Travel under COVID-19

The Polish news platform Onet looks into measures the flight industry might have to implement in order to stop the spread of coronavirus after restrictions on commercial flights are lifted. Following the rules of physical distancing, the airlines are already starting to leave the middle seats empty. However, for the airline to make enough profit from a flight, 70% of the seats have to be taken. Consequently, the airlines will have to make plane tickets more expensive. This effect will mostly concern low-cost airlines that operate planes with less space and smaller seats and where it is more difficult to keep enough distance between the passengers. Higher airfares are one of the many implications of COVID-19 crisis, which might make flying an unaffordable luxury for many.  

The Portuguese paper Expresso runs an article on the challenges the travel and tourism industry may face this summer. The article starts off by warning that it is unlikely that the high temperatures in the summer will stop the pandemic. At the same time, scientists are divided as to whether COVID-19 could be a seasonal virus or not. Meanwhile, most flights are suspended until June but if  the spread of the virus continues to slow, airlines could start operating again this summer. The European Commission has put forward a roadmap proposing to lift lockdown restrictions gradually. According to the plan, travel between Member States should resume first, before travel to countries outside the EU. Airlines are already preparing for the return of air traffic and are coming up with different solutions to ensure a safe travel environment, including the measurement of passenger's temperature, COVID-19 testing with immediate results and mandatory masks.

9 million French people went abroad in 2019, but with coronavirus it is unclear if the French will be able to spend their holidays abroad this year. With so many cases of the virus in Europe, several countries fear a second wave the of the epidemic will follow, impacting tourist activity and population movements. CNews reports that the Spanish government is studying the possibility of closing its borders to foreigners this summer, depriving French tourists of the Spanish coast. Many European borders remain closed until further notice, undermining the Schengen area and free movement. It is unclear when borders will reopen, as even Member States who have started to come out of lockdown have yet express when and how they will open their borders. The EU has defended a coordinate approach, but has not given a specific timetable. According to the plan, the EU's external borders should only be opened once internal borders are dealt with. The World Tourism Organization estimates that the number of international tourists will drop between 20% and 30% compared to 2019. 

The Local Sweden reports that Norwegian Air has filed for bankruptcy in Denmark and Sweden for its staffing subsidiaries. This means around three quarters of pilots and crews will lose their jobs. Norwegian Air states that the financial support packages offered by the Swedish and Danish governments have not been generous enough to keep pilots and cabin crews employed. Norway on the other hand has agreed to pay all salary related costs for staff while furloughed. Jacob Schram, Norwegian Air’s chief executive apologised for the consequences the decision will have and states that he is working hard to get Norwegian through the crisis. The company also ended staffing deals with OSM Aviation, which supplies Norwegian with crew based in Spain, UK, Finland, Sweden and the US. The bankruptcy has affected 1,571 pilots and 3,134 cabin crew, dwindling their employees to 700 pilots and 1,300 cabin crew in Norway, France and Italy, where they will be kept on.