New York
US airlines are seeing profits return and betting that the rise of the Delta variant of the coronavirus will not derail a domestic travel comeback even as it clouds the outlook for an international recovery.
Over the last week, three of the four biggest US carriers reported second-quarter profits, and while overall travel still lags pre-pandemic levels, it far outpaces the anemic volumes of a year ago “Simply put, people are ready to travel again,” American Chief Executive Doug Parker and President Robert Isom said in a note to employees.“
The green flag has dropped, and we are well on our way toward recovery,” they said after announcing the company’s first profit since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic The positive earnings reports come amid concerns the United States could be on the cusp of yet another wave of the deadly virus.
US officials are warning of a “pandemic of the unvaccinated” as the Delta variant leads to sharp increases in infections in regions.—AFP
