Legroom in coach?!? Sign me up!
So we know know that it takes a pandemic to fly comfortably.
1
Come on, guys. Southwest "offers virtually no international service?"
No latter day Pan Am, but try these: Aruba, Bahamas, Belize, Cayman Islands, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Mexico, Turks & Caicos.
8
The blue collar billionaire listens to know one who has a blue collar. He will stir them up for entertainment at one of his rallies though.
2
In this particular case, it appears a karmic comeuppance for the greedy airlines who never met a service they couldn’t turn into an add-on fee.
26
Maybe the airlines will stop price gouging their passengers, in other words, a dose of humility can go a long way....
20
Boy, readers sure are naive. Or maybe just consumed with hatred towards business and 'evil' corporations. I would remind you that the airline industry (just about any industry) is dependent on others, and impacts others. Businesses are inter-related. When the auto industry was in trouble, it impacted many businesses and industries. And jobs.
Many rejoice that there will be fewer flights, and hope that people just stay home. Don't fly or drive and climate will be better, maybe fixed if you believe the likes of AOC, that bartender from Queens. But in reality, millions will be impacted and lose their jobs. Companies could go under completely if it lasts long enough. Entire countries that have climbed out of poverty may crash. No money, no food, no water. This is not something to cheer for!
Hoping that people stop looking to kill industries and attack business as if everything would be great if we all just worked for the government doing... ?
4
This reaction is the tip of the iceberg for many industries. Travel industry (including cruise lines, airlines, hotels) will be severely impacted. I suspect restaurant revenues will decline sharply. I have bailed out of almost all my stocks. Possible exceptions are firms that are in eCommerce and sell online (e.g. Amazon). Federal reserve interest rate cuts buoyed the markets for about an hour. Federal deficits will be enormous.
With forced workplace quarantines, employment incomes and levels may well decline significantly.
President Trump will be severely tested. He is already setting up excuses, rationalizations and muzzling flow of official coronavirus information.
Financial, healthcare, social and political institutions will be impacted. I suspect Trump will not be re-elected regardless of his responses and regardless as to who the Democrats nominate.
11
Airfares are super cheap. I just booked a trip to California at a rate I haven’t seen since post 9/11. If you’re frightened by Coronavirus, by all means shelter at home. If you are adventurous, this is the best time to book travel in a generation. My feeling is that whatever you do, there’s a chance you might get sick, but it’s a certainty that eventually you will be too old to travel. The people you meet on your travels now will be brave and maybe people who want to see the world while it’s cheap, and not the tourists who overcrowd tourist sites.
13
@Rick Sure, brave Rick. Just do us a favor and get tested first to confirm you’re not an asymptomatic carrier — because the elderly person or compromised health person with whom you come into contact during/after your travels may not be so lucky.
19
Part 1
From the start I have appealed for action and have given advice how to halt the spread or at least slow it down, now we are at the point where everybody is panicking.
It could be true that Corona is nothing more than the flu, and most people either will never get it , or will get mild cases.
But the key now is to stop the panic and fear.
Radical steps are now needed. Time is of the essence.
We must protect the states and cities that do not have Corona, they should ban flights from states that have it. For two weeks. Anybody who has traveled to an area with Corona, and that now includes NYCY, immediate two week quarantine.
No unnecessary travel , only essential travel anywhere in the United States for two weeks
No hoarding rules on essential supplies put into immediate affect
In cities where Corona is spreading
First, if you are sick, even if it’s the sniffles, stay home self quarantined stay home till your symptoms disappear . Your enployervcan not fire you.
This by itself will help stop the spread in a big way
For two weeks no large gathering of any kind
This by itself will stop the spread.
If it gets much worse, by Monday, close all schools, all houses of worship, all movie theaters, Broadway shows, etc, for two weeks
Two weeks is the key, let’s slow this down for two weeks, giving us time to create new tests, and test kits, hazmat suits , face masks, everything that is needed . Give us that time
Do these things and people will be less afraid.
7
@Lonnie Unless everyone is tested we have no way of knowing who all may be an asymptomatic carrier. Just because it hasn’t officially been discovered in a state doesn’t mean it’s not there. Coronavirus doesn’t pay attention to stop signs or state borders. There are people who continue to test positive after their two weeks of quarantine. We don’t yet know all that we need to know about this virus and should proceed with humility and err on the side of caution.
6
@Lonnie what about driving interstate? Trucks? Trains?
3
I refuse to ride on a "virus tube" to see my parents in Maui even with the dirt cheap fares being offered, because the conditions are usually horrific on the plane to get there. The seat areas are usually dirty. Way too crowded and that recirculated air. If someone is sick, their germs become yours. Even with a mask and sanitizer, it seems a risk I won't be willing to take. Yuck!
11
Between Covid19 and the abysmal "Max" failure for Boeing, this industry, both entry and exit, is in grave shape. Boy is it ever expensive to keep a massive inventory of unsold planes or unfilled ones idle. The figures are staggering, and there is little we can do about that; and it has just begun.
Buckle up for bankruptcies, takeovers, consolidation, tremendous job losses and huge fare increases when this subsides - and who knows when that will be.
It's very sad, and the contagion issue is no one's fault (certainly NOT the Democrats, as Trump toots). Boeing is another issue altogether.
As far as I am concerned, and I hate to admit it, I'm not going anywhere in a flying cigar tube with recirculated air and people that cannot be successfully screened on EVERY flight, even if we had the ability to do so - which we don't. A negative on Tuesday may become a positive on Wednesday - that's the nature of the beast, and air travel, from anywhere, is the big equalizer of viral epidemics.
Remember, those in First Class are breathing the same air as those sitting in the last row next to the WCs and visa versa. You can't step our for a jaunt of fresh air at 35,000 feet.
20
Americans don't expect a Magic wond to make this all go away. What do do expect is the Administration to calm fears and still project concern for all American's health. Health Experts say one thing the President and his administration cronies say another. This will cause Americans to be uneasy, fear of travel and Markets to go haywire.
7
This has everything to do with the economic aspects of the outbreak and nothing to do with the evil airlines getting their "come-uppins" after how they treated Aunt Nancy on her last flight. "....airports support ecosystems of restaurants, stores, taxis and hotels that will all be affected if air travel remains depressed. European airports and related businesses support almost 12.5 million jobs, worth some $758 billion, according to the Economic Impact of European Airports study."
2
Blame President Trump, whats else is new?
Don't like flying, then drive.
Too many people with too much free time.
1
@lucy , well I always doubted I could find a worse curmudgeon than myself but I guess I was wrong.
We're blaming the Administrations response and, yes, that belongs to Trump. He wants credit for the market going up but not down. And all he can do is tell us it's the Democrats and that we have a very small chance of dying. What a fool.
