Flying will not be the same after Covid-19: these are the new air routines
That the tourism sector, as we know it, will never be the same I do not want to say that let's not survive this collapse caused by Covid-19 . In a sector as flexible as travel, industry veterans say that while it will take time to fully recover, the main players in the tourism value chain are already working to minimize damage , being the airlines one of the first to take action on the matter. How we will fly from now on is still not entirely clear, but these are some of the measures that the main airlines are already carrying out so that let's fly calm and safe.
MANDATORY USE OF MASKS
Until there is a vaccine , it is practically certain that all airlines are going to require their passengers Bring your own mask on the flight. In the case of KLM / Air France , until now the crews distributed masks at the aircraft door to those customers who did not have them, but as of May 11 both in Lufthansa , Iberia, American Airlines or KLM / Air France, you have to bring them from home.
Much has been said about maintain physical distance inside an airplane and, as confirmed by Air France, “ the low occupancy levels of flights today do allow it to be done ”, but it is a fact that as flights fill up, few airlines (none?) will leave an empty seat without the passenger paying for it.
SO THERE WILL BE NO EMPTY SEATS
Although the airline EasyJet was the first to bet on offering that necessary physical distance between passengers through a kind of screen , over time it has been shown that even with something like this**, the necessary requirements for that separation between passengers** would not be met. Nor could the British low-cost airline, like many others, afford to fly the plane at two-thirds capacity for long unless, of course, the consumer paid a high price for it. However, as long as demand is low and the plane flies semi empty , all companies are in favor of offer that necessary distance. This is confirmed by KLM: "Whenever possible, KLM takes into account the general slogan of the " social distance of 1.5 meters . In practice, this means that when the occupancy of a flight is low (which is currently more common) we try to leave as much space as possible between passengers leaving free seats”.
YES: IN AN AIRPLANE YOU BREATH (ALMOST) PURE AIR
The planes are equipped with a air recycling system composed of “high efficiency particulate air” filters (HEPA) identical to those used in operating rooms. In the case of aircraft air France , for example, “the cabin air is completely renewed every 3 minutes ”. HEPA filters extract more of the 99.999% of viruses , including those whose size does not exceed 0.01 micrometers, which guarantees the quality of the air in the cabin and compliance with sanitary standards. and calm down, Coronavirus-like viruses whose size varies between 0.08 and 0.16 microns are systematically captured.
Iberia is, moreover, studying the use of ozone generators to keep the virus clean areas , something that at the moment is still, like all of us, in a trial period.
AS IF WE WERE IN BUSINESS... BUT WITHOUT BUSINESS
One of the actions that many airlines are considering is that of Distribute disinfectant wipes to all passengers to help passengers clean their hands , the face, etc. Needless to say, the rest of the cabin is taken care of by the strict hygiene and disinfection protocols launched by the majority of airlines, among which stands out emirates , which even offers the Covid-19 test to its passengers before boarding.
DISINFECTION PROTOCOLS LIKE...
the of KLM , that now that just resume its flights to many of its main European destinations, including Madrid and Barcelona , has informed passengers that "before each departure all aircraft are thoroughly cleaned, including the carpet and all seats." And he continues: “ Also hitherto more germ-sensitive parts such as all contact surfaces (tables, armrests, screen, remote control, services...) using approved disinfectants”. In addition, the crews are equipped with all the hygienic material necessary for prevention, such as cleaning wipes, vinyl gloves, disinfectant sprays, protective masks , etc.
OUT OF CHAMPAGNE (AT LEAST, FOR NOW)
While the airlines speak of a “ simplification of catering to avoid contact between crew and passengers as much as possible ”, the reality is that eating (and drinking) on board an airplane will not be the same for a long time. While the airlines discover how to modify your service on board to conform to the new guidelines and the customer expectations about hygiene and social distancing , in-flight food and beverage offerings have been hit hard. air France has already confirmed that on French domestic flights and on European flights, suspend food and beverage service . For long-haul flights, cabin service is limited, giving priority to products wrapped in film or individually. As has also been confirmed Finnair, it is also not possible to offer the sale of duty-free items now.
NO MAGAZINES OR NEWSPAPERS ON BOARD
The press is, also in this case, victim of security protocols established by the airlines in order to guarantee maximum hygiene on board. Iberia, Emirates, United and Delta they have already confirmed that they are dispensing with their corporate magazines and all paper reading material. The good news is that Air France continues to offer press and magazines digitally, and free of charge, through the Air France Play application that can be downloaded before the flight. The same happens with Iberia's Press Reader app, through which, once the flight has been checked in, passengers have access to numerous digital publications.
GOODBYE (SPEEDED UP) TO OLDER AIRCRAFT
Several airlines have taken the opportunity during this hiatus to retire some of their older (and mainly larger) aircraft. Virgin Atlantic has just announced that it is definitively withdrawing from its fleet the units of Boeing 747 to operate with its new A350, B787 and A330 . It has also closed a base at Gatwick airport to concentrate on Heathrow and be able to optimize costs. Lufthansa also has fired six of the 14 units you own of the A380 model. The industry trend is clear: fly smaller, more modern planes that are easier to fill and more fuel efficient.
END TO THE PACKING IN EMBARKATION AND DISEMBARKATION
Finally good news in this ultra-regulated new air normality . And it is thanks to that physical distance necessary, and mandatory , the rush to get on or off a plane is over. For airlines, travel security is not only carried out during the flight, but also before and after, which includes the impossibility of crowding during the check-in process, at the boarding gates or at the service and check-in counters. Connection. In Amsterdam-Schiphol , for example, passengers can only pay with credit or debit cards and airlines like KLM They have modified the boarding processes and now it is done in smaller groups.
GOODBYE CROWDING AND HELLO DELAYS
Embark and disembark in a slower and reduced way and give the crews the necessary time to clean and tidy the plane before new passengers board is essential to maintain safety and hygiene on board . Now that both the passengers and the frequencies are few, the timings can fit perfectly, but when both the demand and the frequencies return to normal, the airlines will have to make adaptations once air travel is restored without failing in security protocols.
Mandatory use of a mask on planes