After more than two years, measures that have put the industry in check are being revoked
The travel and tourism market is currently experiencing a moment of relief, with sales rebounding, announcements of new routes in key destinations and states willing to remove measures that hindered the normal operation of the sector.
If there is a country that sets a trend, it is the United States and this time it seems to be no exception. Due to the court ruling dated April 18 and effective immediately, TSA will no longer enforce its Security Directives and Emergency Amendment requiring the wearing of masks on public transportation and transportation hubs. TSA will also rescind new security directives that were scheduled to go into effect tomorrow. The CDC continues to recommend that people wear masks in indoor public transportation settings at this time. This can mark a before and after in the management of the pandemic at a global level.
U.S. Travel Association Executive Vice President for Public Affairs and Policy Tori Emerson Barnes issued the following statement regarding the Biden administration's announcement that the federal mask mandate will be waived on public transportation and in Transportation hubs right now:
“The current decision to halt enforcement of the federal mask mandate effectively returns the choice of wearing masks on airplanes and other forms of public transportation to travelers and travel industry workers, a further step toward endemic management of Covid.
"We also continue to urge the administration to immediately end pre-departure testing for vaccinated incoming international passengers, which discourages travel and provides limited public health benefits."
“Travellers and the travel industry need to hear firm plans for navigating the endemic environment in which the public and virtually every other industry now operates, particularly as the CDC no longer recommends masks for the vast majority of the US population. With all the tools now available to mitigate the virus, it's time for the administration to set a clear end date for federal mask-wearing requirements, as well as pre-departure testing for air travelers to the US. USA," said Tori Emerson Barnes.
IATA reports impact of new measures
According to an IATA report, total traffic in February 2022 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs) increased by 115.9% compared to February 2021. That's an improvement over to January 2022, which was up 83.1% compared to January 2021. However, compared to February 2019, traffic was down 45.5%.
International RPKs increased 256.8% compared to February 2021, improving from a 165.5% year-over-year increase in January 2022 compared to the same period a year earlier. All regions improved their performance compared to the previous month. International RPKs for February 2022 were down 59.6% compared to the same month in 2019.
North American carriers experienced a 236.7% traffic increase in February compared to the 2021 period, a significant increase compared to the 149.0% increase in January 2022 compared to January 2021. Capacity increased 91.7% and load factor increased 27.4 percentage points to 63.6%.
“The air travel recovery is gathering steam as governments in many parts of the world lift travel restrictions. States that persist in trying to block the disease, rather than control it, as we do with other diseases, risk missing out on the huge economic and social benefits that a restoration of international connectivity will bring,” said Willie Walsh, Director of IATA.