And if you think that people flying have too much time on their hands well my guess it's time you stepped out of the 1800's and into today.
Time is precious and the one thing you and I and everyone else will never get any more of.
8
Trump is telling us that the coronavirus will go away as if by magic. Trump's coronavirus czar can't find the CDC website.
What if the prevalence of coronavirus infections is related to the paucity of valid testing that we are doing? Once widespread testing is implemented, could we see an explosion in cases?
I saw that 20% of people who contract the virus could need to be hospitalized. There are fewer than 800,000 staffed beds in all US community hospitals. So if only 10% of the U.S. population comes down with coronavirus, where are we going to put everyone who gets seriously ill?
The coronavirus fatality rate is around15% for people over 80. Why aren't we moving aggressively to implement public health protocols for all US nursing homes? There are 1.4 million nursing home residents, the vast majority of whom are frail elderly. One or two infected residents could infect an entire facility.
While Trump speaks of magical cures, what are the grown ups actually doing?
22
@Scott B My 93 yo mother has been in a nursing home for several years. Every winter, they are closed to outside visitors for up to two weeks due to the flu. During that time, residents remain in their rooms as the common areas are also closed. They have protocols in place because state law regarding infectious diseases requires it. The frail elderly are obviously at high risk, but the health care workers are at risk as well.
26
@Kathleen I'm glad that your mother is getting conscientious care. I hope that is true elsewhere.
10
This might be a good thing. But dollars-to-donuts the airlines will raise checked luggage fees, stop serving snacks and get rid of the seats - so if you want a seat you pay.
13
Less airplanes flying means carbon emissions.
6
@Jennifer
FEWER airlines flying means lower carbon emissions.
19
The eight thousand wuhan residents that left before the lockdown (most likely for scheduled vacations) and came to the US, were not followed up by homeland security because the airline industry did not provide them with email addresses and telephone contact numbers for their passengers.
When asked for current data on passengers from Italy and Iran, the industry has stated that it would take them one year to create systems to track this data. WELL, JUST GIVE HOMELAND SECURITY THE INFO YOU DO HAVE... and get your programmers working on it STAT or, and ask your attorneys if you don't believe me, YOU WILL BE SUED by everyone in the US
8
@smithe Hie a couple of smart high school kids and they'll get it done.
1
After years and years of gouging us, the airlines should have more than sufficient reserves to deal with a rainy spell. Don’t you dare seek financial aid from the Government. We owe you nothing.
Meanwhile, this is a breathe of fresh air for the environment and an opportunity to rethink how we travel.
29
What is the US postal service doing to prevent the spread of the coronavirus ?
If the mail person coughs or sneezes in his mail truck are all the envelopes /packages contaminated and for how long ?
https://www.kiro7.com/news/local/local-usps-employee-tests-positive-coronavirus/XLKCBEXO5FFJ3DRQSBHNACPW2M/
5
@libel
Very frightening observation. Remember the anthrax scare? Mail can be used to transmit virtually undetectable toxic viruses. Of course the perpetrator would have to have access to the virus.
2
So Covid-19 has temporarily slashed humans’ poisoning of the skies of our gravely sick earth.
12
US airlines gouge us, put us in inhumane space, treat us like cattle and now want sympathy for losing money?
26
@Eric Harold They are not losing money, they are making less. So they are crying " look ma, I have fewer people I can extort, I need help!!!"
2
I flew out of JFK yesterday on a flight to Richmond, Virginia. The airport looked like a ghost town. Very eerie.
My concern is not for the airline industry but for the whole United States whose lives are in the hands of the ineptitude of the Trump administration. The CDC botched the initial response to the virus with a flawed test and its restrictions on who was eligible for testing. Trump is a pathological liar so half the country sees his mouth moving and knows he is lying. Not helpful during a pandemic.
I only want to hear from Dr. Fauci. Trump dismantled Obama’s plan to deal with health threats such as Covid-19, in which one person was in charge of communicating with all other agencies, so it was a carefully coordinated response. Trump despises government agencies and we will literally pay a price for that.
The airlines are the least of our problems. I am not concerned about their profits. A friend of mine and her husband had to fly from Boston to D.C. for a funeral. Jet Blue charged her $1,000 for round-trip tickets.
I worry about loves that will be lost because of Trump’s botched response to a pandemic. This will reveal the very dark side of a norm-busting president who has no respect for planning, organization, science and democratic bureaucracy. The airlines will survive. Will we?
29
I am encouraged by comments which demonstrate a commitment to our planet and each other as possible outcome of this virus, survival and equity rather greed.
9
It is sooooo hard to feel sorry for the airlines. Two weeks ago, my spouse flew to Florida for a reunion with her siblings only to discover that one came down with the flu. My spouse decided to come home rather than risk contracting the flu and be detailed for several days. The airline didn't care and charged over $300 to change her ticket. It cost the airline next to nothing to change her flights.
I am a retired Air Force officer and I can tell you that I would rather fly cross country sitting in a web seat on a C-130 than be treated like self loading freight by an airline.
43
I have no sympathy for the airline industry at all. They eye-gouge us flyers on a daily basis and put more restrictions on us more and more every time we fly. We can't even switch flights within 24hrs anymore because we bought the lowest ticket price. Even though they have empty seats, can't do it. Let them go broke and maybe it'll open more competition and the major airlines go broke or lower their prices and stop with the eye-gouging.
32
I wonder how the airlines would be handling the coronavirus if the Airlines (FAA) had not been deregulated in the 1980s. Would there be a difference?
9
I hope all this panic doesn't result in airlines being forced to do "deep cleaning" after every flight - it would cause the cost of air travel to become impossible for most of us. After all, do your restaurants, movie theaters and schools deep clean every day? Airplanes are not the only place you can encounter germs!
2
our Main enemy right now is fear, the mind runs wild at times like this, the fear is heavy in the air because nothing is being done, right now Corona isn’t just the biggest story it’s the only story.
Corona will be mild to very healthy people, but the more things you have wrong the more dangerous it becomes. Especially if you have lung issues, even diabetes can be very dangerous, you need your body working at 100 percent efficiency . I am taking the next two weeks off work, for the most part the weather will be nice , I plan to walk 4 mile a day, than up it, and exercise and rest . I am preparing my body for the fight of its life.
If you smoke stop smoking
Eat less, and eat healthy
Get plenty of sleep and rest
Use this crises as a springboard to good health
I wish there was a law about spitting on the sidewalk, and spitting in general , but since there doesn’t seem to be, as soon as you enter the house remove your shoes . Always have a bucket of clorox mixed with water, swab the area you put your shoes. Or spray them with Lysol especially the soles.
If you are worried about tap water, boil it .
Do not get within 6 feet of a fellow human, and we no longer need to chat, people sometimes spit when they talk. Definitely do not shake hands, Corona gets under the fingernails.
