In flight Seat Allocation and Social Distancing

[MEL_Traveller]

Even if they reduced the number of passengers on board aircraft are people likely to risk flying if there is no vaccine?

Apparently that's why they're also working on treatments as well as prevention... so if there's no vaccine they can treat symptoms (you have covid, take this tablet and you're better). That would realistically be enough for me to start travelling again.

 

[Quickstatus]

Airline economics depend on maximising the number of passengers per flight.
I don't think it would be economical to operate a flight with reduced passenger loads at the prices people are prepared to pay.

 

[p--and--t]

In the new normal, human behaviour might surprise us.

Just brainstorming...

Maybe there is the untapped crowd of I can't afford J but there's no way I'm going in the previous Y all crammed up against a stranger - but a bit more expensive Y with a shadow seat is more appealing.

Then there are those that consider the price of a ticket is just the cost of doing business and I claim it off our tax anyway.

I'm thinking the expression "those were the good ol' days" will be heard quite a bit more often.

 

[Quickstatus]

Human behaviour will always go for cheap.

 

[p--and--t]

Human behaviour will always go for cheap.

...only if it suits them/beckons. Lot's of "I'll never travel Y or Y+ again, hell or high water" members on here.

There is also those who feel they must travel, "if that's the price, then that's the price" - business deals, going to funerals/weddings, changing jobs, visiting the grand kids etc.

 

[Quickstatus]

Thats only a small subset of the typical airline passenger. i dont think those passengers are enough to carry QFd in the post corona world

IMO opinion airlines will not run flights unless they are potentially able to fill every seat.
Airlines have been known to cancel flights and consolidate passengers into less flights or smaller aircraft.

Lot's of "I'll never travel Y or Y+ again

"if that's the price, then that's the price"

 

[MEL_Traveller]

Human behaviour will always go for cheap.

When it comes to air travel I think this is 50-50 - there are equally as many cases where pax don't go for 'cheapest'... JQ to Bali (often more expensive than legacy carriers on the same route); QF's whole business model... rarely if ever cheaper but full planes and record profits; in fact many legacy airlines 'period'... if people always went for cheapest price BA would cease to exist when Ryanair and Easyjet are around, and transatlantic would have LCCs dominating (instead of a struggling Norwegian, WOW or any of the others that have gone bust).

 

[Quickstatus]

I suspect that a lot of the JQ passengers end up paying more but think they are still getting a better deal than QF

Yes there are even different fare buckets for the same cabin though I think airline economics are based on the business model of "the few that pays for the many".