Airline Enterprise Friday Briefing: Allow us to fly once more, please | Evaluation
Several of the world’s largest airlines started the week with a sign of unity during a joint press conference to call on governments to open up travel between the UK and the US.
This weekend G7 The summit was the moment, they hoped, to announce the resumption of flights to this lucrative country pairing for the heads of state and government of the two countries.
No such luck.
Instead, the governments announced that a Task Force is set up to provide recommendations on easing travel restrictions. It is crucial that no fixed dates have been given for a restart; just a plan “to resume travel between the UK and the US as soon as possible”.
If the policies hindering international travel in both countries are taken for granted, it is not unreasonable to ask why a Task Force is needed.
This point has not escaped IAG Managing Director Luis Galicianwho said at the Airlines for Europe (A4E) summit on Thursday: “We had Emergency services In front; What we need now is to open the corridor as quickly as possible. “
During this summit, which was attended by the CEOs of the largest European airlines, an attempt was made to discuss problems Furthermore Covid-related travel restrictionsincluding the EU’s compensation scheme for flight delays, ATC fees and the Single European Sky.
But while large parts of the region’s planes sit idle, the restrictions always feel like the elephant in the room.
And than these Europeans CEOs and airlines elsewhere are trying to find other ways of essentially telling governments, “let’s go again, please,” over and over again, they can at least gain some courage from the rallies in some – mostly domestic – markets.
When he spoke on Wednesday, Ben Minicucci, chairman of the board of directors of Alaska Air Group, felt almost dizzy with excitement over the return of leisure travel to the United States.
“I’ve been in this industry for 25 years – I’ve never seen such a dramatic turnaround and financial recovery,” he said. “[In] in the third quarter we expect to be profitable … so just a dramatic, dramatic change over the course of six to nine months. “
We hope that more airline executives will say similar things in the coming weeks and months.
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