Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 996,000 while the national vaccination rate is stubbornly stalled below 67%. U.S. airline traffic is falling from the post-pandemic boom of mid-April. Italy has dropped some Covid-era paperwork for visitors. Greece has dropped all Coronavirus-related entry rules. Nationwide average gasoline prices rose 12 cents this week. Things are not going well at all in Shanghai, locked down since March 29. Europe nears 85% of pre-pandemic aircraft volume. Hilton and Marriott say hotel demand, even business travel, is getting back to something like normal. British Airways is cutting flights again. And more.

Coronavirus Update: Friday, May 6, 2022

If you can remember that far back, the J&J vaccine was hailed during the early days of Covid vaccinations. It was a single-shot option and didn't need super-cold storage. But J&J's version had manufacturing problems and efficacy issues and now the FDA has further limited its use due to fears about rare blood clots. The Washington Post has details. Here are today's other developments:
        Still flying in circles   The TSA says 2,234,701 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints yesterday. That's 87.4% of comparative volume on a similar day in 2019, right about where we've been since the Easter/Passover boom in mid-April.
        BA being BA   British Airways says it'll cancel up to 10% of departures from London/Heathrow Airport through October. The reason? BA is wildly understaffed and overscheduled in addition to its usual summer incompetence. The airline says that will bring its full-year capacity to 74% of 2019 levels. The carrier had targeted 80% of 2019 capacity for 2022.
        Beached   Hong Kong authorities have reopened its beaches after a seven-week closure due to the city's late-pandemic Coronavirus surge.
        March in Paris   Paris hotels in March reached 100% of pre-pandemic gross operating profit per available room. The lodging statisticians STR says Paris was the only major European market to hit that profit measure. Full details are here.
        Not now   The 2022 Asian Games, scheduled for September 10-25 in Hangzhou, China, will be delayed. No specific reason was given, but China's ongoing battle with Covid is the logical candidate. More ominously, no alternate dates were announced.
        Barrels and gallons   Brent crude oil, which most closely tracks jet fuel prices, was trading at around $112 a barrel today after settling at $110.90 yesterday. The average price of regular gasoline in the United States today is $4.279, according to the AAA. That's up another three cents from yesterday and 12 cents higher than last Friday.

Coronavirus Update: Thursday, May 5, 2022

As many as 15 million people worldwide may have died from Covid-19 in 2020 and 2021, according to the World Health Organization. That is more than double the previous estimate and is based on "excess mortality" calculations. TheHill.com has details. Here are today's other developments:
        Flying in circles   The TSA says 1,953,128 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints yesterday. That's 86% of comparative volume on a similar day in 2019, right about where we've been since the Easter/Passover boom in mid-April.
        Then and now   Hilton chief executive Chris Nassetta says that business-travel room demand in 2022 will be "roughly back to 2019 levels" by the end of the year. Group bookings, he said during the chain's 1Q earnings call this week, will be around 90% of 2019 levels. Pre-pandemic, Hilton's guest mix was 55% business guests, 25% leisure and 20% group bookings. This year, Nassetta expects business-travel demand will be about 45%, leisure demand around 39% and group demand about 16%.
        March roars   Marriott International said its worldwide occupancy rate reached 64% in March, up from 45% in January. That's less than ten points below pre-pandemic levels in March, 2019, the firm said yesterday in its 1Q earnings report. Marriott said its worldwide average daily rate in March was 5% above March, 2019.
        Barrels and gallons   Brent crude oil, which most closely tracks jet fuel prices, was trading around $111 a barrel today, about a buck above yesterday. The average price of regular gasoline in the United States today is $4.247, according to the AAA. That's up another two cents from yesterday.

