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business Tuesday 1 december 2020
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Holiday air travel surges despite dire health warnings

By DAVID KOENIG they get off the plane.
AP Airlines Writer Before the latest surge in
Nearly 1.2 million people infections, airlines had add-
passed through U.S. air- ed more flights for Thanks-
ports Sunday, the largest giving, hoping for the same
number since the pandem- kind of boost in travel they
ic gripped the country in saw over the July 4 and
March, despite pleas from Labor Day holidays. They
health experts for Ameri- ended up canceling some
cans to stay home over of those flights, however,
Thanksgiving. and demand is expected
The Transportation Security to fall back in early Decem-
Administration screened ber before another poten-
at least 1 million people tial pick-up in travel around
on four of the last 10 days Christmas.
through Sunday. That’s still Over a 10-day period end-
half the crowd recorded ing Sunday, TSA screened
last year at airports, when about 975,000 people a
more than 2 million people day on average. That’s
were counted per day. down 60% from a year ago,
With new reported cases of when more than 2.3 mil-
coronavirus spiking across lion people per day went
the country, the U.S. Cen- through U.S. airports.
ters for Disease Control and In this Sunday, Nov. 29, 2020 file photo, a traveler wears a mask as she walks through Terminal 3 On Monday, JetBlue Air-
Prevention had issued a at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Associated Press ways said “booking trends
warning against Thanksgiv- remain volatile,” and a re-
ing travel just a week be- lowed by increases in new “We’re in the midst of a ca- It’s unclear whether the covery in travel demand
fore the holiday. cases. David O’Connor, a tastrophe as it is. You don’t pleas of experts like Fauci will be uneven into next
The seven-day rolling av- virologist at the University need a surge for it to be- had any effect on travel year.
erage for daily new cases of Wisconsin who has stud- come horrible. The health and large gatherings at JetBlue, the nation’s sixth-
in the U.S. has climbed to ied the role of travel in the care systems are already Thanksgiving. Some air- largest airline, plans to fly
more than 160,000, ac- pandemic, expects the stretched.” lines reported a pullback only half its normal sched-
cording to data from Johns same thing to happen af- Dr. Anthony Fauci, the na- in bookings as virus cases ule in the fourth quarter
Hopkins University. Public- ter Thanksgiving and lead- tion’s top infectious-disease grew in the days before the and revenue will fall about
health experts believe oth- ing up to Christmas. expert, said Sunday that holiday. Airlines say the risk 70% from the same period
ers who are infected don’t “Travel is going to be con- the U.S. could see “surge of transmission during flights last year. Those are slightly
show signs of carrying the tributing to a bigger surge. upon a surge” of coronavi- is very low if everyone on deeper reductions in flying
virus. What we see in the next rus cases, and he does not board wears a mask. Ex- and revenue than the New
Previous holidays includ- couple weeks will tell us a expect guidelines advising perts on epidemics say York carrier had expected
ing Memorial Day, July 4 lot about what will happen against travel to be relaxed even if that is true, travelers before the recent spike in
and Labor Day were fol- after Christmas,” he said. before Christmas. can spread the virus once infections.q

GM rethinks planned stake in electric vehicle maker Nikola

NEW YORK (AP) — General powered pickup called partnership was going side-
Motors will not be taking a the Badger, and its fuel cell ways in late September as
stake in the electric vehicle and battery technology as a deadline for an binding
company Nikola, and the well. That is no longer part agreement approached.
company said Monday of the agreement, essen- GM said then that nego-
that it was scuttling one of tially gutting Nikola’s plans tiations about its $2 billion
its marquee vehicles, an for the Badger. role were ongoing, sending
electric and hydrogen- Nikola said Monday that it shares of Nikola sliding.
powered pickup, after GM will begin refunding depos- That announcement came
pulled technological sup- its made by customers who just days after Nikola found-
port from the project. wanted first dibs on that er and Chairman Trevor Mil-
Shares of Nikola plunged pickup. ton resigned after Hinden-
24%. “In a nutshell, the signing of burg Research, a company
Nikola on Monday released GM as a partner is a posi- that’s betting Nikola stock
updated terms between tive but ultimately no own- will drop, accused Nikola
the companies for a supply ership/equity stake in Nikola of Fraud. This Jan. 27, 2020, file photo shows a General Motors logo at
agreement related to GM’s and the billions of R&D po- Hindenburg said Nikola’s the General Motors Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant in
fuel-cell system, replac- tentially now off the table success was an “intricate Hamtramck, Mich.
ing an agreement signed is a major negative blow fraud,” including a video Associated Press
in September. That deal to the Nikola story,” said showing a truck rolling Nikola denies the allega- vised agreement is more
would have given GM an Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. downhill to give the impres- tions and called them mis- focused. He said the new
11% stake in Nikola. “This went from a game sion it was cruising on a leading. The Securities and memorandum of under-
The early agreement would changer deal for Nikola to highway, and stenciling the Exchange Commission and standing will help Nikola
also have allowed Nikola to a good supply partnership words “hydrogen electric” the Justice Department are produce its commercial
use GM’s new battery elec- but nothing to write home on the side of a vehicle reportedly investigating. trucks, and help GM com-
tric truck underpinnings for about.” that was actually powered On Monday, GM spokes- mercialize its fuel cell tech-
its electric and hydrogen- There were hints that the by natural gas. man Jim Cain said the re- nology. q