Efforts to minimize human interaction and the threat of Covid-19 infection are shining to the fullest in the seats of advertising aircraft. No more multi-course banquets and warm personalized service, which was once the hallmark of airlines like Singapore Airlines Ltd. and Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. with more legroom.
Limits are a headache for an industry that suffers with a maximum overall call collapse and adheres to years of luxury knowledge among carriers at a festival for the most successful passengers.
It’s more difficult to distinguish airlines when you’re at the sharp end, which makes it harder to beat the highest-paid consumers and possibly push some of them to the back of the plane.
“It feels like an economy”
“There’s no one to help you with your purse, you don’t accompany it to your seat, and in fact there’s no champagne before the flight,” said Sandra Lim, who flew elegantly on business in Singapore from Los Angeles with Singapore Air behind last. month. ” It feels like it’s back to economic elegance. “
The team wore masks and protective goggles, and has moved away from touch and shared tactile problems whenever possible, Lim said Passengers can simply order a drink, but they did not show up loose and there were no menus. Meals came here with everything on a singles tray, as in economy, rather than on separate plates.
“When you take off food and service, it’s just a means of transportation to get from point A to point B,” said Lim, a 38-year-old food and beverage consultant.
Some routes abroad have resumed, but global traffic has begun to decline slightly. Demand for foreign passengers fell by 92% in July and planes flying were sometimes partly full, according to the International Air Transport Association. Saudi Arabia, for example, will not reopen its borders until after 1 January, the Saudi news firm reported on Sunday.
“Structural change”
Nor is it clear to what extent the premium market, which IATA says generated 30% of foreign airlines’ revenue in 2019, can recover Many business travelers on the floor have become accustomed to videoconferences than face-to-face visits, and the recession threatens business budgets.
IAG SA, which owns British Airways and Iberia, said in July that the call for recreational activities would be recovered prior to business travel and that this “structural change” in the market would lead to new cabin arrangements. CFO Stephen Gunning said British Airways withdrew its Boeing Co. 747 prematurely, partly because they had so many premium seats.
Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. ‘s chief executive Paul Scurrah said at a convention this month that the business will recover more slowly than the market as a whole, as some corporations maintain policies to run from home. recover, but not until 2023 or 2024.
Low-cost airlines such as Ryanair Holdings Plc and EasyJet Plc, which largely serve short-distance recreational travelers, are expected to recover faster than internationally-oriented airlines, UBS Group AG analysts, led through Jarrod Castle, said. A report on August 21.
Pay?
The appeal of a larger, padded seat that stretches completely flat may be enough to restore the elegance of business passengers, said Volodymyr Bilotkach, professor of air transport control at the Singapore Institute of Technology. Premium economy.
“On the airlines where I experienced it, this product is more “economical” than “premium” to begin with,” Bilotkach said. “I don’t know if the passengers would be willing to pay that difference in value now. “
However, airlines have to stay or get rid of high-end seats. According to Bilotkach, an elegant business singles seat that sits flat will have to generate at least 4 times the advantages of an economy seat to justify the entire area it occupies. on the plane.
Some airlines will use the pandemic to permanently degrade their premium cabin offerings and save money, said Jeremy Clark, who runs Malaysia-based JC Consulting, which advises airlines on catering and service. ability for food and onboard facilities to recover to prepandemic grades when resumed, he said.
That said, “there will be airlines that will recognize the price that smart food and service brings to your logo in exchange for the relatively low cost of supply,” Clark said. “We are human beings. We like to be pampered. “
While Covid-19 has reduced the frequency of onboard service, when safe, airlines will return to a more complete culinary service with high-end cabins at the forefront, according to David Loft, advertising director of Emirates dnata Catering. Unit.
Security show
Until then, business and first-class passengers expect reduced service and smaller meals, said Michelin-starred chef Vineet Bhatia, who has worked with British Airways and Qatar Airways for nearly two decades.
He said travelers didn’t have to worry about the threat of food infection or even a drink: “Taking a whiskey on a plane containing 40% alcohol is safer than drinking a glass of tap water,” but they should see the opposite precautions. covid19.
“The security side has to be very visual,” Bhatia said. “The passenger needs to see the team in the distance, greet them completely covered, give them their food in a packaged box and leave. It sounds like science fiction, but that’s the way it is. “
Even that wasn’t enough for Graziela Guludjian, who took a 12-and-a-half hour flight to Barcelona from Singapore with business elegance last month. The Singapore Air team handed him a bag of mask, hand sanitizer and disinfectant wipes. .
“I didn’t feel comfortable,” said Guludjian, who was returning to Spain with her husband and three children. “I didn’t need to fly, but I had no choice. I don’t need to do it soon. “
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