Airline Forward Bookings Trend Up With Vaccinated Seniors Eager to Fly
Photo Credit: Delta and Spirit are among airlines reporting an uptick in bookings this spring. Flickr / Tony Webster
Skift Take
Flowers are not the only thing sprouting as the weather warms up. Airline bookings are also showing some green shoots but most hesitate to call it a recovery yet with eyes focused on sustained improvements this summer.
Things are starting to look up, if just a bit, for airlines as the industry heads into the normally busy Easter and spring break travel period.
A broad spectrum of carriers, from British Airways and Lufthansa in Europe to Delta Air Lines and Spirit Airlines in the U.S., have reported an uptick in bookings in recent weeks. In each case, the pick up has correlated directly with either lessened government travel restrictions or declining Covid-19 case numbers.
The pent-up demand is real, very real — apparently especially true among a sector of the population that received its vaccines first, seniors.
“I'm very optimistic,” said Lufthansa Group CEO Carsten Spohr on the outlook during a fourth-quarter earnings call on Thursday. The largest airline group in Europe has received positive overtures from the German government on swapping its mandatory quarantines for testing, and seen a similar moves to ease of restrictions in popular leisure
