"Apocalyptic. " The term was used by Boeing boss David Calhoun in connection with the situation facing American airlines. According to him, one of the main companies could disappear after a crisis that could last for years, while traffic in September will be 25% lower than it was a year ago.
For the moment, a return to normalcy in the United States is materially unimaginable. We experienced this by using one of New York’s airports, Newark, in New Jersey, in early May. Physical distance measures of 2 meters are imposed on travelers, at check-in, at the police, at security checks. A temperature measurement or even interrogations could be added soon.
These measures make smooth boarding at airports impossible. The latter were already so saturated, before the crisis, that travelers paid supplements to benefit from priority access or enrolled in biometric detection systems to shorten their wait for police control. Without a vaccine or effective treatment, containment measures will last, and we will find ourselves in a system worse than before and almost crippling.
A cartelized sector
The second challenge is staying on the aircraft: passengers are asked to wear the mask, and companies say they do their best to keep the middle seat empty. This promise holds good as long as they have no customers: United Airlines has caused an uproar by shipping full planes from Newark. The company has refused to commit to keeping empty seats, but will allow passengers who want to choose another, less crowded flight. Will fly those who have already had the disease or trust the boss of Boeing, who ensures that "The cabin air is regenerated every three minutes". Added to this is an economic constraint: companies cannot be profitable with planes two-thirds full, unless they raise prices, which were already very high before the crisis, due to the cartelization of the sector.
This requires a resumption of the business trip. This is not obvious, many companies have experienced the deprivation of air travel. The Wall street journal recounted, on May 11, the change in the professional life of Jennifer Kilian, partner of the McKinsey strategic consulting group, who spent her life on planes. The consultant is now hosting teleconferences in her Brooklyn garden and finds creativity has not been affected by distance.
You have 45.52% of this article to read. The suite is reserved for subscribers.
