The parking garages are filling up. The terminals are buzzing. Passengers, and their bags stuffed with sunscreen and snacks, are back.
Airlines say the effects of the omicron variant have largely faded, and even with concerns about the BA.2 strain, rising fuel prices and higher labour costs, the industry’s hopes for a strong spring and summer appear to be on track. Two years after the pandemic began, demand is showing up through increased bookings ahead of one of the busiest travel times of the year.
Tampa International Airport chief executive Joe Lopano said it’s starting to feel like before the pandemic – except for the 20-foot pink flamingo that arrived last month to greet visitors.
“Last year was good, but this year is even better,” Lopano said. “When you go out into the terminal, it feels like 2019.”
In March, the Transportation Security Administration reported 19 days in which officers screened more than 2 million people, compared to none in March 2021. April is seeing multiple days when screening counts are topping 2 million – a number that was routinely surpassed in 2019.
“People are beginning to travel again, there’s no denying that,” said Ragina Ali, spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “After being, for the lack of a better word, cooped up, they want to get out.”
In the nation’s capital, officials at Reagan National Airport are urging travellers to make advanced reservations if they want a parking space as garages increasingly reach capacity. Jack Potter, chief executive of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which manages National and Washington Dulles International Airport, said it’s another sign that travellers are coming back.
In a regulatory filing last month, United Airlines reported it was seeing better-than-expected bookings as the number of cases tied to omicron began to fade. The carrier said it expected revenue for the first quarter would be higher than originally forecast. At the time, United also said it…