How A Summer Of 'Yes' Is Ending In A Cloud Of Uncertainty For Businesses
Signs of slowdown are everywhere after huge increases in vacation bookings, traveling and eating out earlier this year. Southwest Airlines, Airbnb and restaurants are starting to see a pullback.
It started out as the summer of possibility. Earlier this year, lines outside restaurants were long and bars filled up with noshing revelers. People started shopping for clothes to look presentable again after more than a year of pandemic isolation.
And why not? Things were looking safer: By the end of April, about 100 million people had been vaccinated. The worst days are behind us, one said. Soon after, the even for indoor gatherings as long as they were fully vaccinated.
