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American Airlines and Southwest Airlines posted third-quarter profits thanks to federal pandemic aid – smaller Alaska Airlines turned the trick even without money from taxpayers – and they expect planes to be packed over the holidays, the Associated Press reported. Still, the carriers reported Thursday that higher expenses for jet fuel and labor are casting uncertainty over the rest of the year. Southwest expects to lose money in the fourth quarter. Airlines are still waiting for a significant rebound in business travel, a highly lucrative part of their business. They say business travelers will come back once companies fully re-open their offices, but that sentiment sounds more like hope than certainty. And the airlines are struggling to comply with a White House order to get their workforces vaccinated. Each of the leading U.S. airlines is taking a different approach: United has a hard vaccine mandate. Delta is using a surcharge to push workers to get the shots. American and Southwest are searching for a way to satisfy the Biden administration without offending anti-vaccine employees.

Manzo Lobster & Oyster Bar hasn’t had it easy since opening in Denver in September 2020. Like much of the food industry, the seafood restaurant has seen a slowdown in traffic as a result of the pandemic and is struggling with staffing shortages, the Denver Post reported. A month after opening, the business was sued by the former tenant in its space. And last week, the restaurant owned by Richard Manzo filed for chapter 11 protection — in large part to stop ongoing litigation. According to the filing, Manzo Lobster & Oyster Bar — technically Seafood Junkie LLC — owes $258,009 to about 20 creditors and has assets worth $57,500. The restaurant said it had gross revenue of $208,354 in 2020. As of the Oct. 14 filing date, the company’s 2021 revenue was $1.1 million. The lawsuit against the restaurant was filed in October 2020 by Marg’s Taco Bistro, which alleged the restaurant failed to pay $30,000 for the transfer of a liquor license after the two entered into an asset purchase agreement in 2019. Four days after the bankruptcy was filed, the case was closed. Manzo Lobster & Oyster Bar filed chapter 11 bankruptcy under the new subchapter V, which was introduced last March and is an abbreviated version of the usual process that’s designed for small businesses.

President Biden yesterday said that he would consider having the National Guard help deal with the current supply chain issues, The Hill reported. “Yes, absolutely,” the president said at a CNN town hall yesterday when asked if he would consider bringing in the National Guard to help. The White House last week announced that the Port of Los Angeles, as well as FedEx, UPS and Walmart, will rev up operations to 24 hours a day, seven days a week to tackle the supply chain disruptions. “I had a timetable for, first of all, I want to get the ports up and running,” Biden said on Thursday, adding that he got commitments from Walmart and others. The American Trucking Associations said this week the trucking industry is short 80,000 drivers, which is a record high. CNN’s Anderson Cooper asked Biden on Thursday whether he would consider having people serving in the National Guard drive trucks. “The answer is yes, if we can’t move to increase the number of truckers, which we’re in the process of doing,” the president said. The White House this week also addressed the shortage of truck drivers, noting that California Gov. Newsom (D) signed an executive order to tackle the shortage by increasing cargo space and identifying the best routes for trucks.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said on Wednesday he expects disruptions in the trucking industry to last as long as the COVID-19 pandemic persists, Reuters reported. "There are going to be disruptions and shocks to the system as long as the pandemic continues," he said yesterday. He had said on Sunday that supply-chain issues could persist into 2022 as many companies struggle with disruptions. Rating agency Moody's said on Wednesday that the pressure on U.S. supply chains will take time to subside. Increased transportation costs and shortages of commodities and consumer goods will put upward pressure on consumer prices, Moody's said.

Thousands of unvaccinated workers across the United States are facing potential job losses as a growing number of states, cities and private companies start to enforce mandates for inoculation against COVID-19, Reuters reported. In the latest high-profile example, Washington State University (WSU) fired its head football coach and four of his assistants on Monday for failing to comply with the state's vaccine requirement. The coach, Nick Rolovich, had applied for a religious exemption from the mandate earlier this month. Thousands of police officers and firefighters in cities like Chicago and Baltimore are also at risk of losing their jobs in the coming days under mandates that require them to report their vaccination status or submit to regular coronavirus testing. While controversial, the mandates have been effective at convincing many hesitant workers to get vaccinated against the virus, which has killed more than 700,000 people in the United States. Some 77% of eligible Americans have received at least one shot of a vaccine, White House COVID-19 response coordinator Jeff Zients told reporters last week.