Record low numbers for travel during COVID-19 pandemic
PEOPLE DECIDE TO FOLLOW STAYAT HOME ORDERS DUE TO THECORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK.
WMAâ2NEWS RAY STRICKLAND SPOKE TO ATRAVEL AGENT WHO SAYS HERAGENCY IS BEING OVERWHELMEDWITH PEOPLE WANTING TO CANCELTRIPS.
HE REPORTS FROM BWTHURGOOD MARSHALL AIRPORTAirlines are taking a huge hitright now because of thecoronavirus.
This week, TSAsays it recorded its lowestnumber of travelers in thepast decade.
The travel agentI spoke to says ithalf of her business.âNo onewants to travel right nowâWith more and more stay athome orders FROM GOVERNORSnationwide because of thecoronavirus outbreak less andless people are deciding tohop on a plane.
THE TRAVELNumbers ARE THE LOWEST TSA HASSEEN in the past decade.
Theagency says on March 31st,only 146,000 people traveledin the U.S. A 93 percentdecline from THE more than TWOMILLION People WHO traveled onthat same day last year.âUnfathomable.
You canyour arms around itâ Becauseof the decline, major airlinessuch as Delta and United madesteep cuts, reducing flightsand grounding planes.âTo hearflight attendants sayingthereflight going to costa ricalast month, you canitâ Emily Hicks is a travelagent in Baltimore.
Shehead of Going PlacesIncorporated.
She says thistime of year business shouldbe booming but now she saysitrushing to cancel theirflights.âwe probably have 400cancellations in last 2 and ahalf weeksââif someone saidhalf of your business will bewiped out, I would not havebelieved itâ Hicks says hersix agents receive about 100calls a day for flightcancellations.
SHE SAYS Someof her clients, TOLD HER THEYwonuntil next year.âItbecause things are changingdailâ But, even in thedarkest of times, Hicks istrying to see the light at theend of the tunnel.
She hopingflights will start to pickback up either in the summeror fallâWe survived 9/11 andzika and the swine flu.
All ofthe issues everywhere else.
Weall will get through thisâHicks believes things willpick back up because shethinks people will try to takeadvantage of the prices thatare essentially dirt cheap forflights right now.And eventhough she hoping travelnumbers increase by summer orfall, she also knows SHE WILLHAVE TO WAIT AND SEE IF WE AREABLE TO FLATTEN THE CURVE ANDSLOW DOWN THE SPREAD OF THEVIRUS.
AT BWIâ RAYSTRICKLANSOME BUSINESSES ARE OFF