Flights will become less comfortable and take longer
It is quite obvious that state authorities will require airports and airlines to adopt strict sanitary measures. As Deutsche Welle notes, this condition is now being set in various European countries for shops and educational institutions that are gradually reopening after quarantine.
Mandatory wearing of masks on airplanes
Germany's air transport enterprises, interested in the earliest possible resumption of their business, decided to take the initiative and put forward their own proposals. Reporting on the 20-point plan presented by airlines and airports, the German news agency dpa warns future air passengers in advance: get ready for new rules before your next flight.
The most visible change will likely be the mandatory wearing of protective masks throughout the entire flight — at least from the moment boarding is announced until exiting the aircraft. Such a proposal does not seem unexpected, because in Germany all residents are now required to wear masks on public transport and in shops. However, on an airplane, passengers will have to remain in masks continuously for one to several hours, which will make the flight less comfortable.
Social distancing in airports
Most of the plan's points concern passengers' time in the airport terminal. For example, it is proposed to require them, as is already customary in shops, to maintain physical distance in queues at check-in counters, in the baggage screening area, before passport control, in departure lounges ("holding areas"), and at baggage claim.
To ensure social distancing, airports and airlines will have to create the necessary conditions: reconfigure existing spaces or free up additional ones, increase the number of operating check-in counters, and apply appropriate markings. It is also proposed to let passengers into various zones and onto the plane in small groups.
One of the points provides for an increase in the number of buses transporting passengers of a single flight to the aircraft. All this will require a large amount of staff.
The presented plan also includes the following measure: require passengers, already during online check-in before the flight, to certify that they are not suffering from contagious diseases and specifically COVID-19. Selective temperature checks for departing passengers are also possible.
At the same time, Germany's air transport enterprises did not pick up on an idea previously expressed by the head of British low-cost carrier Easyjet, Johan Lundgren. He proposed simply not selling tickets for the middle seat of three in the cabin of the airliner, thereby ensuring distance between passengers throughout the flight.
"This would immediately reduce the number of seats on airplanes by a third," notes dpa. In other words, it would reduce the airline's potential revenue by a third. The agency refers to narrow-body medium-haul airliners, in which each row has three seats on either side of the aisle.
The measures presented to the German government are initially designed for six weeks. Their authors apparently assume that after this period it will become clear how effective they are and how they should be adjusted. Similar proposals have already been made at the European Union level. The German authorities will likely strive to adopt at least uniform rules for the entire EU.
The proposed measures do not seem unexpected or radical, but they will with high probability have unpleasant consequences for air passengers. First, the total time of air travel will increase significantly because all processes at airports will inevitably slow down, so passengers will have to arrive there with even more time to spare than before.
Airfare may rise
This will increase the competitiveness of high-speed trains on intra-European and especially intra-German routes, possibly including night trains with sleeping cars, especially since in an individual compartment there is much less risk of infection than in an airplane cabin. All this could bring closer the achievement of one of the goals of climate activists: to end air travel within Germany.
Second, the proposed measures, especially if they remain in place longer than six weeks (which should probably be assumed), could lead to higher flight costs. After all, airports' expenses will increase, for example, on staff and the same additional buses for transporting passengers in small groups. Airports will likely try to pass at least part of these costs on to airlines by increasing airport charges, and airlines to their customers.
At the same time, the slowdown in the boarding and deplaning process (especially if authorities also require disinfection of the cabin after each flight) will hit the business model of low-cost carriers, very popular in Europe, which involves minimizing the time spent at the airport to reduce parking fees. However, there is hope that significantly cheaper aviation fuel will compensate airlines for additional costs and even allow them not to raise prices, especially in the initial phase of attracting former customers.
But when will planes start flying regularly again in Europe? The German authorities have not yet said anything about possible timelines. Spain announced that it will not accept foreign tourists in 2020. And Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz stated on April 21 that he considers the resumption of international air traffic in the medium and long term possible only between countries with a successful strategy against COVID-19. Kurz clarified that he means countries where either the virus has been completely defeated or the number of infected people is very low.
If we proceed from such criteria, then large-scale restoration of air traffic in Europe is still very far away.
However, on April 22, EU Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean said on Twitter that Brussels is currently working on a strategy to resume air travel in the EU, which "will likely be presented by mid-May." According to her, the European Commission is currently studying proposals regarding rules for maintaining distance in airports and on planes, wearing masks, and disinfection measures.