The news from various airlines on how to protect their passengers is mind-boggling! Even though there are still serious concerns over the coronavirus and how it so quickly spread around the world, we seem to have overlooked how it actually occurred.
Without getting into geo-political discussions, I will outline the facts that are evident and, for some incomprehensible reason, overlooked by some major US Airlines.
There is no doubt that the US and the rest of the world need to recover from the pandemic, however, how we accomplish this must be part of an overall strategy. Social distancing seems to be the only agreed-upon method to reduce the spread of the virus!
So how to explain the fact that a few major US Airlines have announced that they have taken action to reduce the problem of close proximity seating by, and listen to the words – We will not sell the middle seat in a three-abreast seating configuration – unless we have to!
Yes, we have asked that everyone on our flights, wear face masks! Ok, this is only one factor that may mitigate the spread of the virus among the passengers seated so close together. The rest of the statements put out by the airlines are so ridiculous in their entirety, they are absolutely meaningless, and defeats the purpose of social distancing.
As an aviation professional and staunch supporter of the airline industry, it still baffles me that the airlines have managed to overlook their involvement with the initial spread of the virus. While the global movement of people has slowed dramatically and affected the entire airline industry, there is still the overwhelming fact that the threat of the infection has not been eliminated.
So why is this rush to try and get back to normalcy so urgent! Are we in a new era that teaches us that profits and business take precedence over the value of human life? Are our lives no longer that important to the administrations that are promoting the “back to business as usual?”
Back to the airline industry, and the incomprehensible position they find themselves in today and possibly for many years to come. How is the industry going to recover, and when is this likely to happen.
In a recent aviation news article, the financial guru Warren Buffet sold all of his shares in the four major US airlines that his company had invested – All 8 billion dollars!
Could this be an indication of the shape of things to come for the entire industry?
Another recent article by a respected columnist floated the idea that one of the major airlines in the country may not survive the pandemic! That would be another financial disaster for the economic recovery and thousands of lost jobs and careers.
Submitted by
Dave Rohee
Aviation writer for Modelworksdirect.com
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