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Time to say goodbye to cheap air travel
Mamun Abdullah
Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune
To maintain social distancing on flights, many seats have to be kept empty leading to a massive loss for airlines
Time has come to say goodbye to cheap air travel.
Emerging from the coronavirus crisis in the days ahead, airlines’ will be bound to maintain social distancing practices and health guidelines for safety, which means ticket prices will go up for the industry to survive.
Because of higher fares, there will be a massive drop in the number of travellers, particularly domestic passengers who preferred flying.
Industry insiders say local airlines will continue to lose passengers on both domestic and international routes because of higher fares, and the sector as a whole will be in a desperate battle for survival.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in a briefing on April 23, said the imposition of social distancing on aircraft would mean the end of "cheap travel" because seats next to each passenger will need to be left empty on most if not all flights.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh
Airlines to and from Bangladesh will lose as much as 80% of passengers as they will not fly because of higher fares in the coming days, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and four airline companies to the Dhaka Tribune.
Responding to a query on how the coronavirus pandemic will impact the industry once the virus is contained, CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said there will be no cheap ticketing.
Also Read - Coronavirus: Govt ponders resuming passenger flights from May 8
He said: “The price of tickets will be expensive for international travel because the airlines will not be able to make a minimum profit because they will have to keep seats vacant for social distancing.”
“According to recent guidelines provided by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an aircraft may not carry more than 70% of its passenger capacity,” said the air vice marshal.
“But budget ticket prices may be possible only if we can provide financial incentives following approval from the government,” he added.
“Otherwise, only the few rich would be able to travel, which was common in the 70s or 80s,” said the CAAB chairman.
“Economy class will exist, but not economy prices. There will also be no discounts, so companies can make minimum profits,” predicts Rahman.
He feared the reduced profit mechanism will also lead to job cuts.
Airlines authorities
Biman Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Md Mokabbir Hossain said, passengers are complaining about the ticket price for the special flight from Kolkata which was only Tk2500 amid the crisis.
Still, Biman is following all the guidelines provided by ICAO and is equipped to run flights during this coronavirus crisis situation.
“From disinfecting the airplane to health screening of crews, staff and passengers, we are making sure everything is done following ICAO’s protocol,” he said.
Head of Marketing and Sales for NovoAir, AKM Mahfuzul Alam, said maintaining social distancing is possible in business class only, mostly used on long haul European journeys. So, the IATA’s decision will only apply to selected parts of the world.
Regent Airways CEO Imran Asif thinks passengers should be seated maintaining social distancing of three feet inside aircraft.
“However, it is not possible for any company to operate flights maintaining three feet distance between passengers,” he said.
“80% of our passengers are labourers and migrants, who mostly travel in economy class. So we cannot hike the prices too much since the passenger group may not be able to afford it.
“Again, if we have to sell tickets at current prices, but also have to maintain social distancing, airlines will incur huge losses and face a financial crisis,” he added.
According to him, in the last six years, the number of passengers rose six fold on domestic routes, and not a single inch of the flights was free at any time.
“Social distancing means no cheap tickets, and keeping air travel cheap depends on the decisions of ICAO and local regulators,” said the Regent CEO.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/05/02/time-to-say-goodbye-to-cheap-air-travel
Mamun Abdullah
- Published at 10:25 pm May 2nd, 2020
Photo: Mahmud Hossain Opu/Dhaka Tribune
To maintain social distancing on flights, many seats have to be kept empty leading to a massive loss for airlines
Time has come to say goodbye to cheap air travel.
Emerging from the coronavirus crisis in the days ahead, airlines’ will be bound to maintain social distancing practices and health guidelines for safety, which means ticket prices will go up for the industry to survive.
Because of higher fares, there will be a massive drop in the number of travellers, particularly domestic passengers who preferred flying.
Industry insiders say local airlines will continue to lose passengers on both domestic and international routes because of higher fares, and the sector as a whole will be in a desperate battle for survival.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in a briefing on April 23, said the imposition of social distancing on aircraft would mean the end of "cheap travel" because seats next to each passenger will need to be left empty on most if not all flights.
Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh
Airlines to and from Bangladesh will lose as much as 80% of passengers as they will not fly because of higher fares in the coming days, said the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) and four airline companies to the Dhaka Tribune.
Responding to a query on how the coronavirus pandemic will impact the industry once the virus is contained, CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal M Mafidur Rahman said there will be no cheap ticketing.
Also Read - Coronavirus: Govt ponders resuming passenger flights from May 8
He said: “The price of tickets will be expensive for international travel because the airlines will not be able to make a minimum profit because they will have to keep seats vacant for social distancing.”
“According to recent guidelines provided by International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an aircraft may not carry more than 70% of its passenger capacity,” said the air vice marshal.
“But budget ticket prices may be possible only if we can provide financial incentives following approval from the government,” he added.
“Otherwise, only the few rich would be able to travel, which was common in the 70s or 80s,” said the CAAB chairman.
“Economy class will exist, but not economy prices. There will also be no discounts, so companies can make minimum profits,” predicts Rahman.
He feared the reduced profit mechanism will also lead to job cuts.
Airlines authorities
Biman Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Md Mokabbir Hossain said, passengers are complaining about the ticket price for the special flight from Kolkata which was only Tk2500 amid the crisis.
Still, Biman is following all the guidelines provided by ICAO and is equipped to run flights during this coronavirus crisis situation.
“From disinfecting the airplane to health screening of crews, staff and passengers, we are making sure everything is done following ICAO’s protocol,” he said.
Head of Marketing and Sales for NovoAir, AKM Mahfuzul Alam, said maintaining social distancing is possible in business class only, mostly used on long haul European journeys. So, the IATA’s decision will only apply to selected parts of the world.
Regent Airways CEO Imran Asif thinks passengers should be seated maintaining social distancing of three feet inside aircraft.
“However, it is not possible for any company to operate flights maintaining three feet distance between passengers,” he said.
“80% of our passengers are labourers and migrants, who mostly travel in economy class. So we cannot hike the prices too much since the passenger group may not be able to afford it.
“Again, if we have to sell tickets at current prices, but also have to maintain social distancing, airlines will incur huge losses and face a financial crisis,” he added.
According to him, in the last six years, the number of passengers rose six fold on domestic routes, and not a single inch of the flights was free at any time.
“Social distancing means no cheap tickets, and keeping air travel cheap depends on the decisions of ICAO and local regulators,” said the Regent CEO.
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2020/05/02/time-to-say-goodbye-to-cheap-air-travel
