Oliver Wyman: US Domestic Air Travel Bouncing Back, but Corporate, International Flight Recovery Will Lag

A new report from Oliver Wyman says US leisure travelers are ready once again to fly the friendly skies.

The firm's recently released airline economics analysis report predicts US leisure travel will lift the domestic airline industry to a post-pandemic recovery by early 2022, buoyed by the rapidly increasing availability of vaccines as well as the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act passed by Congress.

"A year ago, we would have thought that a full domestic recovery in this timeframe for the US was almost impossible, but the combination of pent-up demand, economic stimulus, and access to vaccines is making a difference,"  says Tom Stalnaker, a partner and global aviation practice leader at Oliver Wyman. "We are still far from a full recovery for the overall industry, but we expect some of the airlines to start turning cashflow positive in a matter of months, particularly in the US."