Airline recovery in 2022 – new video uploaded to AP Video Hub

In the video, he explains how airlines have recovered in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and where they stand today. All videos in the Campus Insights series are free for download and use by all AP members and can be found at apvideohub.ap.org or by doing a general search on the Associated Press site. AP members may use the video or to pull quotes for print article or for broadcast or podcast.

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Gao says that compared to the past two years, airlines are scheduling more flights and offering more seats going into the spring and summer. He points out that airlines were recovering well following the initial wave of COVID-19, but this momentum was stalled thanks to the rise of variants such as Delta and Omicron. Assuming no further contagious variants of the virus emerge, he expects the airline industry to bounce back this year to prepandemic levels. Gao says the situation is different when comparing leisure and business air travel. Leisure travel has recovered well and is expected to continue to have a strong year. Business travel has not picked up as much yet, in part due to the replacement of many in-person meetings with technologies such as Zoom. Travel restrictions due to the coronavirus and the ongoing conflict in Europe have complicated airline operations as well.