The long climb out is underway

A April 2021 Airlines for America presentation to the Sea-Tac Stakeholder Advisory Round Table outlines the slow recovery of the U.S. airline industry from the COVID-19 pandemic, noting that Sea-Tac was closer than most peer airports to restoring pre-pandemic service levels. The presentation highlights that domestic leisure travel was leading the rebound while business travel bookings remained depressed, and that full systemwide passenger recovery was not expected until 2023-2024. On environmental matters, it notes that despite nearly a five-fold increase in passengers since 1975, commercial aviation reduced its U.S. noise footprint by 94% through 2019 and accounted for just 2% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions.

Notes

A presentation by Airlines for America (A4A) Chief Economist John P. Heimlich to the SEA Stakeholder Advisory Round Table on April 28, 2021. The presentation covers the state of the U.S. airline industry’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, including trends in passenger demand, air cargo, fleet changes, and environmental performance. Key points include Sea-Tac Airport’s relative progress in restoring pre-pandemic service levels and projections for full systemwide recovery by 2023-2024.

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