Coronavirus: How flying could be changing in the coming months Coronavirus: How flying could be changing in the coming months
Masks, gloves, ‘sanitagged’ luggage and disinfectant tunnels could be the first steps in what is likely a sea change in the way we travel by air, according to an aviation marketing consulting firm’s vision of what’s next for airlines and airports in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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SimpliFlying.com, an aviation marketing consulting firm, released a report this week that details more than 70 different areas that are “expected to either change or to be introduced from scratch, to restore confidence in flying after COVID-19.”
The report looks at all aspects of the airline travel experience, from checking in for a flight to passengers in gloves and masks wiping down their own seats before watching a preflight video on sanitation measures.
While airlines around the world are still weighing just how they change their operations in an effort to keep passengers safe from the new coronavirus, some measures are already being put into place.
Four major U.S. airlines announced this week that they will require passengers to wear protective face coverings on all flights. Jet Blue, Delta, American and Frontier airlines issued policies requiring that both passengers and employees wear masks. Lufthansa Group, which owns Lufthansa Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines, has also announced a requirement that passengers wear protective face coverings.
The companies announced the polices as flight attendants have called on both their employers and the federal government to consider their safety by making face coverings a requirement for travel on airplanes.
The Federal Aviation Administration has not yet issued a policy that would require airline passengers to wear masks or do anything else at airports and on planes. Instead, the agency stressed that airlines need to follow recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that everyone wear face coverings when in public.
The SimpliFlying report goes well beyond just wearing a face covering. It shows the possible four-plus hour process that flying may become in order to keep travelers safe from infections.
Here’s a look at the highlights of the SimpliFlying.com report that predicts the future of airplane travel post-COVID-19. The graphic showing the possible new procedures produced by SimpliFlying.com is below.
Health check then carry-on and X-rays:
SFO As Airlines Seen Burning $61 Billion In Roughest Stretch Of Crisis A traveler wearing a protective mask rests at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, April 2, 2020. U.S. airlines have slashed flying capacity, parked planes, frozen hiring and taken other steps to cut spending as the viruss spread has reduced travel by more than 90%. ( David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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