Clorox wipes and Lysol are now essential products, the factories must be expanded and work 24 hours a day ,mask and gloves too.
5
@Lonnie
Truly sensible advice.
1
What a great break for climate change by shutting down the worst polluters.
17
@Richard
Airlines are not the worst polluters. Twice as much GHG emissions (at least) from gas field plumes for absolutely no freaking reason (other than laziness and lack of regulations), see:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/12/12/climate/texas-methane-super-emitters.html
That is useless and preventable.
A great deal of emissions also are due to inefficient buildings -- more costly to control than the plumes, but also useless and preventable.
Airline travel is not useless and is not "preventable" in the sense that there are no viable alternatives right now. Human contact is kinda important. Anyone who hasn't hugged a loved family member for years can back me up. (Also highly important for business negotiations.)
We need to stop with the demonizing of airline travel when it is legitimately useful and accounts for a much smaller fraction of emissions than stupid preventable things.
4
When the airlines need sympathy they find that long suffering fliers who have been abused by them are totally unsympathetic.
35
Is this where we going to get socialism for the rich(bailout) and capitalism for the poor(canceled plans, no refund)?
19
Think of the reduction in everyone’s carbon footprint! Mother Nature knows how to balance her planet better than we humans could ever do. Greta Thunberg might be able to get some rest this year.
12
@ABaron
See my above reply to @Richard. Will this make a small difference in GHG emissions? Sure. Are there more meaningful and less economically and socially disruptive solutions to address climate change? Also yes.
Also:
Population reduction is Nature's way of balancing the planet... I wish we could solve it ourselves by actually supporting women's reproductive freedom globally (like simple birth control access), but maybe the balance will be restored by a virus.
3
This industry has price gouged its customers, crammed more into a plane than should be humanly possible - they deserve no bailout
22
I drive on the Mad Max freeways of Atlanta every day where you can actually get maimed or killed. I have no fear of flying and certainly no fear of getting a flu-like virus on an airplane. I guess fear is relative and the current virus panic seems weirdly overblown.
5
If there's ANY silver lining here, perhaps it is that there will be a reduction in carbon emissions to help slow our greatest existential threat of all time--climate change--at least for a little while. Hoping that when folks vote in the US this fall, they will remember exactly who our current president is--a man who refuses to recognize global warming and take real action against it--while dismantling agencies that the Obama administration put in place to handle pandemics like the Coronavirus....And here we are....
17
Airlines ought to get together and recoup their money from China, the originator of the coronavirus.
2
Missing from this article is any investigation of whether or not the threat of contacting the corona virus while flying is real. Editors---where are you?
That said, I weep few tears for an industry that has spent more than a decade raising fees, cramping planes, and making travel expensive, inconvenient, and dismal for travelers. The chickens have come home to roost. I am sure there is enough stashed profits to get them through this. Hopefully with some lessons learned about how to build better treatment of the public.
23
The737- Max certification date will slip again. Boeing’s chief executive , David L. Calhoun, told the NY Times ”the Max might be approved sometime this summer, pushing back again the likely return of the plane by six months.”
This change will be a be ”a blessing in disguise” for an industry that is likely to be devastated in the Spring and Summer by falling passenger and freight traffic. The Covid-19 virus will hit traffic demand like a tsunami. It is March, time people should be planning their Spring and Summer holidays. Would you plan a trip today? We all know the answer is NO. The Max Capacity will better serve the industry requirements by picking up dust on the parking fields in the U.S. Southwest than flying the friendly skies.
1
“In little over two months..." a projected 2020, "potential revenue drop of more than $100 billion," by the airline industry?
Where will we be at two months from now? Streaming past Jupiter? If I was in a position of influence I would have already assembled (many weeks ago) and be conducting a growing detailed international collaborative examination of what had happened, how it had happened, and making diligent efforts to draw ongoing conclusions to guide a worldwide response funded by the advanced countries, the US foremost among them. Making mistakes is one thing. Failing to learn from them (coverup) is another.
Sadly, that does not appear to be happening. What's the cost of reactive sloth? Right now it's looking like lives and trillions of dollars.
For anyone expressing fears of panic, I would have to respond that panic comes when the public feels that the emergency continues unabated and leadership fails to lead. It's at that point that the outlook of "every man for himself" swamps preceding complacency and the stores are swept clean of essentials. That sounds like a description of where the world is headed right now.
There's a vacuum of intelligent leadership at the highest levels. Pence's contradictory remarks concerning coronavirus test kits underscore that fact. The man in charge says "get tested" then a few hours later admits that the number of test kits is completely inadequate for the foreseeable future. This crisis is a moving target and that target is you.
13
I feel bad for the businesses in the "ecosystem" of the flying industry, but not a whit for the airlines. Their greed has turned flying over the years into an unpleasant, uncomfortable, often unbearable experience.
28
Who new coronavirus could be so complicated?
2
It is amazing to see how nature could disturbed the economy. A few years ago a volcanic eruption in Iceland caused airplane companies to cancel or reduce service. Now this is an invisible virus. Once again we are realizing that despite all the technologies we have build through the ages that nature could imposed his rule on the world.
18
U.S. airlines do not properly clean the seating areas. I've found food stuck on the seats and food wrappers stuffed here and there. I wipe down the screen, armrest, and tray table, and the cloth often comes up with visible dirt on it. The floors seem to be vacuumed. Please, airlines, do a better job. And, another improvement would be not to let passenger come on overloaded with baggage. Enforce the one bag carry on rule.
15
@an observer
It sounds like the crews that come onto the plane to “clean” once passengers disembark are not doing their job.
3
@an observer The first line of defense, the cleaning crew, is paid the least. And yet our expectations are sky high. Get real!
8
@Homer The staff is working incredibly hard, but they're given insufficient time between flights. Have you ever noticed that when you're at the gate, people stream off the flight and then they start boarding the same plane 20 minutes later? It's impossible to thoroughly clean a plane in that time; the cleaning staff barely has time to pick up visible garbage, do a light vacuum, and clean/restock the bathrooms.
13
I’ve always felt at risk of getting I’ll after flying. At least three times I have, twice a serious flu like illness and two years ago a viral bronchitis pneumonia like illness directly related to being stuck on tarmac for hours prior to an international flight while a passenger nearby coughed incessantly with a heavy mucus sound. I became quite ill with same within 48 hrs. of arrival at destination. The airlines do a lousy job of protecting passengers and cleaning planes. Squeezing us into smaller and smaller spaces. They should not allow sick people to board and fly and contaminate everyone else. Greed. Maybe a wake up call for the industry.
16
@Marlene S
The CEOs should be flying in the economy cabin. If its good enough for we customers it should be good enough for the airline administrators.
