Budget airline stocks are running circles around the big guys — here's why: CNBC After Hours

CNBC.com's Pippa Stevens brings you the day's top business news headlines. On today's show, Leslie Josephs breaks down the recent surge in air travel, and why shares of budget airlines like Spirit are outperforming bigger corporations like Delta and United. Plus, Dick's Sporting Goods takes aim at Lululemon as it enters into the trendy and lucrative mens athleisure market.

Air travel jumps as vaccinations spur vacation bookings, stocks surge

Travelers are returning to the skies, fueling optimism among airline CEOs that the battered industry has finally turned a corner in the coronavirus pandemic. Airline shares rose to more than one-year highs Monday.

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 1.34 million people on Sunday, 86,000 more people than the same day a year ago, shortly after the World Health Organization declared Covid-19 a pandemic.

That's still 45% below 2019 levels, a sign the industry still has a long way to go before recovering to pre-pandemic levels. But TSA screenings have topped 1 million every day since Thursday, the highest volumes in a year.

'The damage is done': Europe's caution over AstraZeneca vaccine could have far-reaching consequences

LONDON — The decision by many European countries to suspend the use of the University of Oxford-AstraZeneca coronavirus shot could have far-reaching consequences, according to analysts, with vaccine uptake and the wider immunization program already lagging in the region.

Sweden and Latvia on Tuesday became the latest countries to suspend the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine over blood clot concerns. The move follows Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Ireland, among other European nations, to have temporarily paused the use of the vaccine as a precaution while checks are made into whether there is a link between the shot and an increased risk of blood clots.

The World Health Organization, drug regulators and the vaccine maker itself have sought to downplay ongoing safety concerns, saying there is currently no evidence to suggest a link between the shot and an increased risk of developing blood clots, which are a common occurrence among the general population.

Dick's Sporting Goods is launching its own men's athleisure line, rivaling Lululemon

Dick's Sporting Goods is entering a hotly contested market for men's athletic apparel with the launch of its own brand called VRST.

VRST debuts Tuesday on Dick's website and a standalone VRST.com, and will roll out to more than 400 Dick's stores in the coming weeks, the company said. Items in the line, which include everything from joggers and shorts to tees, quarter-zips, and hooded sweatshirts, retail anywhere from $30 to $120, putting it on the higher end of the market when it comes to price point.

Following the success that Dick's has had with its Calia athleisure line for women, the company said it saw a blank space in its stores to have a more upscale and lifestyle-driven line for men. The line won't compete directly with the sweat-wicking performance gear sold by Under Armour and Nike. Instead, it's more similar to Lululemon.

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