Domestic travel in the United States is showing nearly a full recovery, according to new data from American Express.
In a report on CNBC.com, American Express CEO Steve Squeri said that May bookings were at 95 per cent of the same period in 2019, a clear sign that the U.S.’s vaccination programmes and the lifting of restrictions were boosting traveller confidence.
“We also believe that by the end of the year in the U.S., we will have a full consumer recovery from a travel perspective, and overall, by the end of the year I think globally we’ll probably be about 80 percent of what we were in 2019,” he told host Jim Cramer.
More People Flying
The number of U.S. passengers taking to the air in one day topped over 2 million for the first time since the pandemic began. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 2.03 million passengers on Friday, 12 June.
This is still just 74 per cent of the same period in 2019.
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lifted face covering requirements for vaccinated people in all transportation hubs, including airports, train and bus stations; this week, New York State and California lifted the last of its COVID restrictions.
More Dining
American Express also found that dining out is on the rebound, with dining expenses for May reaching around 85 per cent of May 2019 levels.
The number of Americans who have died from COVID-19 has now moved past 600,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, 15 months since the onset of the pandemic.
