The Thanksgiving week saw some of the busiest days for U.S. airlines since prior to the pandemic coronavirus. Travelers returned in great numbers last year after a quiet holiday.

Transportation Security Administration has screened more than 2.5 million people Sundays, with the highest number of people since February 15, 2020. This was 15% less than the two-year previous screenings by TSA.

Although airports, planes, and parking lots were packed, travelers and airlines had good fortune with weather that was mostly sunny and low-level cancellations. These are not the massive disruptions that have affected many thousands of passengers in several episodes over this summer.

Included in the list of airlines: Southwest AmericanFlight attendants were offered bonuses or extra pay for attending holiday trips.

Even though air travel has been on the rise since the holidays, the airlines now face a challenge from more countries reporting cases of Covid-19. This is just as international travel rebounded as more countries relaxed travel regulations.

According to airline executives, bookings increased after restrictions on international tourism that had been in place for more than 30 nations within the U.S.A were lifted on Nov. 8, which was a key step towards the economic recovery of carriers following the pandemic.

The new variant was discovered by scientists in South Africa.

Officials are concerned that the new strain could become more transmissible. Omicron cases have been reported in South Africa as well as the U.K, Israel, Hong Kong and Canada. Dutch health officials stated Sunday that 13 out of 61 people who had tested positive for Covid while on two South Africa flights, they found cases of omicron.

Beginning Monday, the Biden administration will temporarily ban visitors from South Africa as well seven other Southern African countries. This is less than one month after lifting pandemic restrictions that prohibited visitors from South Africa, Britain, and over 30 other nations.

Both Delta Air Lines United AirlinesUnited States Airways is the only carrier that offers nonstop South Africa service. They announced Friday they will not change their schedules.

Israel has made it a crime to allow foreigners into its country for the past two weeks. This is one of their strictest and most recent rules. Japan also implemented a similar ban, which became effective on Tuesday. Travelers to the United Kingdom will need to take a PCR test on arrival and then self-isolate until they get a negative result.

Although stock prices fell on Friday due to concerns about the new variant and travel restrictions, they rose modestly on Monday in premarket trades.

Conor Cunningham of MKM Partners, an airline analyst wrote Sunday that “there is still much to learn about this variant and how people react to traveling as a consequence. But we believe the stocks will remain volatile until more information is available.”