Travel volume down on Thanksgiving, similar volumes expected for the future

(Source: http://bit.ly/1RrwVVl License: http://bit.ly/1S0IVkT)

INDIANAPOLIS (Network Indiana/NNW) — Not as many people traveled for Thanksgiving, and it will be the same for Christmas. However, air travel is starting to slowly make a return.

“But I caution everybody, slowly is operative word,” said Mario Rodriguez, the Indianapolis Airport Authority executive director. He told Inside Indiana Business that a true recovery won’t begin until at least 2022.

Rodriguez predicts by the end of this year, the Indianapolis International Airport will be at 40-45% of the number of flyers it had in 2019.

“The airlines have cut back routes and cut back capacity,” he said. “And there’s more capacity in the system than there are passengers. So the airlines are really trying to cut the pricing down. Once that airline leaves, and a person is not in that seat, that airline has lost the ability to make money off that seat. So, they want to make as much as they possibly can.”

That means some good deals on tickets if you are planning to fly soon. Rodriguez assures you airports and airlines are continuing to do everything to make things clean and safe for you to fly.

AAA estimated that roughly 50 million people were still expected to hit the road for Thanksgiving last week, despite recommendations from the CDC not to.