How Coronavirus Could Change The Future Of The Travel Industry?

The travel industry took almost three years to recover from the tragic incident of 9/11 in 2001. It is predicted that the travel industry could take anywhere from three to five years to recover without a vaccine or antiviral from coronavirus.

Due to 9/11, strict security measures were implemented worldwide. To-date we are following the same safety regulations. Initially, the passengers were perturbed by all the new rules, but it all soon became a norm. There are some of us who even changed the way we used to dress for our travel. We don’t want the hassle of unzipping boots, removing a belt, and taking off those heavy gold chains around our waist and neck.

Covid-19, unwanted welcome in our lives, will bring changes that we could never have envisioned and this virus will forever change the way travel business will operate in the future.

• Germophobic people, like myself who were considered eccentric, will no longer hold the title of being a freak. Other intelligent people will also be seen wiping tables, seats and other things to maintain hygiene.
• Masks, gloves, sanitizers will become necessary travel items.
• Passengers will have to arrive at least four hours prior to their international departure flight and for domestic at least three hours ahead of time to go through all the safety and hygiene checks that would be enforced by individual airlines.
• Smaller and older model aircraft that are generally used for domestic travel will have to practice inflight social distancing. They would no longer have passengers seated like sardines, packed in a small container. Maybe, they will decide to leave the middle seat empty (though this could be detrimental for their revenue), or like Frontier Airlines they will charge for a guaranteed empty seat next to themselves. I think many of us would not mind paying the extra for the long-haul journeys, and isn’t it better for an airline to charge a nominal amount then to earn nothing for an empty seat? However, as mentioned above this practice will be disastrous for their cash flow and I am apprehensive about the longevity of this idea.
• Airlines might eliminate some cities that they were previously flying to from their route and add new ones, depending on the coronavirus risk factor of a country. Along with this, the frequency of flights to a particular city would also be affected due to decreased number of passengers willing or able to travel.
• Some companies are already thinking of a four-day workweek for their employees. This would allow people a long weekend break and if disposable income is available then, people would consider taking short distance holidays. Travelers would not necessarily want to travel to a far off destination. For instance, a resident of Germany might be happy to take a train journey to Austria, spend couple of nights and return home. Therefore, short-distance travel by car, train, ferry, or a domestic flights could be on the rise.
• We could also see a decrease in domestic business travel as virtual technology which has already been on the rise since the lockdown will continue to play a pivotal role. During this lockdown phase, people have already adapted to using Zoom and other forms of virtual technology to communicate with the outside world. Furthermore, this new trend has given some companies ways to cut down on their overall costs of operations. Here again it is a win-win situation for the company offering its services and for the client receiving the service.
• Business and first-class lounges, if they decide to maintain buffet lines then they will have to designate servers to maintain hygiene, which means hiring more employees and in this arduous, financial time no airline in their right mind would want to do that. So instead, the tempting buffet spreads will be of the past. Pre-packed plates will be on the buffet line with packed cutlery. Bon appetit!
• Wipes would be available next to the coolers containing water and other beverages to prevent travelers from touching the fridge handles. Sanitizing staff will be constantly on their feet with mask and gloves on, with spray bottle and wipes in their hands.
• Check-in luggage could go through a disinfection process.
• Airlines have already announced that no hand-carry bags will be allowed. Only laptop bag and woman handbag can be carried onboard.
• Pre-packed meals, disposable water and wine bottles with plastic glass will become a norm. I can see business and first-class travelers cringe and frown at the sheer thought of this. Don’t fret, maybe by 2022, champagne will again get served to you in a tulip glass.
• Airports open areas in terminals will have social distancing signs put in multiple places. Seating at boarding gate waiting area will have passengers sitting apart from each other as maybe two or three center seats would be blocked. One seat apart seating would be seen as normal. Some people while waiting for their boarding could be seen sitting on the floor, as they might not want to risk sitting next to a stranger.
• Dogs our faithful friends are known to be great at sniffing drugs, ammunition, and other illegal items. Now in the United Kingdom, they are training them to detect the COVID-19 in asymptomatic travelers. 
• Some countries might introduce ‘Health Clearance Certificates’. You know the yellow fever certificate that one has to carry when traveling to Africa. Well, something similar we could be carrying for coronavirus. Of course, this would need to be issued 24 or 48-hours prior to travel from the point of departure. However, I would be apprehensive about the authenticity of it and the manageability of this process. Also having this in your pocket, would not be proof that you are not a carrier of the virus. The reason being that, there is no guarantee who you were in contact with from the time you got yourself tested for coronavirus to the time you boarded the aircraft.  Therefore, this health clearance certificate could prove to be completely futile.