Coronavirus Update: Wednesday, May 4, 2022

It turns out Paxlovid isn't a magic treatment bullet after all. There's been a surprising number of Covid-19 reinfections after people have taken the recommended five-day course of the Pfizer pill. The manufacturer says no problem, just take another cycle of treatment. But the CDC does not recommend more than the initial five-day course. Bloomberg News has details Here are today's other developments:
        Tapping the brakes   The TSA says 1,764,745 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints yesterday. That's 83.8% of comparative volume on a similar day in 2019. It's also the lowest passenger volume at U.S. airports since March 29.
        Really, please wear a mask   The CDC says it continues to recommend travelers wear masks in airports, on flights and at other public-transit hubs. The comments come after a Florida judge struck down the mask mandate, which is currently being appealed. ABC News has details.
        It was never the masks ...   Critics of the in-flight mandate claim that requiring passengers to mask up made them surly and helped create the crisis in passenger misbehavior. Then how to explain the foul-mouthed fools tossed off a JetBlue Airways flight? The New York Post has details.
        Barrels and gallons   Brent crude oil, which most closely tracks jet fuel prices, settled today at $110.14, up almost $6 from yesterday. The average price of regular gasoline in the United States today is $4.226, according to the AAA. That's up more than two cents from yesterday.

Coronavirus Update: Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Los Angeles County, the nation's most populous county, has suffered the highest number of Coronavirus deaths (31,970). Surprisingly, Maricopa County (Phoenix) in Arizona is second at 17,153, even though it is only the nation's fourth most populous county. Rounding out the top five are Cook County (Chicago) with 14,349 and Kings (Brooklyn) and Queens County in New York City. They've tallied 12,828 and 11,865 deaths respectively. The numbers have been compiled by Johns Hopkins. Here are today's other developments:
        Less-Manic Monday   The TSA says 2,136,427 people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints yesterday. That's 86.4% of the comparative volume on a similar day in 2019 and down four points from last Monday.
        Less digital paperwork   Italy is known for a lot of things, including an infuriating amount of bureaucracy. But it has now dropped the pandemic-era requirement than people entering the country fill out a digital passenger locator form.
        Barrels and gallons   Brent crude oil, which most closely tracks jet fuel prices, settled today at $104.97, almost exactly where it was last Tuesday. The average price of regular gasoline in the United States today is $4.204, according to the AAA. That's up a bit from yesterday.
        It's less Greek to you   Effective May 1, Greece has dropped all-Covid related entry rules. Details are here.

Coronavirus Update: Monday, May 2, 2022

Things are not going well in Shanghai, which Chinese authorities have kept locked down since March 29. The Wall Street Journal has the latest on protests, which are normally unheard of events in the authoritarian state. Meanwhile, the lockdown has added more large kinks to the global supply chain for many goods and products. The Washington Post has details. Here are today's other developments:
        The imperceptible decline   The TSA says that 6.4 million people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints this weekend (Friday-Sunday). That's 91.3% of comparative volume in 2019 and (by just a tiny bit) the slowest weekend since March. Weekend traffic was highest on the pre-Easter weekend, when 92.7% of comparable 2019 volume was reached.
        Ups and downs   There were 388,521 new Coronavirus cases in the United States during the last week, according to Johns Hopkins. That's up markedly from the previous two weeks. Thankfully, the death toll of 2,322 is down a bit from the previous week.
        Barrels and gallons   Brent crude oil, which most closely tracks the price of jet fuel, fell on world markets today. It settled at $104.62, up about $2.50 from last Monday. The average price of gasoline in the United States today is $4.194, about seven cents from last Monday.
        Boom!   Europe flights averaged 26,134 per day for the week ended May 1, says Eurocontrol, the operator of the continent's air traffic control system. That is 3.8% higher from the previous week and it represents 84.8% of 2019 aircraft volume.

