What will global air travel look like after coronavirus?
EU planning future rules amid debate over social distancing on flights
European transport ministers are meeting today to discuss what airlines will need to do for international travel to resume.
Several nations on the Continent have begun to relax their coronavirus lockdown measures, but the airline industry has already taken a battering.
The UK Foreign Office is currently advising British nationals against “all but essential international travel”, with the vast majority of flights grounded across the globe.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
British Airways this week set out plans to make up to 12,000 of its staff redundant, and several other airlines are on the brink of collapse.
BA’s parent company, IAG, has warned that a return to 2019 passenger levels is likely to take “several years”. So will air travel ever look the same again?
Spacing
As Forbes reports, there is “an active debate within the industry about whether spacing out passengers, as has been done on public transport, would work in planes”.
Airlines including Lufthansa and easyJet have pledged to keep some seats free - such as those in the middle of rows - as a temporary social distancing measure. However, lobby group Airlines for Europe (A4E) has said social distancing is not “viable on board an aircraft”.
In a letter to EU ministers, the Brussels-based organisation argued that it would be impossible for passengers and crew to maintain a two-metre distance from each another and that it would not be financially viable for any airline to fly a plane that was only two-thirds full.
Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary echoed those concerns in an interview last week with the Financial Times.
“We can’t make money on 66% load factors,” O'Leary said. “Even if you do that, the middle seat doesn’t deliver any social distancing, so it’s kind of an idiotic idea that doesn’t achieve anything anyway.”
Best practice
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) is drawing up safety guidelines for the industry - and “in the meantime, airports are working on their own best practices that require changes in disinfection routines, installing coronavirus testing facilities and temperature checks, and reorganising gates to ensure space between people”, Politico reports.
The Italian government also set out rules this week for mandatory masks and one-way corridors in airports to prevent over-crowding.
Conde Nast Traveller suggests that airports may also introduce “far more automation – from DIY check-ins and bag drops to robotic cleaners”, and that “immunity passports” may enter into widespread use.
“Travelling will feel intimidating – people will be on high alert,” says the magazine. “It’s been suggested that coronavirus is the new terrorism. But after months of confinement, it will also feel incredibly freeing to be on the move again.”
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––For a round-up of the most important stories from around the world - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Start your trial subscription today –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Increased prices
Although there might be some good deals for travel this autumn, the promotions are unlikely to last as airlines seek to cover their racked-up debts.
“The new reality will likely be fewer, more expensive flights on slimmed-down airlines that have laid off thousands of employees and cut ties to many contractors,” says Politico transportation reporter Brianna Gurciullo.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Why Man United finally lost patience with ten Hag
Talking Point After another loss United sacked ten Hag in hopes of success in the Champion's League
By The Week UK Published
-
Who are the markets backing in the US election?
Talking Point Speculators are piling in on the Trump trade. A Harris victory would come as a surprise
By The Week UK Published
-
Crossword: November 3, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Senate passes FAA bill with new consumer protections
Speed Read The legislation will require airlines to refund customers for flight delays
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Flybe: turbulence prompts a second nosedive
feature Airline’s latest collapse is a blow to ‘regional connectivity’
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Factories, drug money and scanners
podcast Will a UK lawsuit lead to better working conditions in Thailand? Could a new way of funding antibiotics help tackle resistance? And is airline security about to change for the better?
By The Week Staff Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Chinese protests, supersonic jets and university cheats
podcast Will mortgage strikes force China to change course? Does Concorde finally have a worthy successor? And what’s behind a rise in cheating?
By The Week Staff Published
-
Is flight tracking the new Netflix?
In Depth Hundreds of thousands follow flights of the famous but privacy concerns have led to backlash
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will European countries follow France to ban UK travel?
Under the Radar Paris blocks arrivals from Britain as Omicron cases spiral
By The Week Staff Published
-
Gallery: the top ten best airports in the world
In Pictures Hamad International Airport in Doha takes the No.1 spot in the 2021 Skytrax World Airport Awards
By The Week Staff Published
-
No. 10’s plan for airport Covid quarantine revealed - but is it too late?
feature Government to deploy security guards to enforce mandatory 11-night hotel stays
By Chas Newkey-Burden Published