One Million Air Travelers Is a Good Sign for the Economy
If passenger flight traffic can avoid backsliding as the virus surges, then a winter recession might be avoidable, too.
More people are deciding it's safe to fly.
Photographer: Eleonore Sens/AFP
The latest spike in coronavirus cases and hospitalizations has people worried about more than just the public health impacts. There's also the threat that renewed constraints on activity could drag the economy backward as we head into colder winter months.
Air travel is one kind of in-person economic activity that's been hard-hit by the pandemic. It suffered another setback during the summer virus wave, so it's noteworthy that in the latest surge, the industry hasn't yet seen a negative impact. In fact, this past Sunday it recorded the first day with 1 million passengers since the onset of the pandemic.