>> THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE
CONTROL AND PREVENTION SAY IT'S
SAFE FOR FULLY VACCINATED PEOPLE
TO TRAVEL BUT THEY ADVISE
AGAINST NONESSENTIAL TRIPS.
>> FOR DOMESTIC TRAVEL FULLY
VACCINATED PEOPLE DO NOT NEED TO
GET A COVID-19 TEST BEFORE OR
AFTER TRAVEL AND DO NOT NEED TO
SELF QUARANTINE AFTER TRAVEL.
FOR EXAMPLE, FULLY VACCINATED
GRANDPARENTS CAN FLY TO VISIT
THEIR HEALTHY GRANDKIDS WITHOUT
GETTING A COVID-19 TEST OR SELF
QUARANTINING.
>> BUT WITH THE LATEST SURGE IN
COVID-19 CASES AROUND THE WORLD
SCUTTLE SUMMER VACATIONS
ESPECIALLY OVERSEAS.
JOINING US WITH Dr. ROBERT
MURPHY DIRECTOR OF THE INSTITUTE
FOR GLOBAL HEALTH AT
NORTHWESTERN'S FEINBERG SCHOOL
OF MEDICINE.
CLAIRE BUSHEY A CHICAGO BASED
REPORTER COVERING THE AIRLINE
INDUSTRY FOR THE FINANCIAL TIMES
AND JOHN CONENNA, PRESIDENT OF
VENUS TRAVEL A TRAVEL AGENCY ON
CHICAGO'S NORTHWEST SIDE.
WELCOME BACK TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
Dr. MURPHY DO YOU AGREE WITH
THE CDC GUIDELINES IT IS SAFE
FOR FOLKS FULLY VACCINATED TO
TRAVEL WITHOUT GETTING TESTED?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THE VACCINES THAT WE HAVE OUT
THERE TODAY THE THREE APPROVED
RIGHT NOW IN THE UNITED STATES
ARE INCREDIBLY EFFECTIVE.
WAY MORE THAN ORIGINALLY
ANTICIPATED AND HEY, TAKE
ADVANTAGE OF IT.
YOU'RE 90-95% PROTECTED.
>> NO NEED TO GET THE TEST
BEFORE COMING BACK INTO THE
COUNTRY OR TRAVELING.
CLAIRE BUSHEY LET'S LOOK AT THE
AIR TRAVEL DATA, TSA TRACKED A
MILLION-AND-A-HALF TRAVELERS
YESTERDAY.
WAY UP FROM THE 120,000 NUMBER
FROM A YEAR AGO.
STILL DOWN A MILLION PASSENGERS
FROM 2019.
HOW IS THE AIRLINE INDUSTRY FEEL
ABOUT THE NUMBERS?
>> WELL, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVES OF
THE LARGE U.S. CARRIERS ARE
OVERJOYED THINGS ARE IMPROVING.
BECAUSE THEY ARE BETTER THAN
THEY WERE A YEAR AGO.
THEY ARE STILL RADICALLY BAD IF
YOU WANT TO COMPARE THEM TO TWO
YEARS AGO.
BUT SOME IMPROVEMENT IS BETTER
THAN NONE.
IT'S BEEN IN LEISURE TRAVEL.
AND THAT IS A BIT OF A CONCERN
FOR CHICAGO'S AIRLINE UNITED
BECAUSE MUCH OF THEIR MONEY
COMES FROM BUSINESS TRAVEL.
>> BUSINESS TRAVEL STILL
LAGGING.
JOHN CONENNA WHAT ABOUT FROM
YOUR VANTAGE POINT, HOW ARE
BOOKINGS DOING?
ARE THERE PLACES THAT ARE BETTER
THAN OTHERS, DOMESTIC, MEXICO,
EUROPE?
>> YES, RIGHT AT THE MOMENT,
PARIS, MEXICO HAS BEEN A HOT
COMMODITY DURING THE SPRING
BREAK DAYS AND FLORIDA HAS BEEN
UNBELIEVABLE WITH FARES UNDER
$100 ON ANY CARRIER.
