Articles tagged “omicron variant”

United Airlines had expected to fly more this year than it did in 2019, but the spread of the Omicron variant caused a huge slump in first-quarter demand, a hole United doesn't expect to climb out of no matter how strong the rest of the year is.

Travel agents should've been expecting a development would arise making the sale of cruises difficult since the cruise industry has been so volatile since the start of the pandemic. It's clear to many agents now to find ways to be less dependent on booking cruises.

In Skift's top stories this week, Marriott indicates W Hotels will get a makeover, Google Maps was the most downloaded travel app in 2021, and Omicron batters European hotels.

Delta took an Omicron-sized hit in December that has continued into the new year. But the airline remains bullish on the recovery, which CEO Ed Bastian says can move forward apace now that Covid-19 is likely moving toward being an endemic, like the flu.

U.S. and Chinese hotel performance surged in recent weeks while European properties saw a dive in demand. American and Chinese hoteliers shouldn’t waste time taking a victory lap.

Although tour operators are wise to try to limit the risks their guests might face during trips longer than two weeks, they need to find ways to resume these profitable trips immediately because their businesses can't take the further financial hits.

These travel managers have no regrets in keeping things hush-hush among employees, because why risk everything when all it takes is another variant to emerge? Backtracking after a two-year hiatus is, understandably, not something they're prepared to do.

The rapid, explosive surge of Omicron cases around the world is weighing heavy on Asia-Pacific countries that were only just beginning to reopen their international borders. The latest variant once again puts those border reopening on ice — not ideal when the Winter Olympics is only weeks away.

It's been a challenging start of the year for U.S. airlines. Lost in the coverage of travelers stranded at airports was that 91 percent of U.S. flights during the holidays flew as scheduled. Still, it was a mess.

In a period of Omicron, these occupancy rates are short of a Christmas miracle, but the industry should still take them as a win given the disruptions the variant wrought.