Flying in the age of coronavirus comes packed with uncertainty about the health status of fellow travelers. Now, Florida's Tampa International Airport is running a pilot program that offers on-the-spot COVID-19 tests for travelers.
With more than 120 people participating in the optional testing per day, Joe Lopano, Tampa International Airport CEO, said the program is showing promising results.
"We've had some customers who have tested positive and Baycare, the healthcare professionals, have a discussion with that passenger and tell them that they should not continue on their way and passengers have accepted it," Lopano told Cheddar.
The airport offers two tests, the $125 PCR nasal swab, which usually takes 3 to 4 days to yield results, and the $50 rapid Antigen test. The cost of both tests, Lopano said, can be covered by insurance companies if travelers provide a receipt from the airport.
Testing at the airport, according to Lopano, will not have much impact on overall travel time. In fact, those not checking a bag only need to account for an additional 30 minutes as a cushion, he added.
"It's immediate testing. Sometimes you have to wait in a short line. You'll get your results in 15 minutes, so it really is not a very time-consuming function and it's very convenient," Lopano said.
While other airports have implemented testing for specific destinations, Lopano said Tampa is the first to offer widespread testing for passengers on all flights arriving and departing. The pilot program is likely to continue running through the holiday season as the number of participants and customer satisfaction is assessed.
For Lopano, offering a testing site at the airport is not only maintaining passenger safety but can also help revitalize a struggling travel industry that is fighting to get customers off the ground.
"It's a high priority because we need to do whatever we can to create confidence in the travel experience and now that widespread testing is available, the technology is available, what better way to do that than right at the airport," he said.
Nouveau Monde Graphite says it wants to power the sustainable energy revolution. The Canadian company is developing carbon-neutral battery materials to serve the growing EV and cleantech markets and is doing so via a mining and manufacturing operation in Quebec. Eric Desaulniers, founder, president & CEO of Nouveau Monde Graphite, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Stocks closed near session lows Wednesday as investors showed concerns about rising oil prices, supply shortages, and renewed risk of inflation. While investors began the week on a confident note, today's jump in oil prices has them once again worried that inflation will not go away any time soon. John Traynor, Chief Investment Officer at People's United Advisors, joins Closing Bell to discuss today's market close, the Federal Reserve's comments and actions taken to combat inflation, and more.
John Logan, Director of Labor and Employment Studies at San Francisco State University, joined Cheddar News to discuss the growing unionization push by employees at Starbucks and Amazon, and the wider implications of employee organization at these big companies.
Adidas is now the first major sports brand to create a program for paying college athletes. The new "name, image and likeness" network will allow more than 50,000 students across NCAA Division 1 schools to become paid spokespeople for the brand. Thilo Kunkel, Associate Professor and Director of Sport Industry Research Center at Temple University, tells us why this new program is only the beginning of an exciting time for student athletes.
The U.S. is bracing for a potential cyberattack as both the FBI and President Biden warn that Russia is 'exploring' a hack. This comes amid a recent rise in hacks on U.S. companies including Microsoft, Okta, and Nestle. Chris Pierson, founder & CEO, BlackCloak joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss.
The co-owner and managing partner at Key Advisors Group Eddie Ghabour joined Cheddar News to break down the many factors impacting the market today, including the war in Ukraine, Fed rate hikes, inflation, and job numbers. Ghabour explained that he sees a bear market bounce currently leading to a downturn as the Federal Reserve is forced to be hawkish — even hinting at a recession. "I can't stress enough, you have a Fed that's telling us they're going to raise rates by 50 basis points in May during this type of environment," he said. "That's gonna be the knockout punch for this market and this economy in the short term and worst case for the consumer, unfortunately, in our opinion."
Michele Schneider, Partner and Director of Trading Research & Education at MarketGauge, talks about the challenges the Fed has in avoiding rising inflation and how the commodity shock is impacting long-term growth.
Craig Erlam, Senior Market Analyst at OANDA, breaks down the geopolitical risks impacting U.S. investors and how one can position their portfolio in a down-trending market.
