Thursday’s business headlines

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Here’s a look at Thursday’s business headlines.

AstraZeneca

AstraZeneca’s COVID vaccine could get approved next week in the U.K.

Medical regulators there are expected to take it up in the coming days.

If approved, that would make three COVID vaccines on the world market- the other two being Pfizer and Moderna.

Airlines

Airlines are working on bringing back laid off workers.

The $15 billion the airlines will recived as part of the overall $900 billion stimulus bill is an extension of the previous payroll support program from the Cares Act, the orginial relief package passed in March, part of the the stipulations for accepting the aid was that American and United had to bring more than 32,000 employees it furloughed on Sept. 30.

The companies say the additional funds are enough to pay those workers through March 31, 2021.

Gift cards

Gift cards are one of the hottest holiday presents.

Shoppers worried about visiting stores, as COVID-19 cases surge, and unwilling to risk gifts arriving late because of shipping delays are snapping up the prepaid debit cards, according to companies that measure gift-card sales.

Gift-card purchases in the first week of December were twice the rate in the same period last year, according to InMarket.

Gas prices

Gas prices have fallen and we project the national average to be $2.19 per gallon on Christmas Day, the second lowest in the last decade.

The survey found that 34% of Americans plan to travel by car during the holiday.

More than one-third of Americans plan to travel across state lines during the holidays, according to a survey by GasBuddy.