Let’s talk about flying
and how it just became an even bigger headache.
It’s the social distancing, the masks
the extra documents and the hours of waiting.
It’s a nightmare for the industry too.
So is it safe to fly again?
Who's going to pay for it?
And has the pandemic changed how we fly forever?
Before the pandemic hit
the global travel industry was booming.
Many saw it as a golden age of commercial air travel.
Over the last 10 years growth in the airline industry
had skipped along nicely
more than 5% a year.
A bunch of low-cost carriers joined the game
flying more people to more places.
It was the worst kind of turbulence.
Imagine 7.5 million flights cancelled
between January and July.
People demanding their money back
and no one booking.
Thousands of planes grounded
and fighting for parking spots.
Now to put the losses in perspective: 
Before COVID-19 the industry was looking forward
to more than $870 billion in revenue for 2020.
Now it’s more like 419 billion
half of what the airlines took in last year.
Next year doesn't look much better.
Air traffic isn’t expected to get anywhere near
those pre-COVID days before 2023
and maybe not even before 2025.
It’s so bad that many airlines are turning to
governments for multi-billion-dollar bailouts.
Thai Airways, Lufthansa, Latam
they nearly went bust.
And those were just the airlines.
Plane manufacturers are cutting jobs too.
Boeing is aiming for 16,000.
Airbus already cut 15,000.
And that’s because people just aren’t expected
to fly as much as they used to.
A lot of people have lost their jobs.
Some are just afraid.
Sure, some governments are lifting border restrictions
and travel is starting to pick up again.
But not in the same way — not even close.
It means the way we fly will have to change
and we’ve had to adapt before.
Take 9/11 for instance.
After the plane hijackings
airport screenings were tightened
and locked cockpits became the industry standard.
A passenger’s attempt to hide a detonator in his shoe
led to more travellers having to take off theirs.
A few years later the UK uncovered a terror plot
that involved smuggling explosive liquids.
t’s one reason why the amount of liquids
we can take on board is still restricted.
And now the security threat is a virus.
It’s a new kind of threat
that’s making air travel weirder than ever.
And here’s more of what you can expect:
obligatory masks, temperature scans
longer check-in and security queues.
And when you board the plane you might even
get handed a face shield or hand sanitiser.
Crew are likely to wear nearly full protective gear
not to mention the fact that the entire aircraft
will have been disinfected.
The industry is trying to build public confidence
to attract more passengers.
But it still has to convince all those people who believe
that planes are just giant germ incubators.
So we asked Boeing about that.
Here’s why.
Air inside the cabin gets sucked through
what are called HEPA filters.
According to Boeing, they remove 99.9% of all bacteria
and viruses, including ones the size of the coronavirus.
The filtered air is then mixed with fresh air from outside
and recirculates back into the cabin.
And the air flows from the ceiling to the floor
meaning germs are harder to spread
from passenger to passenger.
So that’s where things stand now.
But more changes could be on the way.
The UN’s aviation body is suggesting things like
pre-packaged food, taking the bare minimum on board
stuff you can fit under your seat.
And even restricting which bathrooms we can use.
And then there’s the seating.
Social distancing should really apply here too if possible.
But some safety recommendations
just cost the industry too much money.
And they’re unsustainable.
Airlines like WestJet and Air Canada
are already filling those middle seats.
They can’t afford not to.
Others will pass those costs onto consumers.
Right now though some airlines are
discounting tickets to attract customers.
One website has reported price cuts of up to 40%
for European package holidays.
But few expect those low prices to last.
And maybe that’s a good thing.
Look at Barcelona.
Before the pandemic it was getting swamped by tourists
and locals were pushing back.
Even the most remote places have been overrun.
Mount Everest even had a traffic jam.
That’s just what happens when you have hypertourism.
Especially when tickets are cheap.
A lot of airlines are now focused on restarting flights
to only their most profitable destinations.
Canadian Airlines for instance scrapped 30 domestic routes.
And that means fewer options and more expensive tickets.
Flying just became that much more exclusive.
The airline industry has come in for a hard landing.
It’s going to have to adapt to survive.
And us, well, we’re just going to have to adapt.
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