BUT THE MARKET THAT NEEDS TO
IMPROVE AND I DON'T SEE IT
IMPROVING IS THE EUROPEAN MARKET
BECAUSE OF THE SITUATION WITH
THE VACCINATION THAT THE DOCTOR
MENTIONED
>> AND THERE IS A SURGE IN
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES RIGHT NOW.
>> YES.
>> AND WE ARE SEEING A SURGE IN
THIS COUNTRY AS WELL.
IS INCREASED AIR TRAVEL
CONTRIBUTING TO THAT SURGE,
Dr. MURPHY?
>> ANY MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE THAT
ARE POTENTIALLY INFECTED IS BAD,
IS BAD FOR THE EPIDEMIC AND THE
PANDEMIC.
YOU KNOW, AS YOU COULD SEE FROM
THE GUIDELINES, YES IT'S SAFER
TO GO.
YOU DON'T HAVE AS MANY
REQUIREMENTS IF YOU ARE
VACCINATED BUT THE
RECOMMENDATION IS STILL PUT OFF
THE TRAVEL IF YOU CAN PUT IT
OFF.
>> AND SEEMS LIKE IT'S BUSINESS
TRAVELERS THAT ARE PUTTING THAT
OFF NOT SO MUCH LEISURE
TRAVELERS.
CLAIRE BUSHEY WE TALKED ABOUT
VACCINE PASSPORTS IN AN SEGMENT
ON THE SHOW.
WHAT ARE AIRLINES STANCES ON
VACCINE PASSPORTS OR PROOF OF
VACCINATION.
>> AIRLINES ARE IN FAVOR OF
ANYTHING THAT HELPS REOPEN
TRAVEL.
BECAUSE IN PARTICULAR, TRAVELING
TO EUROPE IS STILL DOWN AND
TRANSATLANTIC TRAVEL IS A HUGE
MONEYMAKER FOR THE AIRLINES THEY
ARE IN FAVOR OF ANYTHING AND
EVERYTHING THAT GETS MORE PEOPLE
IN SEATS FLYING.
>> MIGHT AIRLINES REQUIRE A
VACCINE HAVING HAD YOUR VACCINE
OR BEING FULLY VACCINATED?
>> WELL, RIGHT NOW THERE IS NOT
ENOUGH PEOPLE THAT HAVE
VACCINATED THAT IS THE PROBLEM.
>> AT SOME POINT WHEN THE RATES
GO UP AIRLINES MIGHT REQUIRE
THAT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> AND YOU THINK THAT WOULD BE A
GOOD MOVE.
JOHN, YOU KNOW, WHAT ABOUT
DEMAND FOR SUMMER TRAVEL SUMMER
IS A BUSY SEASON DO YOU
ANTICIPATE TRAVEL PICKING UP
OVER THE SUMMER HAS VACCINATION
RATES IMPROVE OR COULD THE
SITUATION IN EUROPE SCUTTLE THAT
AS WELL?
>> I DO SEE IT GETTING BETTER
BECAUSE OF LITTLE BIT OF WHAT
HAPPENED HERE IN THE SPRING.
AGAIN IF I'M GOING TO CONTINUE
TO HARP ON THIS EUROPEAN THING
THE EUROPE SITUATION BECOMES
VERY CRITICAL JUST BECAUSE
PLACES LIKE FRANCE, ITALY,
SPAIN, GREECE ARE HAVING ISSUES
WITH THE VACCINE THEY DON'T HAVE
ENOUGH OR THEY CAN'T DISTRIBUTE
IT TO THE PEOPLE LIKE HERE IN
THE U.S.
>> Dr. MURPHY WHEN DO YOU
EXPECT THE RATES OF VACCINATION
TO CATCH UP WITH THE SURGE IN
CASES WE'VE SEEN?
AND MAYBE START TO BEND THAT
CURVE?
>> WELL, THAT'S THE RATE THAT IS
GOING ON RIGHT NOW.
HERE IN ILLINOIS, WE'RE
VACCINATING OVER 100,000 PEOPLE
A DAY.
THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE PACE.
WE DOING WELL.
AND THEN THE NEXT THREE MONTHS,
YOU WILL HAVE THE VAST MAJORITY
OF PEOPLE THAT WANT TO TAKE A
VACCINE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO
HAVE HAD IT.
