A new sample that there is virtually no real threat of catching COVID-19 on an aircraft.
But while these effects seem to be good news for airlines that have suffered a decimated call since the early months of the pandemic, industry players say internal protection of their aircraft is not enough to bring their consumers back.
The study, co-sponsored through the Department of Defense and United Airlines, found that when passengers wear masks, only 0. 003% of inflamed air debris can enter some other passenger’s breathing area, even when all seats are full. transmission on board is rare and unlikely.
It should be noted that the document has been subjected to scrutiny, first with some consumers wondering the effects of the apparent clash of interests that accompanies the sponsorship of an airline, and then with experts suggesting failures in this study and some other crusade undertaken through a coalition of planners and the International Air Transport Association. Organize a global business group.
These considerations are not what translate the findings of the document almost into the short-term perspective of the industry.
With the call to remain at only 30% of 2019 levels, it is increasingly transparent that airlines’ efforts will make such a big difference when it comes to regaining the prestige quo.
The real challenge for airlines is that there’s nowhere to go.
Most business trips, which generally account for only 15-20% of the number of passengers on the top 3 airlines, but 50% of their revenue, are on hold. Important occasions, such as conventions, will not take place in the short term, and corporations are on hold. they are unwilling to threaten the fitness or responsibility of their employees, let alone trade spending in a weakened economy.
And, of course, the foreigner is practically non-existent, with only essential staff and legal citizens able to cross the borders of the maximum countries. The hope that runners or thorough testing can facilitate the return of long-distance flights remains just that – hope.
That’s why airline executives expect the call not to return to 2019 through 2023 or 2024, and the situations that will allow this uptick are out of their control.
“The timing [of a recovery] has more to do with the condition of the virus and its medical containment than with an express strategy we can implement to make sure everyone stays safe,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian said in a call with investors last week. “Because the purpose is that we have to quarantine. “
Kirby also stated that he hoped that most of this call would be leisure-oriented, rather than business-oriented, although he remains hopeful of a imaginable return to business travel.
“We expect companies to return to normal someday, when the vaccine becomes available and widely distributed,” he said. “The first time a user lost a sale to a competitor who appeared on the user was the last time they tried to make an ad call on Zoom. “
The only domain where there are opportunities is a recreation segment called VFR, or “visiting friends and family”.
People looking for and seeing a circle of relatives and friends after months of time apart are less likely to worry about closing places to eat and are more likely to tolerate quarantine requirements, especially if they can spend that time with one parent.
United Airlines is among those in this lawsuit, especially in the coming year, as testing is preferably helping to loosen restrictions. And he’s making a game to capture as many as possible. “It’s a different traveler than the one flying to London Heathrow or Tokyo,” the airline’s head of foreign management planning, Patrick Quayle, told Business Insider in September. “There is a strong dynamic of other people returning home or other people who live there and who come to the United States to make a stopover with relatives who are here. “
Meanwhile, United has added routes to Latin America and the Caribbean as countries like Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras begin to allow the entry of Americans, mainly aimed at the recreational market.
Delta also adjusts to recreational demand.
In last week’s call for results, the airline’s president, Glen Hauenstein, said the airline was “tactically managing” its network, expanding its capacity during peak periods of recreational holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, at the same time. cutting back on off-peak periods like Halloween and Election Week. “
If bookings remain scarce and impatient travelers do not fly to see their families during the holidays, it will mean that even the only bright spot will remain dark, no matter what airlines have left blank.