Aviation

Fasten your seat belts, welcome to air travel 2.0

aeroplanes flight air travel

When the aviation sector finally gets to operate globally – though no one knows when that would be – there could be some remarkable changes in the way we fly.

Here are some of the possibilities:

·     Most likely you will be wearing a mask

·     Middle seats will be empty

·     Many short haul flights may not have cabin service

·     The flight attendant will also be wearing a mask

·     Queue at immigration will take longer to clear

·     Social distancing at every stage

·     Border control will have mandatory swab tests

·     Quarantine will be a norm, even if you test negative at the airport

·     Certificate of immunity may become mandatory

·     More documentation to secure visas

·     While packing, people will carry more wet-wipes to clean down surfaces

·     Airlines may relax rules and allow for bottles that can carry more than 100ml of sanitiser

·     More people will take travel/flight insurance

·     Co-passengers will not tolerate you sneezing/coughing

·     Carriers may advertise and claim superior air quality

·     The middle seat may be reversed to isolate passengers. This may involve the Janus seating where there are barriers surround the seats so you’re not in your seatmate’s airspace. The other option is Glassafe, which resembles vertical sneeze guards between seats.

·     Possibility of a new cabin employee, the sky janitor

·     Pre-flight sanitation will assume greater significance

·     Disinfecting trays near security conveyor belt

·     Baggage sanitation clearance

·     Possible introduction of `health passport’, a record of your vaccinations

·     Best of all, flights will be cheaper in the interim