These are photographs of Terminal C at Newark Airport at 7:50 AM on July 31, 2020. With the curve flattening, this is the possible beginning of the end of the travel industry as we know it. Delta is boasting a $2 billion loss and with as few as 14 passengers on an American Airlines flight from Austin to Chicago, where is this industry heading?
Most people when asked how will they travel long distances say they are driving. They are actually making it a new normal for family vacations. RV’s and boats are in high demand as new methods to vacation with family and close friends. This is concerning for our business to say the least.
Onboard the United flight to San Francisco from Newark United the crew gave passengers a half bottle of water with a graham cracker; and don't forget the bag of itsy bitsy pretzels. They call it a light snack. Twice they came down the aisle with the beverage cart. They offered hand sanitizers with the snack and again with the beverage. Other than that, the flight was uneventful. But with a grand total of 20 -25 people onboard one can only wonder what the future has in store for the travel industry.
There are some great articles boasting how really safe it is to fly as compared to hopping into an elevator at Co-Op city. Which would you rather be in? One could argue that you are in an elevator for under 60 seconds, not coming from some other part of the country, world, city, or whatever location and that unlike a plane you are not next to someone for 6 hours. So yes the elevator is safer.
At the moment, United and American both require face masks but they are not giving up the middle seat for sale. Every seat on the plane can be sold. They are boasting that the air recirculates freshly at least every 90 seconds. Well, that is good for me, but just be sure you don’t sneeze. Lastly, everything leading up to the flight is at risk. Local transportation, skycaps, counter personnel, TSA, food, and vendors on the concourse, baggage handlers, and custodial staff, and not to mention the airline employee, car rental company shuttle bus hotel and restaurant on arrival. You get my point. If you can, we should start traveling by air as soon as possible. Especially if you are comfortable.