As Americans think about booking a vacation, RT’s Boom Bust asks if airlines are ready for a travel surge after a slow year

With Covid-19 cases falling, the vaccine rollout continuing apace, and restrictions gradually being lifted, millions of Americans are looking forward to traveling again.

According to the US Travel Association, 72% of Americans are planning a summer trip this year, compared to 37% last year. However, despite the increase in demand, the airline industry is still expected to lose $48 billion in 2021. RT’s Boom Bust talked to travel writer Gary Leff to find out if the travel industry is seeing any new shoots of recovery.

“The airline industry is basically ready, because the frontline employees that fly planes and work in the cabins were not laid off,” the founder of View from the Wing, a project of Miles and Points Consulting, said.

He added that, although those employees might not have been working, massive government subsidies helped those who didn’t opt for early retirement to remain on the payroll.

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