As we observe the recovery from the global pandemic, some data are worrisome and lead one to ask has the recovery stalled? Air traffic in the US is one of those datasets, and we now appear to be at an inflection point that could determine whether we have reached a temporary new normal or will see another wave of instability as the SARS2-COV19 Delta variant expands its reach in the United States.
The following chart shows traffic levels in 2019, 2020, and 2021 through August 23rd. Several things are notable:
- Traffic has grown monotonically month by month through July but took a setback in August
- That pattern is like a setback in August 2019 from July 2019
- We know airlines have been constrained in growing their frequencies as advanced bookings have fallen in August
- Airlines have also found it difficult to re-grow their schedules as they have lost employees during the pandemic
As we observe the recovery from the global pandemic, some data are worrisome and lead one to ask has the recovery stalled? Air traffic in the US is one of those datasets, and we now appear to be at an inflection point that could determine whether we have reached a temporary new normal, or will see another wave of instability as the SARS2-COV19 Delta variant expands its reach in the United States.
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