COVID-19 variant disrupts holiday travel but not shopping

By BRYAN GALLION and PAUL WISEMAN

NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The latest COVID-19 variant is upending vacation plans for tens of thousands of travelers — but it didn’t bash overmuch harm to vacation shopping.

Airlines canceled hundreds much flights Sunday, citing staffing problems tied to COVID-19, arsenic the nation’s question woes extended beyond Christmas, with nary wide denotation erstwhile mean schedules would resume.

But shoppers shrugged disconnected the omicron variant, and vacation income roseate astatine the fastest gait successful 17 years, according to 1 spending measure.

Omicron is apt to dilatory the economy’s unexpectedly beardown rebound from past year’s coronavirus recession by disrupting question and discouraging immoderate consumers from venturing out. The variant could besides adhd much vigor to already simmering ostentation by forcing shutdowns astatine factories and ports, delaying shipments and driving up prices.

“A afloat reopening of the U.S. system volition beryllium delayed yet again,’ said Robin Brooks, main economist astatine the Institute of International Finance, a commercialized radical of fiscal firms.

But it’s not yet wide however heavy the wounded volition spell oregon however agelong it volition last.

For now, the variant is playing havoc with travel. More than 700 flights entering, leaving oregon flying wrong the U.S. were called off, according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. That fig was down from astir 1,000 connected Saturday. More than 50 flights were already canceled for Monday.

Delta, United, JetBlue and American person blamed omicron for staffing shortages that forced cancellations.

“This was unexpected,” United spokesperson Maddie King said of the variant’s effect connected staffing.

Globally, airlines scrapped astir 2,200 flights arsenic of Sunday morning, down from much than 2,800 cancellations the time before, FlightAware’s information showed. The tract does not accidental wherefore flights were canceled.

JetBlue scrapped 10% of its flights Sunday. Delta canceled 5% and United canceled 4%, according to FlightAware. The 3 airlines canceled much than 10% of their scheduled flights connected Saturday.

Mason Herlocker waited Sunday astatine Newark Liberty International Airport successful New Jersey to prime up his girlfriend, who was coming successful from Paris. Her formation was delayed for 4 hours.

It took her 5 hours to get a COVID-19 trial the time earlier to participate the U.S. She’s visiting for 3 weeks, and Herlocker said helium fears that she volition get stuck present if she doesn’t person a antagonistic trial effect earlier trying to instrumentality location to France.

Worried astir his parents getting sick, Herlocker precocious got a booster changeable and encouraged others to get theirs, too. He said helium doesn’t judge an extremity to the pandemic is successful sight.

“I’m of the sentiment that this is the caller normal,” Herlocker said. “I don’t foresee (the virus) going distant immoderate clip soon.”

Aneesh Abhyankar flew successful from Atlanta connected Sunday and was waiting for a formation to India.

Neither of his flights was delayed oregon canceled, but helium said quality of the omicron variant encouraged him to propulsion up his travels to guarantee helium could get to his destination. He said look masks and vaccines are apt to go ingrained successful mundane beingness for the foreseeable future.

“I don’t deliberation we person overmuch to interest astir if we instrumentality each the precautions, and I deliberation we volition beryllium entering a concern wherever we conscionable unrecorded with” the virus, helium said.

Despite omicron, American consumers appeared undaunted. Mastercard SpendingPulse, which tracks each kinds of payments, including currency and debit cards, reported Sunday that vacation income had risen 8.5% from a twelvemonth earlier, the biggest yearly summation successful 17 years. Mastercard SpendingPulse had expected an 8.8% increase.

The results, which covered Nov. 1 done Dec. 24, were fueled by purchases of covering and jewelry. Holiday income were up 10.7% compared with the pre-pandemic 2019 vacation period.

After omicron hit, immoderate consumers shifted their spending to e-commerce, but income stayed strong.

“I consciousness truly bully astir however the play played out,’ said Steve Sadove, elder advisor to Mastercard and erstwhile CEO of Saks Inc. “When radical consciousness a small spot uncomfortable, you’ll spot a small spot of a pickup successful online and a small spot of a slowdown successful store performance.’

Sadove said consumers are “learning to live” with what COVID-19 throws astatine them.

“You’re coming retired of 2021 with rather a spot of user momentum,’ helium said.

Also Sunday, the nation’s apical infectious illness doc acknowledged that helium was frustrated with the constricted proviso of COVID-19 tests.

Demand for tests has risen amid the omicron surge. “We’ve evidently got to bash better,” Dr. Anthony Fauci said an interrogation that aired Sunday connected ABC’s “This Week.”

“I deliberation things volition amended greatly arsenic we get into January, but that doesn’t assistance america contiguous and tomorrow,” Fauci said.

Fauci said helium was pleased with grounds that omicron causes little terrible unwellness for astir people. But helium warned against complacency due to the fact that the accelerated dispersed of the illness could “override a existent diminution successful severity,” due to the fact that truthful galore much radical could get infected.

There are inactive galore questions astir however atrocious the omicron surge volition beryllium successful the U.S., Johns Hopkins infectious illness specializer Dr. Amesh Adalja said Sunday.

“There are aggregate signals showing decreased severity. But the occupation is, we person galore high-risk individuals that are not vaccinated successful immoderate parts of the country. And determination are hospitals successful those regions that already are dealing with a batch of delta patients,” Adalja said.

Meanwhile successful Europe, France recorded much than 100,000 microorganism infections successful a azygous time for the archetypal clip successful the pandemic. COVID-19 hospitalizations person doubled implicit the past period arsenic omicron complicates the French government’s efforts to stave disconnected a caller lockdown. The country’s wide decease toll stands astatine much than 122,000.

President Emmanuel Macron’s authorities planned exigency meetings for Monday to sermon the adjacent steps. Some scientists and educators person urged delaying the post-holiday instrumentality to schoolhouse oregon suggested re-imposing a curfew.

___

Wiseman reported from Washington. Associated Press Writer Mead Gruver successful Fort Collins, Colorado, contributed to this story.