Demand for air travel flatlines amid delta variant surge

There are signs emerging that the highly contagious delta variant is dampening demand for air travel: Cancelations are up, passenger loads, air fare are on the decline.

The first signs are emerging that the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus is dampening demand for air travel: cancelations are rising, while passenger loads and air fare are on the decline. On Tuesday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened 1.7 million people nationwide -- the lowest number of passengers in nearly two months. In its most recent financial filing, Southwest Airlines reported seeing a recent uptick in cancellations. The airline attributed them to the rise in COVID-19 cases as fears mount about the delta variant. The airline projected the surge in cancelations to continue into September, a much more grim outlook than Southwest and most other major U.S. airlines had just three weeks ago.