Chicago bookmaker Carla Benton was preparing to travel to Europe for Christmas when the Omicron variant of the coronavirus became known in late November.
She quickly canceled her plans as travel restrictions and test rules changed constantly, initially choosing to stay in the US and visit her sister in Houston, Texas. She eventually decided to cancel all her travel plans and stay at her home in Chicago for the holidays.
“Initially I hoped to be able to adapt part of my trip to the circumstances,” Benton said. “While I am fully vaccinated and following the protection measures here in Chicago, I was concerned about the possibility of an unexpected positive test and quarantine abroad.”
The Transportation Safety Board (TSA) has been monitoring more than 2 million people in the last 4 days, although the number remains about 15% lower than pre-pandemic levels. The TSE says it expects to test 30 million people by Monday through Jan. 3 as COVID-19 cases rise and Omicron spreads.
Airlines have reported some increase in cancellations in recent weeks. However, millions of Americans are expected to travel by road and air to celebrate Christmas with relatives and friends.
Delta Air Lines announced last week that Omicron was slowing down international bookings as many countries imposed new travel restrictions. However, the company’s CEO Ed Bastian told CNBC that “Omicron is not going to affect our holiday bookings.”
United Airlines has the busiest flight schedule since the beginning of the pandemic this month, with more than 4,000 flights a day on average during the holidays at the end of the year. The company announced that it had added more than 200 domestic flights to meet the demand for travel during the holiday season. Similarly, Southwest Airlines announced yesterday that the company finds encouraging trends in demand over the holidays.
In the US, COVID cases rose 9% last week but have risen 57% since early December, according to a Reuters count.
The rise in COVID-19 cases in the US raises some concerns about the future of travel. Fears about Omicron and new travel restrictions have led to increased booking cancellations around the world, according to online accommodation search company Trivago.
As cases continue to rise, investors led to a drop in shares of airlines and travel groups yesterday. United Airlines shares fell 3.3%, while Royal Caribbean Group fell 3.4% after 48 people on the Symphony of the Seas cruise ship tested positive for COVID-19.
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