U. S. Airlines brace for Long Winter After Holiday bump

U.S. airlines that enjoyed a jump in domestic travel during the recent holidays now face a potential double whammy as a seasonal slowdown combines with rising coronavirus cases. Extending the gains through Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 18 and Presidents Day in February “appears challenging, given elevated new COVID case counts,” said Savanthi Syth, a Raymond James Financial analyst. About 1.3 million people passed through U. S. airport checkpoints Jan. 3, the most since mid-march, according to the Transportation Security Administration. Increased travel in late December and early January may even make things worse this month by spurring new infections, said Joe Denardi, an analyst at Stifel Financial.