Coronavirus Update: Weekend, April 30-May 1, 2022

Life is beginning to resemble some kind of "normal." Germany says Oktoberfest will return this fall. Munich had cancelled the famed event for the two preceding years. Meanwhile, Rome says rock concerts at the Circus Maximus and opera at the Baths of Caracalla will return this summer. Here are this weekend's other developments.
        On the other hand   A federal judge in Florida has ruled that the CDC and TSA's in-flight and travel mandate is valid. But, wait, you say, didn't a Florida judge just strike it down? Yes, but this is a different judge in a different circuit. It'll all be fodder for the appeal that the government has mounted against the original judge's order invalidating the mandate. FloridaPolitics.com has details.
        Vax and die   The Omicron variant of the Coronavirus scrambled the statistics on Covid deaths. While almost all of the early deaths during the pandemic were among people who were not vaccinated, more than 40% of those who died during the Omicron wave in January and February had the shots. The Washington Post has details.
        Hotels are happier   Nationwide hotel occupancy in the United States hit 65.8% for the week ended April 23, according to lodging statisticians STR. It notes that Minneapolis remains the weakest large market (down 21 percentage points from a similar week in 2019) while Tampa's occupancy was actually 3.4 percentage points higher than in 2019).

Daily Coronavirus Updates for April 23-April 29:

Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 993,000, but the national vaccination rate is stalled below 67%. Etihad Airways says 90% of business class passengers are now leisure flyers. BART in San Francisco reinstates a mask mandate. Europe flying passes 80% of 2019 levels. Israel drops indoor mask mandate and South Korea drops outdoor one. Covid was the third-leading cause of death in the United States last year. Asian airlines carried just 11% of 2019's international traffic in March. Italy and Germany extend some Covid regulations, but Malaysia is loosening up and Bulgaria and Lithuania end all Covid entry requirements. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for April 16-April 22:

Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 990,000. National vaccination rate inches toward 67%. Florida judge's ruling against CDC travel mask mandate led U.S. airlines and Amtrak to drop mask rules, but some airports and local transit systems keep theirs. The Justice Department will appeal, but the CDC won't demand emergency legal action to reinstate mask rules. Canada says it won't drop its mask mandate. Air Canada tops 100,000 passengers in one day for the first time in more than two years. Uber and Lyft dump their mask mandate. Spain ends indoor masking policy after more than 700 days. Even as travel booms again, Italy and the Netherlands expect sharp declines in volume compared to 2019. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for April 9-April 15:

Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 988,000. The national vaccination rate still below 67%. The CDC that says the in-flight mask mandate will continue through May 3. JetBlue Airways has another weekend meltdown while airline traffic was close to 2019 "normal." The FAA proposes more than $150,000 in fines for two disruptive passengers. Philadelphia restores mask mandate for indoor public places. Thailand and Hong Kong are eliminating Covid rules. Vienna and South Korea loosen theirs. Traffic in Europe's skies nears 80% of 2019 volume, but travel in locked-down China plunges to 20% of normal. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for April 2-April 8:

Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 984,000. The national vaccination rate is mired below 67%. White House Covid czar says the test requirement for travelers returning to the United States stays. Another airline meltdown over the weekend did not stop travelers flying at 92% of 2019 levels. British carriers cancel hundreds of flights due to Covid sick-calls. Airlines jockey Australia and New Zealand routes and schedules as the countries reopen to travelers. Ryanair and Turkish Airlines now have more capacity than in 2019, but Lufthansa and SAS remain down more than 30%. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for March 26-April 1:

Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 980,000. The national vaccination rate is stuck around 66% and vaccinations have fallen to the lowest rate since December, 2020. A new passenger punch-up at Southwest Airlines. January passenger traffic in the United States remained a third below 2019 "norms," but 19 days in March surpassed 2 million travelers at U.S. airports. Europe aircraft traffic continues to climb despite Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Two late legal challenges to the mask mandate. Global airline capacity grows 3% during the first week of spring. Airline traffic in Asia was down more than 90% in February. Some flyers are still fighting for refunds on flights the airlines canceled during the pandemic. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for March 19-March 25:

Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 975,000. The national vaccination rate is stalled around 66%. Hong Kong and Singapore reopen to visitors in April. Austria reimposes a mask mandate as new infections rise again. Shanghai Disneyland closes again. China issues new stay-at-home orders for millions of residents. Spring Break traffic is near 2019 "norms" and is 11 times the volume of 2020, when Coronavirus first hit travel. A chain of Covid testing sites named O'Hare performed about how you'd expect. Hotel occupancy is bouncing back. South Africa drops testing for vaccinated travelers entering the country. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for March 12-March 18:

Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 970,000, but new cases have plunged since January peaks. The national vaccination rate finally reaches 66%. Canada drops testing requirement for fully vaccinated visitors starting on April 1. Flying for Spring break is roaring. Heathrow Airport and British airlines drop their mask mandates. New Zealand and South Korea welcome tourists again starting in April. Domestic airline traffic fell 27.3% in 2021. Global seat capacity remains 22% below pre-pandemic highs. Miami Airport reports busiest day in its history. Shenzhen locks down and China closes parts of Shanghai, too. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for March 5-March 11:

Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 965,000 and the global death toll has passed six million. The national vaccination rate is stalled below 66%. Hawaii and Ontario drop their indoor mask mandates. Ireland, Belgium, Romania and Hungary drop their entry restrictions, but Luxembourg says leisure travelers are still not welcome. Taiwan and Saudi Arabia loosen Covid restrictions. Malaysia reopens to vaccinated tourists on April 1. United Airlines says its unvaccinated employees may return to work. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for Feb. 26-March 4:

Read all about Covid! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 956,000 while national vaccination rate remains below 66%. Hotels are charging us lots more while they offer much less. Hawaii will drop entry tests and proof-of-vaccination rules before the end of the month and Bali ends mandatory quarantines on March 14. Philadelphia and Boston drop indoor mask mandates and New York City will end its proof-of-vaccine rules. Bad drivers created havoc on the nation's roads during the height of the pandemic. U.S. airline traffic during the last weekend of February reached 90% of 2020 volume. U.S. carriers operated 78% of pre-pandemic schedules in 2021. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for February 19-25

Read all about it! U.S. Coronavirus deaths top 944,000 as the national vaccination rate stalls around 65%. Boston drops proof-of-vaccination rules and Los Angeles County ends mask mandate. England drops all Coronavirus restrictions. Ireland drops masking requirements. EU advises member nations to end Covid entry rules and testing and Italy drops them effective March 1. The DOT says 2021 air traffic was 27% below 2019's record total as passengers skewed more domestic than ever before. Washington-area airports were around 60% of 2019 volume. Atlanta/Hartsfield was about 68%. Notable exception? Austin/Bergstrom Airport. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for February 12-18

Read all about it! U.S. Coronavirus deaths top 931,000. Washington ends proof-of-vaccine requirement for most businesses. Business travel flying continues to lag leisure numbers. France ends entry-testing requirement for fully vaccinated visitors. Flight volume between U.S. gateways and London/Heathrow remains down sharply. Two major cruise lines and Disneyland drop mask mandates. Germany, Austria and the Netherlands slowly lift national Covid restrictions. Switzerland ends all its Coronavirus entry requirements. Canada says it will accept some antigen tests to enter the country. Hawaii is last state to maintain all its mask mandates. Two years into the pandemic, Cathay Pacific is carrying fewer than 800 passengers a day and Hong Kong is turning hotel rooms into hospital space. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for February 5-11

Read all about it! U.S. Coronavirus deaths top 915,000 as the national vaccination rate finally reaches 65%. Nevada abruptly lifts indoor mask mandate hours before bettors flood casinos on Super Bowl weekend. Australia opens it borders on February 21. Spain expects two-thirds of 2019's travel volume this year. Italy drops outdoor mask mandate and Finland ends testing for travelers entering the country. California, New York, Nevada and a slew of other states end some mask mandates. Hawaii won't require a booster shot to visit. Malaysia may open borders in March. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for Jan. 29-February 4

