American airlines report a sharp increase in bookings as vaccine distribution has increased and airlines are slowly starting to go back to pre-pandemic rules.
With Covid-19 tests being part of the travel landscape for the near future, IATA is putting their endorsement behind rapid antigen tests.
As more people get their first shots of Covid-19 vaccine, some airline industry traditions are coming back. Airlines are slowly returning to their old boarding policies, while quietly re-adding change fees to certain tickets.
According to Travel Weekly, the majority of major airlines will go back to assessing fees on Basic Economy fares by April 1, 2021.
IATA Endorses Antigen Covid-19 Tests
As part of the path to re-opening international travel, Covid-19 testing will inevitably be part of the future. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) is suggesting governments adopt the rapid antigen test over PCR tests as the universal standard after a research study suggests they could be more accurate, convenient, and cost-effective.
From their data, the IATA noted that PCR tests not only come with a significant time cost for travellers but may also be limited in certain parts of the world.
"When international travel reopens testing is likely to remain part of the strategy for controlling Covid. The type of testing regime chosen will make the difference in how quickly the travel industry recovers. The choice of a rapid test would be a real boost to the global travel and international business community, and our research shows it can be as effective as other testing regimes and as effective as a ten-day quarantine," said Michele Granatstein, Partner at Oxera and Head of its Aviation Practice.
