Delta CEO Says Covid Testing for Domestic Travel is a ‘Horrible Idea’
Two weeks ago, the U.S. implemented a new policy requiring international travelers to test negative for COVID-19 before arriving in the country. But testing could also be required for domestic travel. Dr. Marty Cetron, director for the Division of Global Migration and Quarantine at CDC, has confirmed that mandating Covid-19 testing for domestic air travel is being considered.
The airline industry is against it. Air travel demand is stalling, and new requirement could make the recovery even longer. So far this year 754,134 passengers per day have passed through TSA checkpoints. The same period in 2020 averaged 2,002,721 passengers per day and 2019 was slightly lower at 1,909,770.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian is the latest executive to voice his opinion on the proposed regulation, and he didn’t mince his words. “I think it would be a horrible idea for a lot of reasons,” Bastian said Tuesday in a CNN interview. He said that testing will not keep domestic passengers safer and will set back the recovery of the travel industry by a year or more. Additionally, he noted that requiring testing for air travel would divert about 10% of the country’s already scarce resources.
Airlines saw an increase in cancellations and fewer booking to Mexico and some Caribbean beach resorts right after the new testing requirement for international travel was announced.
The U.S. Travel Association has also urged the government not to go forwards with mandatory testing for domestic travel. The group said airlines and airports have already instituted pandemic safety measures, and the new federal mask mandate on planes should be sufficient.
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Glad he’s against it!