>> AND THAT'S CERTAINLY GOING TO
SPEED UP IF IT IS A TORTOISE AND
THE HEIR THE HEIR HARE MIGHT
SPEED IT UP.
>> HOW LONG CAN AIRLINES SURVIVE
FINANCIALLY WITHOUT ROBUST
INTERNATIONAL AND BUSINESS
TRAVEL?
>> WELL, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE FOUR
MAJOR U.S. CARRIERS ARE LARGELY
CONSIDERED TO BE OUT OF THE
DANGER ZONE IN TERMS OF FILING
FOR BANKRUPTCY.
BUT THEY DO HAVE LARGE AMOUNTS
OF DEBT.
AMERICAN AIRLINES IN PARTICULAR
HAS A VERY LARGE AMOUNT OF DEBT
BECAUSE THEY BOUGHT A NEW FLEET
BEFORE THE PANDEMIC MADE THE
BOTTOM FELL OUT OF THE MARKET.
IT WILL BE A LONGTIME BEFORE THE
AIRLINES ARE ABLE TO FULLY
RECOVER FINANCIALLY FROM THE
PANDEMIC EVEN WITH ALL THE
TAXPAYER SUPPORT THAT THEY'VE
RECEIVED OVER THE LAST YEAR.
>> A LOT OF MONEY COMING IN FROM
SOME OF THE GOVERNMENT LOANS.
JOHN CONENNA SAME QUESTION IN
TERMS OF THE TRAVEL AGENCY
INDUSTRY, HOW LONG CAN COMPANIES
LIKE YOURS GO FORWARD WITHOUT
MORE ROBUST INTERNATIONAL
TRAVEL, WITHOUT MORE ROBUST
LEISURE TRAVEL?
>> WELL, I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT
EUROPEAN MARKET AND ESPECIALLY
FOR THE AGENCY I HAVE, THAT IS A
MARKET THAT BASICALLY IS THE
PROFITABLE SIDE OF MY BUSINESS
AND IF IT DOESN'T PICK UP, IT'S
GOING TO BE A PROBLEM.
ANOTHER YEAR OF THIS, I DON'T
KNOW HOW EUROPE WILL FORGET
ABOUT THE AIRLINES, HOW EUROPE
IS SURVIVING WITHOUT THE
TOURISM.
EUROPE NEEDS THE TOURISM.
AND THIS REALLY BECOMES A HUGE
ISSUE.
BUT I WILL AGREE WITH CLAIRE
SOME OF THE AIRLINES ARE GETTING
OUT OF THE DANGER ZONE OF THE
BANKRUPTCY WHATEVER HOW THE
GOVERNMENT IS HANDLING OR WHAT,
BUT THE MAJOR FOUR SEEM TO
ALWAYS HAVE A WAY TO GET OUT OF
THIS.
BUT WE NEED A LOT OF HELP FOR
SURE.
>> Dr. MURPHY, YOU MENTIONED
YOU DO ANTICIPATE VACCINE RATES
REALLY PICKING UP IN THE UNITED
STATES.
WHAT IS THE SITUATION IN
EUROPEAN COUNTRIES?
AND WHY IS THE SITUATION A
LITTLE MORE COMPLICATED THERE?
>> WELL, IT'S REALLY A DISASTER
THERE.
THEY ARE BUREAUCRATIC.
THEY TRY TO ACT AS ONE BUT IT'S
ALL THESE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES.
AND THEY WERE LATE TO THE
VACCINE PURCHASE GAME.
AND NOW THEY ARE PAYING FOR IT.
THEY HAD THE BIGGEST BET THEY
HAD WAS THE ASTRAZENECA VACCINE
AND THERE'S BEEN ALL THE TROUBLE
WITH THE ASTRAZENECA.
SO THEY GAMBLE ON THAT ONE AND
THAT ONE IS PROBLEMATIC.
SO NOW, THE VACCINE PRODUCTION
IS GOING TO RAMP UP WILDLY IN
THE NEXT COUPLE MONTHS.
AND SO THEY WILL PLAY CATCH UP
BUT THEY MAY MISS THE SUMMER.
>> INTERESTING.
A LOT TO KEEP IN MIND AND OUR
FRANKS TO ROBERT MURPHY, CLAIRE