Read all about it! U.S. Coronavirus deaths top 896,000. National vaccination rate remains below 65%. Denver is ending its mask and vaccine mandates, but New York State extends its mask rules. China's largest airlines may have lost US$7 billion in 2021. Iowa will end all Covid measures and data reporting. Dominican Republic now the most visited country in the Caribbean. Scandinavian countries dismantle their Covid restrictions. The U.S. Virgin Islands no longer requires entry tests for vaccinated travelers. New Zealand may welcome visitors from North America as early as spring. Winter storms play havoc with daily travel. Denver Airport traffic in December was down only about 7% compared to 2019. Spain retains, then scraps, its outdoor mask mandate. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for January 22-28

Read all about it! U.S. Coronavirus deaths top 878,000. National vaccination rate stalls around 64%. U.S. flying in January plummets. European nations begin lifting or loosening Covid rules. Asia travel all but disappeared last year. Worldwide airline passenger traffic in 2021 was just 42% of 2019 levels. Four of the ten largest European airlines are operating at or below 50% of 2019 capacity. Major routes between Europe and the United States have as many as 44% fewer flights than in 2019. The United States and China continue war over seat capacity. Hong Kong cuts arrival quarantines to 14 days. Rio delays its Carnival parades. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for January 15-21

Read all about it! U.S. Coronavirus deaths top 860,000. The national vaccination rate hangs below 64%. U.S. flying plunges while winter storm leads to thousands of cancellations over the King Day weekend. Two transatlantic flights return to departure airports after passengers disrupted operations. Europe aircraft traffic is at lowest rate since September and Eurostar passengers fell 85% last year compared to 2019. About 33 million seats disappear from worldwide winter schedules as airlines slash schedules to cope with Omicron. Sweden, Austria and Thailand loosen entry rules. Emirates Airline won't accept proctored antigen tests from U.S.-bound flyers even though they are accepted by the United States for re-entry. Amtrak cuts schedules through March. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for January 8-14

Read all about it! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 846,000. The national vaccination rate crawls past 63%. U.S. post-holiday flying numbers tumble. American Airlines says it won't fire vaccine holdouts. United says sick calls are extremely high while Delta threatens flight attendants over time off for positive tests. Qantas, Finnair and Virgin Australia slash schedules. Amtrak says fiscal 2022 revenue will be down 20% on pre-pandemic levels. New Orleans reinstates indoor mask mandate, but the Paris outdoor mask rule is overturned. Sweden orders restaurants and bars to close early. Heathrow Airport traffic plunges in December. The United States continues fighting with China over flights and schedules. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

Daily Coronavirus Updates for January 1-7

Read all about it! U.S. Coronavirus deaths pass 834,000. The national vaccination rate reaches 63%. France clamps down on unvaccinated U.S. visitors while Cyprus demands negative PCR tests of all arrivals. Hong Kong and Macao ban all flights from the United States, Canada and other countries. England and Ireland ease testing rules for entry. Bad weather, Covid absentees and dreadful airline management lead to an end-of-the-year flying disaster that has dragged into this week. Global airline seat capacity was down 35% in 2021. Every cruise ship sailing in U.S. waters has reported Coronavirus cases and the CDC is investigating. And more. Click here for the week's updates.

2021 Daily Coronavirus Updates

The year began with hope and vaccines. It ended with Omicron, new lockdowns and restrictions that foiled plans for a return to the "normal" of travel. You can see everything we posted in bullet-point form, grouped into weekly segments, by clicking 2021's archives.

2020 Daily Coronavirus Updates

We began day-by-day tracking of the Coronavirus' effect on travel in late January last year. You can see everything we posted in bullet-point form, grouped into weekly segments, by clicking 2020's archives.