13
Airplanes have always been places in which communicable diseases run rampant. Seating that squeezes you between two people so close that you are breathing into each other's face, air recycled and full of other people's germs as well as yours, lavatories that are simply open cesspools.
I traveled some by air when I was younger and it wasn't that pleasant and it has gotten worse with the scaling down of seating room.
I got no sympathy.
25
We flew back to Pittsburgh from Florida on Delta this past Monday and the flight was full and they were asking for people to postpone their trip.
Obviously things change really fast with new warnings coming through each day. We are now wondering if we will be able to take trips that we have planned for later this summer.
This is a very strange time.
8
I have full confidence that airlines will survive by finding new ways of providing lousy service, squeezing dollars out of their customers (a dollar every time you inhale during flight, and two dollars for exhaling while boarding).
I fully expect to see standing room only aircraft, passengers with elbows tied, and bathroom facilities at $100 a pop. All their profits are now coming from charging for checked in bags - some model!
The corona virus is a global tragedy, but it is hard to sympathize with airlines. Customers are now paying for their profits despite lousy service, and for the profits of every service like Expedia who has figured out a way to gain advantage over airlines' predatory pricing.
31
It would be interesting to receive a study on how much the carbon footprint is diminished due to travel reductions for airline, shipping, trucking, taxi, etc. as a result of coronavirus.
Perhaps this is an odd conjecture, but a reduction in loss of life and medical illnesses per the effects of pollution from the transportation sector might balance out against the loss of life per corona virus. Interesting....hmmm...
22
@Que Viva! Interesting, yes. But not to the poor person who dies from COVID-19.
I’m reading some of the comments slamming the airline industry and all I can do is shake my head (and write this comment). I’m a soon to be retired airline captain, been in the industry for 33 years working for the airline that is probably the most responsible for bringing affordable flying to the general public. The convenience that modern air travel offers us is often overlooked because you have to put up with a screaming kid. You can now fly cross country for a couple hundred dollars, if you book right. Try driving across the country for that sum. Several days with hotels vs. a few hours on a plane. And by the way, it wasn’t that long ago the same trip would have taken six months in a covered wagon if you survived it. And as far as fuel consumption, if you fly a mostly full airplane from point A to point B the plane uses less fuel than if those same passengers paired up 2 to a car that gets 25 mpg and drove the same distance. I’ve done the math. Every day I go to work I look forward to serving our wonderful passengers that put food on my table and I know that most of the folks I work with feel the same. Nothing is perfect and in an environment as dynamic as aviation things sometimes go wrong. We employees don’t like it either. But we appreciate the business and in the not too distant future we’ll be looking at the corona virus in the rear view mirror (I know, jets don’t have rear view mirrors).
145
Two of my nephews are pilots, and we have 2 flight attendants in extended family. I really appreciate how hard you work!
13
@Dan Thanks for getting us from Point A to Point B. Have fun with retirement.
12
You’ve listed the big reasons that people still put up with the unpleasantness of modern air travel. None of it excuses money gouging, rudeness, lost luggage, squeezing ever more bodies into ever more cramped quarters, etc. Airlines don’t do what they do to be nice to their passengers. Enough with the self-righteous indignation.
43
Yes, that will be tough for the Airline Industries . As the coronavirus will be hard one to figure out & fly safely without getting sick or being put in quarantined somewhere. And for those who complain on conditions on flying now, that is understandable. And I was lucky to enjoy & I lived way back when when flying was in its golden age unlike now... So thats way I have almost 300 k on my car! lol
7
On a good day, airplanes are cesspools of germs simply because the airlines don't clean them. How often have you heard someone say, "I got sick on the plane"? The airline's attitude toward our health and the sanitation of their planes is to my observation non-existent. They just pack us in as closely as possible, like sardines, clean seats or not. Fill em up, empty, reload. I travel a fair amount. Long before it became fashionable, I started wiping down everything in arms-length with disinfecting wipes often to the eye-rolling gazes of fellow passengers. Travel on an airline on a good day is always putting oneself at risk for illness. I'd like a reporter to find out how often airlines routinely go through their planes and clean the seats? Like really clean the seats. I bet the answer is alomst never. Anyone who travels often has already figured that out. So why, when we know the planes are filthy to begin with, would we travel on a plane when there's a strong possibilitiy we could pick up a potentially deadly virus? I won't be traveling anywhere anytime soon unless I absolutely have to. That's for sure.
40
@JEL
The airline industry has now learned that they will need to deep clean their planes in the future between flights or they will have no customers.
Oh, they don't have time between flights. Duh... that is the airline's fault. They need to schedule flights so that there is adequate time to deep clean the plane between scheduled flights. This might cut into their profit a bit since each plane may lose one flight a day. But, I, as well as all the rest of us, know that the airline company cares more about their customer, than their bottom line. Why else would we fly them.
14
We flew from Cancun to JFK on last Friday and both airports & the Jet Blue plane were very full. Seasonal influenza, with hundreds of thousands of infections, is still the major public health issue. Prevention practices are similar & helpful, scaring people about new shiny objects is not.
8
So are airline employees still working? Are schedules reassigned? What is happening to the employees?
What about theaters, museums, restaurants, stores? Are they cancelling events in larger cities?
Airline employees lost their jobs in the recession. One of my relatives who had been a pilot a long time was out of work over a year when Midwest Airlines, out of Wisconsin, shut down. His fellow pilots scattered worldwide literally to find work. It was awful. Families torn. Now they’ve recovered, and then coronavirus! Who would guess?
2
@MIMA
There are other jobs available. I hear the hospitals are hiring workers to deep clean.
3
I know it sounds unthinkable, but what if we simply would all ignore the virus and let it roll. Just the same way we we treat the flu. Just doing some usual hygiene measures like washing hands. No quarantine. No panic. No cancellation of 30 percent of flights and closing borders.
Let’s say 10,000 would die from it in the US. (Right now I think 10 died).
10,000 sounds horrible. But considering that the ordinary flu kills 20000 in one season. In the US alone, it sounds not too outlandish. Considering that already now multiple times more people are infected with the virus but don’t see a doctor because of the mild symptoms - the percentage of people dying likely is much lower than the estimated 2 percent.
What would we get on the upside? Of course saving multi billions of money, avoiding ruining hundreds of businesses (just think of the tourist industry which is completely down), also reducing the global stress level of everyone (which for sure already has led to collateral heart attacks).
Ironically no cases of the virus have been reported in Africa. The continent which usually is the place for “deadly virus stories”. But I guess they wouldn’t even notice if the corona virus would widely spread there because it’s symptoms are in general so minor that - as a disease - it would look ridiculously harmless compared to the health challenges most African countries face every day. Looking at the map of corona - it feels like a luxury virus problem.
