US airport passenger numbers dip to lowest level since July 4

[WASHINGTON] The number of passengers screened at US airports dipped to 501,513 on Tuesday, the lowest number since July 4 as Covid-19 cases spike, and Delta Air Lines' chief executive warned that the outlook remained bleak in the months ahead.

Speaking on CNBC, Delta CEO Ed Bastian said travel during the upcoming holiday season will be similar to numbers in recent weeks, when traffic has hovered around one third of normal levels.

"I don't see that changing for the next couple of months," he said.

However, he said there is "enormous pent-up demand" for spring travel, when there is a possibility that tens of millions of Americans will have been vaccinated and "ready to get on with their lives." The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), which releases daily passenger screenings at US airports, said traffic on Tuesday was down about 74 per cent over the same weekday last year when it screened 1.9 million people.

Several airlines in recent days have reported a softening in passenger demand as US health officials advise against holiday travel. On Monday, TSA screened 703,546 people.

REUTERS