reducing quarantine times, and the Center for Disease Control (CDC) announced Monday that it has shortened quarantine recommendations to a five-day isolation period.
In addition to COVID-19, weather issues further muddied travel plans for many. Reuters noted that snowy weather in the Pacific Northwest contributed to the disruptions, with 90 flight arrivals canceled at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport alone.
Some reports said it was taking “hours” before customer service could be reached by phone because of the sheer numbers of people calling with complaints or questions. Last week, PYMNTS wrote that the omicron variant has further disrupted travel recovery.
Related: Omicron Upends Business Travel Rebound That Barely Found Footing
There were reports of more travel bans and the postponement of the Davos economic forum, which curbed business-related travel in particular. The organization cited omicron’s exceptional transmissibility, saying online meetings could still take place.
In other cases, sporting events were canceled, with some countries considering lockdown measures and others putting lockdowns into place.
The Global Business Travel Association recently issued a guidance saying business travel could recover fully by 2024. While that was a quicker bet than an earlier estimate of 2025, the uncertainty of new variants could further complicate things.
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