8
@Oliver "what if we simply would ... let it roll" - a very good question! But you argue in favor because you expect economic advantages and, I think, without considering current evidence as to the consequences.
Covid-19 is different from the common flue in many respects (lacking immunity, mortality rates, ...)
We need to expect that 40-70% of the population will get it, sooner or later. If we "let it roll" , it will be sooner, like within this year, probably in two waves. Even if 80% of those infected would not need medical treatment, that would have an impact on mortality, as the medical system would be (even more) overwhelmed - not enough respirators and beds in intensive care (and probably much of the personell either in quarantine or being the worst spreaders).
As far as we know, the mortality is likely to be 7-10 times higher than that of the flu. Say, 0,7% (if severe cases can be properly treated. Or much more, as per the above.)
If you calculate that for Germany at 83 million inhabitants, it would be around 500 000 dead (about 87% of the dead older than 60). You do the math for the US.
There is EVERY reason to slow it down as much as possible, so that a) medical facilities and personell will not be overwhelmed by the numbers, b) respirators, masks and protective gear for medical personell can be manufactured and distributed, and c) with luck, we will have some medication for a better treatment. (no vaccination until after the summer of 2021, at best).
9
@Oliver There have been cases in Africa for over a week now...
3
@Oliver There is a circulating theory that follows your thoughts exactly. Less people will die directly from the virus if we let it go (to some degree) than would die from trying to control it (which we probably cant) and then die indirectly from the global economy shutting down. It's somewhat of an inhumane way of looking at it, but it does make sense from a purely Capitalistic point.
Old folks mostly will die from it. "Clear out the dead wood", the theory proposes. "Older people don't add much to the world economy and are actually a drag on it." It's a let's kill grandma theory. Besides, since we humans have eradicated so many of the diseases and controlled a lot of the factors that control human population growth, it's time we thinned out the population. I don't subscribe to it, but I can see the twisted logic of it.
It's mighti scary that some people are thinking that way, but let's face it, they are. China would do a lot better without their hundreds of millions of non-productive older people. And gee, the Republicans have been looking for ways to knock off recipients of Social Security and Medicare for years. What a great way to decrease the budget.
Scary stuff out there.
3
Why the stock market is crashing:
Inaction.
It’s as though it was 1941, Pearl Harbor has been attacked , the West coast was threatened with an attack, and our president and local leaders were doing nothing, of course the stock market would collapse, people would be out of their minds with fear.
But that’s not what happened our leaders went to work. Just consider what our country did at that time . Manufacturing uniforms and rifles in the millions, tents, trucks, jeeps, tanks, airplanes, battle ships, aircraft carriers. They implemented rules on everything, food was rationed, gasoline was rationed. All of it worked, people were less fearful.
Action beats fear. When people feel their government is protecting them they begin to feel secure.
Yesterday at BJs wholesale I saw a women put 10 sets of Clorox wipes in her shopping cart 4 to a set, others followed suit. I saw a women begging her for one, “ please, I have children” she begged.
A simple law against hoarding, or the store doing it itself would be so helpful now, and it would ease fear , but as with everything else nobody in power does anything . That is the maddening part of this . Somebody in power do something to help, that’s why we elected you.
13
That would be nice if they were listening to you, but I get the feeling they are spending their days finding ways to blame Obama & the Democrats ...
6
So this is Trump's Black Swan. Who could have known? The point is, we need the most competent leaders and representatives in D.C. and locally. Every Administration faces something like this--think of "W" and Katrina, Obama and the Great Recession and domestic terrorism, etc. We cannot afford to be electing blatantly incompetent people, just as now the airlines executives have to competent or leave. We will survive this crisis, but with some painful losses. We need the best leadership. We need to look at how we choose and elect leaders and reps and make it attractive to competent people to aspire to such service. As it is now, our choices are very distorted.
9
@Gary Pippenger And we just yesterday we lost from the presidential race one of the GREAT thinkers, planners, and downright good person in Elizabeth Warren. It is HER I'd like to see in charge of this mess this very day.
12
While nobody can predict the future, history has taught us that in modern times, these viral scares usually pass over fairly quickly or only affect certain groups like SARS, MERS, AIDS etc.
The real longer term economic threat is the coming crash due to Trump's insane trade war against friend and foe alike, massive gov't, consumer, student, corporate debt.
Unlike the current viral scare, the timing of the other economic crash and severity is hard to predict but it will most certainly come if history is a guide.
9
Excuse me if I don't shed a tear for an industry whose business model is built on nickel-and-diming its customers at every conceivable opportunity.
An industry with usurious change & cancellation fees.
An industry that drags passengers off intentionally overbooked flights.
Don't you dare bail them out, Mr. President.
40
@George Janeiro you mean like pro sports areas with $16 beer and $12 hot dogs? Look at all the good things you've got -- the total package is a fantastic value and serves millions of people very efficiently every day. I want my airline -- as well as my local food service -- to be financially healthy -- for the very same reasons!
4
Many commercial airlines have become flying sardine cans .
Any minimum comfort has been removed , kindness is gone , passengers are being treated more like prisoners than human beings . More respect and dignity are overdue.
19
The airlines will be charging fees for the air we breathe when things return to normal. They're about as sympathetic as the banks.
12
I have a business trip next week, La Guardia to the west coast that hasn’t been cancelled. So, I will dutifully get on the plane and wipe down my seat and tray table with anti-bacterial wipes. My real fear is that the airlines will see this as a new revenue opportunity, and soon we will all be expected to disinfect our own seats or pay more for our tickets.
9
@MyjobisinIndianow it’s a simple answer. Don’t fly if you don’t have to. Calls, emails, videoconferencing.
Why would you think there’s a choice? My company has said no changes to domestic travel or meetings. We are reading about companies that are reacting but many, maybe the majority, it’s business as usual.
2
@MyjobisinIndianow
Try Clorox wipes. Antibacterial wipes won't do the job on a virus.
2
Just flew on a domestic Delta flight where we were packed in like sardines. I paid more to sit in "Comfort+". What does this mean exactly, "Comfort Plus"? More leg room? Nope.
Comfort + means means you do not have to gate-check your carry-on.
Delta staff announced that the last 15-30 people to board had to gate check their bags. Why did I pay more to keep mine? Be cause I have a ton of insulin pump supplies and equipment and I cannot have it lost.
I paid $700 total to care for my sick 87 year-old mother living in another state. With 3 weeks worth of insulin pump supplies physically with me on the plane.
I already had one crisis. I could not risk having a 2nd.
I'm just crying for their losses.
12
So the airlines are suffering? Big deal. It couldn't be happening to a more deserving bunch of companies.
27
A few months ago - before this viral threat - I got off a cramped, crowded, long, miserable flight - with impossible flight connections - and decided it was my last flight. Fortunately for me I don't need air travel; and stay-cations suit me fine.
