SEATTLE — Fully vaccinated or not, more and more people are flying. Sea-Tac International Airport on Friday was expecting more than 36,000 departures.
Travel is becoming more within reach for those playing it safe. An increasing number of people are fully vaccinated — nearly one in five Americans and more than half of people over 65.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued guidance Friday that people who are fully vaccinated can travel within the U.S. without getting vaccinated or quarantining afterward.
For the $900 million annual cruise business between Seattle and Alaska, the CDC recommendations that largely affect travel could soon open a path to restart the cruise industry which is currently shut down under the agency's orders.
“At this point in time, we are waiting for guidance from the (CDC),” said Stephanie Jones Stebbins, the Port of Seattle's maritime director. "We have heard that is forthcoming very shortly.“
But the Alaska cruise industry has another complication — Canada's rules. The CDC travel guidance affects what happens in the U.S. travel market.
Under U.S. rules, foreign-flagged ships heading between U.S. ports to Alaska need to make a foreign stop in Canada, and so far Canada is still banning cruise ships until the 2022 season.
Jones Stebbins says the idea of making a technical stop that doesn't allow passengers off the vessel might make that possible.