United sees double-digit bookings increase on SA routes after lifting of Omicron bans

On the back of the US lifting travel restrictions to SA, United has seen double-digit week-over-week booking increases on its direct flights between Newark - near New York City - and its SA destinations of Cape Town and Johannesburg. This is not a typical demand curve, according to Bob Schumacher, the US-based airline's regional director of sales. The US government imposed restrictions on people travelling from South Africa at the end of November last year, following the identification of the Omicron variant. The restrictions were lifted at the end of 2021. United currently operates daily flights between Newark and Johannesburg and offers a seasonal flight between Newark and Cape Town three times a week. "There is pent-up demand to fly. We have seen a significant increase in bookings. We have seen a lot of high-season traffic to Cape Town over the recent holiday period - especially in the visiting friends and family market," says Schumacher. The uptick is across all cabin classes. The latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the global body which represents airlines, shows that bookings in SA have steadily increased as new Covid-19 cases started to decline.<br/>