28
Not to worry, boys.
Did you forget we're a Free Market? A Business-Driven society?
This is what we do.
Of course nobody planned on this virus. Clearly some failed to plan for it.
Neither here nor there for our doughty Airliners.
They know what to do.
Once the medical ugliness is past they'll throw that marketing/capitalist machine into high gear.
Need more customers? No prob.
Make planes comfortable. Maybe offer free peanuts or whatever non-allergenic equivalent is tasty, fresh, healthy and attractive.
Liberal drinkage, within the bounds of sobriety.
Schedules libralled up to allow for convenience and, you know, getting where you want when you want without the 5am layover in Toledo.
Maybe some technological innovations like short check-in and security lines for everybody. Possibly donate training in effective communications and personality development to employees and select TA screeners.
And huge burlap bags or boxes or something for when you drag innocent passengers doing nothing from the aircraft. Keeps things from getting messy.
Whatever. The point is, no biggie.
These boys know, as executives, capitalists, entrepreneurs, all they need do is listen to customers, respond to concerns, operate with efficiency, safety, care for comfort, and desire to please.
As American companies always do. Airlines especially.
Customers will come, happily clamoring, back.
12
The photos of the air executives at the White House portend a build up for taxpayer assistance to the industry. After a number of years of big airline profits fueled through declining quality of travel, the beleaguered travelers may be soon paying a retroactive "misery surcharge" for their discomfort.
15
If it weren't for the fact that the decline in air travel is damaging the economy, I would feel sorry for the airlines. On the other hand, who can feel sorry for an industry that has been ripping off the public for years with its nickel and diming?
34
I kept waiting to learn about the impact of the virus on domestic and international airfares. In vain.
4
JetBlue and United announced, with bravado, that they understand how serious the virus is and that they are there for their customers to ease their concerns. As a result they allow cancellations/changes without a penalty for NEW reservations only. Do the passengers who booked months ago and now want to change/cancel have no fears of the virus? Of course they do.
This isn’t about quelling their passengers concerns. This is about stemming the tide and getting people to make new reservations as they are down substantially.
JetBlue/United if you are truly thinking of your passengers then allow ALL customers NO MATTER WHEN THEY BOOKED to change/cancel without a fee.
78
@Peter I was able to cancel a Jet Blue flight that I booked in January for travel in March. I did that yesterday, so you might have luck there.
4
The silver lining is that this decline in travel shows that people don't actually need to travel as much as they do. With the internet and cell phones, much business can be conducted from home. We need to cut way down on travel to help reduce global warming. Perhaps this could be a path forward into a new model for some businesses.
45
I already avoid flying when possible because it is bad for the environment and it is so unpleasant. Perhaps this will remind people that they really can enjoy their lives without flying mindlessly around the globe for new experiences. Maybe people in besieged tourist spots can get back to living their lives without the herds of tourists taking selfies.
If more people traveled by air only when they really needed to we would all be better off. The airline industry might even treat us less like cattle if there are fewer of us in the herd. Other than airline stoke prices I don't see a big downside to this.
56
@Jim Dickinson I broadly agree with this comment. I have been flying in Europe and the US since the mid 1980s - it has become a ghastly stuffed in cans shoes off remove your belt money for an OJ process - a race to the bottom cost wise. Like JD I now avoid air-travel like the plague (pardon the very poor pun) if at all possible. I'm well aware that much of the unpleasantness is for security purposes though one might question how effective some of this is! I'm also aware that in general our glorious leaders travel only in private planes and are possibly not even aware of what us ordinary folks are subjected to. Perhaps if Trump, Johnston, Putin and the rest were also standing in the line abstracting laptops etc, while taking their shoes off they might make more intelligent decisions on how to run the world!!??
12
@Jim Dickinson For many of these "besieged tourist spots", the tourism industry plays a significant role in the economy. While it's all fun and games for those who are fortunate enough to partake in it, for those who live in these areas, it's how they survive.
7
I don't have too much sympathy for US airlines. They have become an oligopoly and the customer is literally paying the price. Good that I live outside the US and don't have to fly domestically there as the price increases for the distance flown and service provided are awful. When comparing cost and service per mile flown, EasyJet in Europe beats any US carrier in terms of price, service, food offerings and aircraft condition. I recommend reading Thomas Philippon's the Great Reversal to see how the US economy is giving up on healthy competition. The airline industry is but one example among many.
19
Before the virus hit, my sister and her child had purchased tickets to fly across the US to the now very hard-hit Seattle area to visit our elderly parents in a retirement facility. When they tried this week to reshedule, American Airlines would not wave their change fee. Great PR job, AA. Why keep advertising for new customers, instead of just doing the right thing for the ones you have (had)? I will now forever avoid American Airlines.
I really wonder about all the "panic" in the airline industry. We still hope to take a planned international trip in May, but mysteriously, fares have barely budged from where they were before the virus. So we wait to purchase, concerned about needing to cancel, getting rerouted or quarantined abroad if things get worse. But not on American Airlines of course, though I see they are now offering no cancellation fees on NEW tickets. Too late for all your existing (now former) customers.
24
@T If you buy premium economy tickets, getting flight changes and refunds is easier. Of course, you pay more for premium economy.
This is now common in the travel industry. For example, hotel rooms are cheaper if you take the no cancellation option. To have the right to cancel up to 24 hours before arrival costs more.
My travel companion always seems to have some reason for cancelling the trip before we leave. So I always pay extra to have cancellation rights.
2
@RM Thanks, but you completely missed my point. I am well aware of normal change fees and different fare amenities.
6
Good.
Fewer people traveling (mostly for no valid reason other than they can).
Fewer airlines.
Less airports.
Less (much less) pointless tourism.
Less noise.
Less pollution.
Fewer screaming children (the worst thing of all about airline traveling).
Hopefully, the cruise industry collapses as well.
All good, good, good.
35
It couldn't have happened to a nicer industry. Good thing they've been stockpiling cash between rock bottom oil prices and gouging passengers on baggage, seat changes, meals, wifi and whatever else they now charge for. All they have to do is charge a fee for us to use the bathroom in flight and they'll recover nicely after this has passed.
123
@Brooklyn Dog Geek -
On the other hand ... do you have any idea what it costs to start up the engines of just one aircraft? And to get it off the ground with passengers, and all the supporting costs associated with that activity ... for just one aircraft?
3
@Brooklyn Dog Geek
The optics of greed. Where else are we going to go? American corporate monopolies, masquerading as capitalism. It’s like when your cable company bumps up your bill for internet, there is no option but to pay the bill.
Not to mention the petri dish environment of a standard airliner. The air filtration system is like having three hundred strangers sneeze in your face for five hours. Forget the 737 staying in the air, how about some fresh air?
