Air travel across the United States has dropped by 95%
Garcetti commented that after the events of 9/11, airport travel dropped by 55% and took around 10 years for the airline industry to bounce back to its former glory.
By ZACHARY KEYSER, REUTERSAir travelers walk, after further cases of coronavirus were confirmed in New York, in Terminal 1 at JFK International Airport in New York(photo credit: REUTERS)
According to Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, air travel at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has decreased by about 95% since the outbreak of the coronavirus - the lowest its ever been in the history of the airport.LAX is the fourth busiest airport in the world and the busiest in the United States, according to Mayor Garcetti.Garcetti commented that after the events of 9/11, airport travel dropped by 55% and took around 10 years for the airline industry to bounce back to its former glory.Some 4.1% of adults tested positive for coronavirus antibodies in a study of Los Angeles County residents, health officials said on Monday, suggesting the rate of infection may be 40 times higher than the number of confirmed cases."We haven't known the true extent of COVID-19 infections in our community because we have only tested people with symptoms and the availability of tests has been limited," Neeraj Sood, a professor of public policy at USC and lead researcher on the study. "The estimates also suggest that we might have to recalibrate disease prediction models and rethink public health strategies."At least 17 additional fatalities were recorded in Los Angeles County on Monday, bringing the total to 600, with more than 12,300 positive cases, according to a Reuters tally. The county is home to roughly 8 million people.However, US airlines have canceled hundreds of thousands of flights as passenger traffic has fallen by 95% all over the country, not just LAX, due to worldwide travel standstills consequence of the initial coronavirus spread.According to CNN, Airlines for America reported that only one out of every 10 seats are being filled on domestic flights, as airlines have cut nearly 71% of their original booking capacity.Last week, the Transport Security Administration noted they screened 95,000 passengers for coronavirus throughout airport checkpoints across the US, compared to the 2.3 million who passed through these airports on the same day in 2019.In relation, the US Treasury Department said on Tuesday that major passenger airlines have agreed in principle to a $25 billion rescue package, ensuring airline workers have jobs until October while the industry battles its biggest-ever crisis.Airlines are hopeful that US passenger traffic, which has dropped by 95% due to the coronavirus pandemic, will begin to recover by October but have warned that the slowdown in air travel could extend into next year and even longer. It's possible they will need another round of government bailouts to survive.Major carriers will receive 70% of the funds for payroll in cash assistance that will not need to be paid back, while smaller carriers receiving $100 million or less will not need to repay any funds.The six largest US airlines - American Airlines Group Inc , United Airlines Holdings Inc, Delta Air Lines Inc, Southwest Airlines Co, JetBlue Airways Corp and Alaska Airlines - as well as four other airlines accepted the support, the Treasury said.Estimated global airline losses from the coronavirus pandemic have climbed to $314 billion, 25% more than previously forecast, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Tuesday.Alexandre de Juniac, the Geneva-based organization's CEO, said leaving the middle seat vacant was among likely conditions for a resumption of air travel to be discussed with governments.The U.S. death toll from the novel coronavirus rose to more than 40,000 on Sunday, the highest in the world and almost double the number of deaths in the next highest country Italy, according to a Reuters tally.It took the United States 38 days after recording its first fatality on Feb. 29 to reach 10,000 deaths on April 6, but only five more days to reach 20,000 dead, according to a Reuters tally. The United States' toll increased to 40,000 from 30,000 in four days after including untested but probable COVID-19 deaths reported by New York City.The United States has by far the world's largest number of confirmed coronavirus cases, with more than 744,000 infections. New cases on Saturday rose by nearly 29,000, the lowest increase in three days.More than 22 million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits in the past month as closures of businesses and schools and severe travel restrictions have hammered the economy.Governors in U.S. states hardest hit by the coronavirus sparred with President Donald Trump over his claims they have enough tests and should quickly reopen their economies as more protests are planned over the extension of stay-at-home orders.The region of Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. is still seeing increasing cases. New Jersey reported on Sunday that its new cases rose by nearly 3,900, the most in more than two weeks. Boston and Chicago are also emerging hot spots with recent surges in cases and deaths.Several states, including Ohio, Texas and Florida, have said they aim to reopen parts of their economies, perhaps by May 1 or even sooner, but appeared to be staying cautious.
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