COVID IS TRULY OVER: Air Traffic Exceeds 2019 Levels.
The seemingly endless COVID pandemic may have finally ended.
According to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), holiday air travel has fully recovered.
Reuters reported that holiday air travel traffic over the Memorial Day weekend actually exceeded levels seen in 2019.
Almost 9.8 million passengers went through security or were screened by the TSA from Friday-Monday. That exceeded the 2019 Memorial Day period by about 300,000, according to Reuters.
On Friday alone, the TSA screened 2.74 million passengers, the highest single day since before COVID in November 2019.
And: Half-Empty a Year Ago, Cruises Are Now Packed Like Sardines.
Anyone expecting a repeat of the ample elbow room on many cruises last summer should prepare. The crowds are back at sea.
Cruise lines are seeing occupancy levels above 100% on many ships, largely due to the discounts and promotions many cruise lines offered in late fall and winter. Passengers are encountering long lines for activities on board, sold-out excursions and stressed-out crew members, a year after all but having ships to themselves. In extreme cases, cruise lines are canceling some people’s trips after overselling.
Royal Caribbean Group reported that the occupancy rate across its cruise lines averaged 102.1% during the first quarter of 2023, up from 57.4% in early 2022. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings says the occupancy rate averaged 101.5% during the first quarter and projects it to average 103.5% for the full year.
Cruise occupancy rates can rise above 100% because they are based on the expectation that two people will stay in each cabin, and this was a common occurrence before the pandemic. When three or four passengers stay in one cabin, occupancy rates can exceed 100%.
The average starting cost of a five-night cruise on a major cruise line for an inside cabin is $743 in June, according to data from cruise website Cruise Critic. That’s up from $551 during the same month last year. The price of a cruise vacation varies based on destination, duration, cabin type and cruise line, among other factors.
Bookings have been strongest for “sun and fun destinations” like the Caribbean, says David Crooks, senior vice president of product and operations for World Travel Holdings, a Massachusetts-based travel agency that operates cruise-booking sites including CruisesOnly and Cruises.com. Many of these cruises are sold out for this summer and are seeing strong demand well into 2024, he says. There is more flexibility for cruises in Europe and Alaska.
Exit quote from the first article: “Fauci must be furious.”