The seats, the arm rests and tray tables are disgusting. Still warm from the kid with the flue who just got off five minutes before.
It’s public transportation. Is it the airlines, or is it the, “public," we can’t stand?
4
That bathroom fee is coming and the price will be dependent on the length of the trip. Of course, you won’t know the charge until the plane takes off. Have your credit card handy.
It shocked me that they consider a baggage fee as an innovation but brag on their concern for the customer.
4
People keep bringing up the economic fallout of this virus, and this fallout Does trickle down to individual people. Where I understand the importance of this, it is apparent that we have become addicted to many products and services that actually could be superfluous. That said, it's little comfort to people whose jobs and livelihoods are jeopardized. Oh yeah, and our health.
12
With all of the cancellations, I wish I was brave enough to take a trip somewhere right now. My sons are in different parts of the country in cities, and I asked them not to fly for their jobs if possible. I miss seeing them very much but am too fearful to buy a ticket.
Having just retired, no crowds and a lower rate of visitors is enticing, but being over 60 with an underlying condition is keeping me home.
God bless all of the people in the medical field right now.
47
Back in the 60s, our family piled into the station wagon and saw some things in the region on daytrips--the idea of international air travel was beyond our family's means as it was most families we knew. The Disney cruise had not been invented. The idea of jetting to Aspen to ski was for the rich.
We visited Plymouth, Gettysburg, DC and other places that were within reach of home. It was inexpensive, educational, and very flexible.
Perhaps people, might return to this model this year. This may not be a bad thing in this otherwise serious situation.
32
@Sendero Caribe - Although I agree with your sentiments about visiting local places, even this is option has become suspect and "dangerous". Museums, restaurants, destination sites are already seeing serious drops in visitors.
2
Where is the person that is head of our consumer protection? Where is our Center for Disease Control? Why are we just hearing from the President, the federal reserve, and the airlines?
26
@Gary
Because they need to prop him up some more so he can get what he wants, re-election.
Elizabeth Warren was the head of the Consumer Protection Agency, but they need to get rid of her to prop him up so he can get what he wants.
We have to do what he says because he always gets what he wants. This is the core mission of America today.
That and bailing out corporations with welfare and socialism. Be glad the airline doesn't charge for keeping the windows closed. So far.
11
@Gary Because that's the way tRump wants it. If you haven't noticed, he's muzzled the experts.
12
@Gary Our President wants the American people to rely on his "hunches" and hopes rather than the experts. Remember this is a man who doesn't believe in science.
14
Business people, who travel a great deal, are going to have to adapt and find other ways to do business during this crisis.
After this crisis passes, and it will, it will be interesting to see if business travelers keep these habits over the long-term.
Many business may learn that a good deal of business travel that was deemed "needed" in the past, may not really be needed going forward.
Not good news for airlines.
12
A week ago today, I flew from Mumbai to Bogota via Amsterdam on KLM.
Mumbai airport was busy enough - though looking back - not so busy as other times - even if s midnite flight.
That leg of flight was packed with not one empty seat.
Amsterdam was busy as usual - though the lounge was not so busy as the usual days.
The Bogota leg was almost empty. In business class, we were may be 5 - out of 30 or do. And in the coach, flight attendants announced - passengers were free to move around after take off.
Bogota airport was indeed quiet - noticeable - even if not one Wuhan virus passenger is identified in the whole country.
I share sentiments below that it's the time to fly on that dream vacation.
Ticket prices might be a steal - but the real cost is unknowable.
Finally, I hope Congress does not bail airlines out.
I had disagreed with the 9/11 plan - if it made no sense then, it surely does not make one now.
7
From my perspective, I almost want to take my trip to Japan, but then I remember that you may be subject to quarantine at your expense if you show any signs of a virus. I have allergies and definitely don’t want to be quarantined for them. It is a shame that the airlines are undergoing their problems but the funds I paid for airline tickets were not cheap for me and I learned maybe you shouldn’t plan too far in advance.
3
We canceled our family trip to Morocco. My mother is almost 80 and our daughter is ten so the decision was easy to make. No one wanted to take the chance.
We were able to reach Air Canada through Twitter of all places and they took care of the cancelations. Thank you Terry! We got full refunds too. I couldn’t believe how fortunate we were to even get through to a person who could help us. We can’t imagine how stressful this may be for travellers. Canadian travel insurance companies are refusing to offer refunds.
Their lines are jammed and virtual customer service reps are explaining they can’t help unless the flight is leaving in less than 48 hours. I can’t believe how the airlines aren’t better prepared for a global pandemic like this.
A large reason why we canceled was the fact that we fear having to be in quarantine in a developing country. Last time we were there we got sick just from eating fruit and vegetables from local food stands. Airplanes are exceptionally dirty places and Morocco itself doesn’t have the same health and food safety regulations as Canada. Morocco is surrounded by countries with the virus and there is only so much time until it gets there too. Marrakech is a huge destination for Europeans during spring break and we decided we just couldn’t risk it.
Morocco is not going anywhere.
However our family does worry about the high costs of traveling that this recession will bring about. We will stay put for a while. A staycation never sounded so good.
12
Only airlines got a seat at the table. Customer concerns are not represented. Airlines are just concerned with how they can squeeze you for a dollar. Of course, people don’t want to travel during a pandemic. Waiving change fees and giving the right to fly from the date of purchase is not enough.
22
A number of issues that have been below the surface when flying , are now front and center. The Airline Industry has been complacent . The fleets are aging ( obviously due to the Max launch disaster ) and offer little in comfort, technology and cleanliness. Air quality in the cabins and the ease of spreading illnesses have been a complaint of travelers long before this outbreak. In many business situations , video conferencing, cloud sharing and data transmission makes travel less important. For many, airline travel is for pleasure and vacations can be put on hold, especially when the destination is combating the same health issues and concerns worldwide. Couple that with the fact that if one were to need medical attention , the cost could be prohibitive for the average person. As with most industry , as long as the money is rolling in , why worry? Until, you have to.
31
It would have been helpful if the article had mentioned passenger rights in all this. Do they have the right, if they are in a risk category, to reimbursement if they want to cancel or change their reservations? The only dimension that interests the writers is the business side of things. Typically American?
45
I am traveling with my family to Europe. We fear nothing but will take precautions. It’s a great time to go as there are no long lines and everything is clean. We are all healthy and don’t see this as more than the flu. I believe the press in this country is creating a panic. How many people died of the flu this year? We are flying and going to have a great time.
8
@Unbelievable "...don't see this as more than the flu."
