Rodriguez: Air Travel Beginning Comeback
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowMarch was a good month at Indianapolis International Airport, fueled by March Madness and Spring Break travelers, but the road back to normal may still be months away. “March Madness has been an incredible boost, not just for the airport, but for the whole region,” said Airport Authority Executive Director Mario Rodriguez, who cautions the road to recovery from the pandemic’s enormous economic impact will be lengthy.
“Back to normal is subjective, said Rodriguez. “We’re looking at about 2024 until we actually reach numbers that look like 2019.”
Rodriguez talked about the state of air travel and what to expect in the coming months on this weekend’s edition of Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick.
Rodriguez believes the pandemic is accelerating the pace of change for the business traveler that was bound to eventually happen. He says while ultra-low cost carriers have added more than 30 percent capacity for leisure travelers, the airlines have reduced business capacity by 20 to 25 percent.
“Although business travel is always incredibly important and will remain incredibly important, some travel will because unnecessary because you can do it via virtual meetings and that’s happening more and more and the airline industry is evolving and we are evolving.”