This step, Reuters reports, corresponds to a long-term strategy of the company, which last month said Delta CEO ed Bastian: adequate perception of safety by consumers will contribute to the revival of air traffic and passengers in this case will be willing to pay more for comfort while traveling. Bastian also said in a quarterly address to investors that fewer aircraft in the sky could be “the opportunity to focus on a better, more perfect experience of air”.
Recall that air transportation has become one of the sectors of the world economy most affected by the pandemic, many carriers were forced to Park on the joke the whole parks aircraft or to declare bankruptcy. The global aviation industry will already estimates its losses as of mid-may to 252 billion dollars. In General, the load factors of the airlines, for example, in the United States in recent years account for only about 33 percent. The same Delta, which expects air travel in the world will be restored within two or three years, said that it intends to halve its daily influx of passengers in the event of a resumption of flights in June.
as a result of the restrictive measures and the closure of the borders in most countries the number of international flights in April of this year decreased by about 95 percent compared with the same period last year, and some airlines have been given to understand that they can raise the price of tickets by an average of 50 percent. This can happen just because of the need to reduce the number of seats on the Board, leaving a vacant place in the row of seats because of the need to comply with social distancing. The Chairman of the Committee on transportation and infrastructure of the house of representatives of the U.S. Congress last week called on the airline to keep free at least one place in the middle of the range and increase the number of passengers on Board a maximum of 67 percent of their capacity.
This issue has become most acute subject of discussions between the authorities and the airlines. According to experts of the International air transport Association (IATA), carriers will not be able to make a profit if they limit the number of seats in the aircraft to two thirds of their normal capacity and thus will not dramatically increase the cost of the tickets, according to CNBC.
What steps have been taken or are planning to take the airline in a pandemic primarily to ensure the safety and health of passengers? According to experts, despite a call for common standards, some countries apply its rules only to airlines registered in their country, while others apply them to foreign carriers. In Europe, airlines in largely resisted calls to leave the middle seat empty, but announced other changes designed to reassure passengers. “You have to remember that the plane is not a natural place for social distancing, so you need to reduce the health risks in other ways, and Facials, for example, are a good example of such funds”, – said the Agency Reuters, the Executive Director of Finnair Topi Manner. In Malaysia and Indonesia, the aircraft must be half-empty. For its part, all the major US airlines formally require that passengers wore face masks, but the three largest us airline – United, American and Delta, observers say, and could not make them required on Board. In an effort to reassure passengers, American airlines increased disinfection of the cabin, in many cases, using the procedures of the electrostatic cleaning and fogging. The same IATA is trying to convince passengers that the number of transmitted viruses on Board remains low, partly due to the air filtration systems “operating quality”, but the airline probably will go on to improve the level of hygiene and cleaning in the cabin.
As analysts predict, carriers already in the near future will need to develop their own comprehensive measures in compliance with social distancing and safety, which can include the broad use of biometrics and contactless registration. Some carriers are already asking passengers to register online only to limit their contacts with staff at the airport and at the entrance to the interior of the liner. Some airlines have already indicated that they will appeal to passengers with a request to provide tested negative for the coronavirus at the time of registration or so-called “passport of immunity” to the Board. Last month in Dubai, Emirates airline has announced that it became the first airline, which conducted a “quick” 10-minute blood test at the time of planting. However, such measures are almost impossible to widely introduce at the international level, says Joanne Bailey, editor of the aviation news site Simple Flying, as they could lead to huge queues at airports and crash in the schedule. The most appropriate in this situation, another set of measures to monitor the health of passengers, such as an infrared temperature check of the body, recommended the Federal aviation administration. Also on Board will be followed by more stringent measures for the protection of health.
the Board also will undergo significant changes. Flights Thai Airways passengers can’t have food or the water in flight and have to wear a mask. Meals business class, once sold premium carriers employing famous chefs, was reduced to semi-finished products to carriers such as Emirates, Air Canada and British Airways.