"The CDC estimates that so far this season there have been at least 32 million flu illnesses, 310,000 hospitalizations and 18,000 deaths from flu." Further they report young, previously "healthy" people have been particularly affected. Fortunately the flu tends to wane in the Spring. Panic is certainly not warranted but caution is prudent.
https://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/2020/02/28/americas-flu-season-toll-k-dead-m-sick/
8
This is going to be really tough on all the employees who work for these companies. Bills don't stop coming in, kid's and pets still need to eat. the car still needs gas, and you get the drill. Hopefully they'll find a fix, sooner rather than later. Our government needs to help supplement some of those hardest hit. We have been blowing up and rebuilding the middle east for decades now. Time to take care of us.
29
I travel regularly for business. I had two overseas business planned this month to attend significantly large gatherings. Both got cancelled as a result of concerns for not propagating the virus and take unnecessary risks with attendees. I believe these are very wise decisions from a business and public health perspective. Unfortunately, these decisions have significant negative impacts on the airline industry. The Coronavirus will make a lot of collateral damages.
15
@Anne Bouci
Here's what nobody is saying:
These boys are Capitalists. They keep reminding us of that, along with paeans to their own courage and nobility; to the fact their willingness to manly shoulder all risks explains why the get all, literally all, the money and extra thrown in as a thank-you from recently purchased politicians.
Of course we know they never really take risks, as their best buds in DC are standing by with wallets open and, of course, they are supposed to take Noble Executives' cut AFTER they have paid well and fully for whatever they buy/consume/destroy.
They've cheated, a bit, up 'til now, you have to admit.
But here the Gods of Commerce present them with a chance, a glittering opportunity to demonstrate their worth, to reaffirm the Capitalists' Pledge, to show the world they're worth their extraordinary costs.
I am sure we will go on from here with increased love and respect for our airlines and all those who profit mightily (and in absolute security) from them. Sure of it.
3
I cancelled my mid-February trip to Key West and drove to Hyannis instead. But I have an immune system disease.
12
This is going to make it harder for Trump to go on Fox and have another hunch about the overblown democratic hoax. Airline numbers don't lie. And the public is not eager for another corporate bailout after two rounds of farmer welfare and the trillion dollar rich people windfall.
142
@Tom J
Never concern yourself with what trump says on Fox News. His diehard cultists will believe anything he says, but those seek the truth would never depend on him for it.
10
'“How could they not be prepared for an onslaught of concerned travelers?” she asked. “The phone lines are jammed.”'
Interesting take. Um, it is an emergency. Does this traveler think airlines keep lots of people on the payroll just sitting around just in case they have a huge uptick in calls? How would she react if she got someone who had had to 'fill in' and didn't really know what they were doing, took a long time to do what she wanted, or got her change wrong? Let's have a little patience, dear traveler. We're all in this together.
82
I hear you. I agree about attitude. But also yes, modern contact center operations are designed to rapidly scale during crises while maintaining good customer experience. The client (airline) does need to invest to make sure it happens.
7
The original writer is American, so common sense and a sense of proportion are not tools available to them.
14
@Anne-Marie Hislop Any fool can run an operation when it runs like clockwork. But the concept of hiring "the best" is to develop and maintain plans for exactly this sort of disaster. That theory runs from hiring/electing the President of the US to the president of any private or public organization.
As to "fill in" employees who don't know what they are doing, most of these organizations already hire them full time and put them on the phone lines for customer non-service.
2
I flew from Glasgow, Scotland, to Chicago O'Hare a week after 9/11, on holiday. After clearing immigration I headed quickly to the domestic terminus for my onward flight to Portland, OR, to join the line at security. I joined a line of one, me. For once the security staff seemed pleased to see me, anyone.
It was indeed surreal, not least because stopping off for a beer once in the domestic terminus, I was asked to produce my passport as proof of age (I am now over 70). Quite bizarre after the Atlantic crossing, on an AA flight with some burly uniformed 'attendants' on the plane, who were not serving drinks or meals.
Mike Gray
21
Looking on the bright side - a sharp drop in passenger aircraft flights (and a decline in cruise shipping) will lead to a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. And that will help delay dangerous planetary warming.
95
It will be a brief respite;the long term issue isn't going away
9
@Fozter
Fer shure. A three month absence of carbon would lead to a three month delay in The End.
Great news! Shall we label that the Fotzer Effect?
3
Great news for "Mother Earth" in any case, who is getting a much needed break. Hopefully the aviation industry will bounce back thereafter in a more sustainable way?
32
Part 2
Now that we have created a 2 week buffer, we can concentrate on basics. We can build tent cities to quarantine people.
For instance, the people on the cruise ships, find a desolate army base, preferably in the desert, helicopter pilots in hazmat suits , ferry people off the cruise ship to airplanes, everybody working on plane in hazmat suits, leave the sick on the boat, it becomes a floating hospital, you can even transfer Corona cases to it, rather than the other way around.
Fear and panic is a terrible thing to see, but unless we take immediate steps it will get worse, we need to produce hazmat suits in the millions, for our firemen, police officers, even sanitation workers. What happens if these people get sick.
I am asking for a two week break on everything from travel to large gatherings, including sporting events.
I guarantee the first thing that happens is Wall Street bounces back.and people lose their fear and anxiety.
Let’s see what happens after two weeks. Two weeks will give our factories a chance to go 24 hours a day. Everybody needs a mask and a face guard, and must wear it, but we have to make them.
We can do this , this is a once in 100 year crises and it must be tackled as such . Standing pat is no longer an option.
Every week this will get exponentially worse, hit the breaks now and we will be all right. Give our scientists and medical staff two weeks to learn .
Please god, let somebody read these words and take immediate action.
13
“There’s way too much vested interest in keeping all these industries running.” Amongst all the reporting there seems to be little reflection of how we should use this opportunity to reduce air travel, cancel consumerist-driven conferences, review the horrendous global supply chain and rethink our approach to dealing with the climate crisis.
116
@Stephen A. Bustin
I agree.
We should all sell our cars and homes and race to the Equator where energy is not wasted to sustain life in more polar climates.
Last person to the Equator gets the smallest piece of farmland and grazing pasture for the goat!
8
@Stephen A Bustin Your idealism is correct but not based in reality. People won't just stop doing things....it has to be replaced with something that is perceived as more valuable. Human Condition 101
3
We cancelled our Spring vacation in Arizona. We were charged for our tickets when we made our reservation. American Airlines says we will have our money refunded in seven business days.
It would have been nice to fly in a near empty airplane, stay in a near empty hotel, and visit the Grand Canyon all by ourselves. We have mixed opinions in this family. Some are afraid to go out of the house to the supermarket. I say we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
57
@RM In Arizona right now as a first time visitor and it has indeed been peaceful and lovely. Not many people on the trails and easy to keep yards of distance from others to avoid a sneeze or cough coming your way! I wasn’t sure if the quiet is just “low season” or “Coronavirus season” but in any case, no signs of outbreak here.
9