It seems like overnight much of humankind went from traveling more than ever to a complete
shutdown.
It’s clear that the travel industry can grind to halt overnight, but can it start
back up just as quickly?
While we’re all stuck at home, the question on everyone’s mind is, “When can we travel
again and what will it be like when we do?
No one knows for sure what the future of travel will be like in the wake of Covid-19, but
we do have some clues as to what major airlines are thinking.
In the first week of April 2020 Delta announced it was extending elite-status for a year.
Other major airlines followed, including United and American.
For example, to get Gold Medallion status on Delta, typically you have to fly 50,000
miles in a calendar year and spend 6,000 dollars on flights with Delta or its partners.
Under the new rules, you get to maintain your status level automatically for an extra year
without needing to meet minimum travel or purchase requirements.
That is great news for those frequent flyers, but more notably it signals when airline executives
expect air travel to take off again.
So why is that important?
It means major airlines are betting that most people will not be traveling enough in
2020 to qualify for elite status.
A couple other program extensions add to the pile of clues.
Many airlines have pushed the expiration dates for flight vouchers and ticket credits by
one year.
Delta Air Lines is waiving change fees for new bookings until May 31, and American announced
that it will waive them until September 30th.
United has committed to waiving them until the end of 2020.
Again, these changes arent just about making it more convenient for travelers.
It shows when airlines themselves expect demand to return.
It looks like that’s not going to be until the Fall of 2020 - at the earliest.
The International Air Transport Association suggested that airlines won’t see a full
recovery until at least 2021.
Okay, so once we DO start traveling again - what will it look like?
We have already seen airlines significantly increase their sanitation process and work
that into their marketing.
Cleaning crews have increased the attention they give to wiping down high touch areas.
It’s likely travelers will have an increased concern for a sanitized travel experience
even after COVID-19 is resolved
The travel experience outside of the aircraft could be different too, with more airports
screening passengers for temperatures.
Other countries have already implemented health screening procedures, and we may see a version
of this at US airports in the near future.
We may also see an increase in countries that demand proof that incoming travelers have
immunizations like what we see with the yellow-fever vaccine certifications in some parts of the
world.
A major difference travelers will notice immediately will be a sharp decrease in flight time options
and direct flights.
As airlines slowly begin to ramp up operations to meet returning demand, schedules will simply
be less packed.
For a while we’ll have to settle for connecting flights that leave at less convenient times.
Hopefully that change will be just temporary until demand increases.
Any way you slice it, you’re gonna have to adjust your summer travel plans.
First - follow the mandates of local governments and the CDC.
Covid-19 has created a situation that can change rapidly.
While our European summer getaways will likely need to be postponed for a year, some regions
of the US may open up for local exploring.
This summer may be the time to hit the highway and get out into nature.
The US has a ton of incredible open spaces and breathtaking natural wonders
Trips to big cities might decrease, but we expect a summer surge to the fresh air and
great outdoors.
Ultimately, we will get back to the skies again, even if it is a little later than we
hoped.
For more info on when we can travel again, check out ThePointsGuy.com.
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