What Flying Will Look Like After The Coronavirus Crisis

The friendly skies may not appear quite so welcoming in the future. In an effort to get their planes back in the air in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic – and to reassure passengers that it is safe to fly again – airlines are having to rethink how they provide their inflight service.

Some of the airlines in the Middle East – often seen as world leaders in terms of their quality of service – have been unveiling details of their plans over the past few weeks. The changes they are making are the sort of things passengers around the world can expect to face the next time they take a flight.

Pre-boarding temperature checks on passengers are likely to become a routine element of flying and physical distancing indicators will become ubiquitous around airports, as will protective screens at check-in desks and immigration counters. Hamad International Airport in Qatar has started using autonomous robots to disinfect concourses by emitting concentrated UV-C light to tackle infectious microorganisms.

But it is once passengers arrive at the gate and board their flights that the changes are likely to become really apparent.

Dubai-based Emirates, for example, is insisting passengers wear masks during their flights. They will also have to don gloves when passing through the airport in Dubai. To make things a little easier, the airline has started to hand out complimentary hygiene kits to passengers at check-in, with masks, gloves, antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer.

Emirates is employing an additional cabin crew member on all flights over 1.5 hours to ensure the onboard toilets are cleaned regularly. And magazines and other printed material have been withdrawn from flights, although single-use menus and wine lists are still to be given to passengers in the premium cabins.

Cabin baggage allowances are also getting stricter. Emirates says passengers will only be allowed to bring “essential items” onboard, such as a laptop, handbag, briefcase or baby items. Everything else will have to be checked in.

Uniform changes
Crew members will also look rather different. Qatar Airways is one of many airlines rolling out personal protective equipment (PPE) suits for its cabin crew, along with safety goggles, gloves and face masks.

Its inflight service is also being changed to minimize interactions between passengers and crew. In business class, for example, instead of the cabin attendant diligently setting the table before meals, food will be served on a tray and individual cutlery is being replaced with a ‘cutlery wrap’. Shared areas onboard its aircraft have also been closed to ensure social distancing is maintained, meaning the sanctuary of the on-board bar for first and business class passengers is no longer available.

Airlines are alive to the fact that all this might seem rather unnerving for passengers. Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Airways has drawn up what it describes as a “comprehensive health and hygiene program” which, among other things, will include the introduction of multi-lingual “wellness ambassadors” at its home airport and via online channels.

These staff are being trained to provide travel health information to passengers before they take their flight. Once the restrictions which still prevent most flights in and out of Abu Dhabi are lifted, these ambassadors will be on board flights too.

Etihad Aviation Group chief executive officer Tony Douglas says of its passengers “we have a responsibility to protect them, to keep them fully informed.”

Across the industry, airlines have also taken to publicizing how often and thoroughly they clean their planes, the strict hygiene standards at their catering facilities and food testing laboratories and the quality of the air filters they have on their planes.

“Every measure implemented is an additional reduction in risk, and taken altogether, our aim is really to make flying as safe as possible,” says Emirates chief operating officer Adel Al-Redha.

Whether all these measures will be enough to persuade passengers to return to the skies quickly remains to be seen. For those that can afford it, the peace of mind offered by the individual first and business class suites some airlines have on their long-haul services may well start to look more appealing, but economy class passengers on full flights will have little option but to be in close proximity to others.
Forbes

June 05, 2020