Airlines are flying empty planes because of the coronavirus

[midian182]

In a nutshell: In addition to infecting over 110,000 people and killing almost 4,000, the coronavirus is having a massive impact on the world’s economy. Few industries are feeling the effects quite like the aviation sector, where dwindling passenger numbers have forced airlines to fly planes empty to keep their flight slots.

Fears over the virus combined with advice not to fly to high-infection zones have resulted in demand for flights in Europe falling to record lows. But because of rules stating that airlines must continue to run 80 percent of their allocated take-off and landing slots or risk losing them, some "ghost" planes are being run half-empty or empty.

The rule is there “to ensure that airlines have access to the busiest EU airports on the basis of principles of neutrality, transparency and non-discrimination,” according to the European Commission.

Independent slot coordinators Airport Coordination Limited (ACL) has suspended the rule for flights to and from Hong Kong and mainland China, but they remain in place eslewhere.

UK Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has written to the ACL to request that it reconsiders the 80/20 slot usage rule, which he said isn’t in the industry’s, passengers’, or environment’s interests.

Aviation demand is reduced due to COVID-19, but airlines are being forced to fly some ‘ghost flights’ to avoid losing their slots – bad news for the environment, airlines & passengers. I've written to the regulator to request urgent reconsideration of 80% slot utilisation rule. pic.twitter.com/OsKEH2S4Ab

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) March 5, 2020

Shai Weiss, CEO of Virgin Atlantic, noted (via the Daily Mail) that “in the aftermath of 9/11 and following the outbreak of Sars, slot rules were quickly relaxed.”

Airlines are facing a $113 billion loss because of the coronavirus crisis. It has already resulted in UK company Flybe, which was struggling financially prior to the outbreak, going into administration—the British version of filing for bankruptcy protection.

Image credit: Konstantin Yolshin via Shutterstock

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https://www.techspot.com/news/84313-airlines-flying-empty-planes-because-coronavirus.html

 

[Morris Minor]

HOW DARE YOU

 

[Black Paper]

G-g-g-g-ghosts?!... ?

 

[Burty117]

Edit:

HOW DARE YOU

Damn it! You beat me to it!

 

[quadibloc]

Those rules have to be changed immediately to prevent waste of fuel and unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions.

 

[Uncle Al]

Amazing that there is rule in place that takes into account these sorts of incidents .....

 

[mbrowne5061]

Lets make no mistake: this is about money, not the environment.

Even the large, healthy, aviation giants can only afford to fly empty planes for so long. You can get flights form North America to Europe for half the cost of what you normally can right now. You got to reduce the supply if you want that to change, which means allowing planes to 'miss' their slots and not risk losing them.

 

[QuantumPhysics]

I’m looking for a decrease on business class flights from FFK > Seoul > Manila, but so far, no big price drops on Asiana, Philippine Air it Korean.

 

[Irata]

Lets make no mistake: this is about money, not the environment.

Even the large, healthy, aviation giants can only afford to fly empty planes for so long. You can get flights form North America to Europe for half the cost of what you normally can right now. You got to reduce the supply if you want that to change, which means allowing planes to 'miss' their slots and not risk losing them.

I wish flights were half cost. Going the other direction, prices are actually higher than they were a month ago and many flights show as fully booked. I suspect that is due to most economy passengers having non-refundable tickets.

I can still hope for cheap business class upgrades as I‘d bet it will be pretty empty.

 

[That Dude There]

Rules to force empty flights are insane and by design to help crash the economy. This is all planned and orchestrated. Revelation 6-13 Romans 10:9

 

[p51d007]

Shoot, the "Hollyweird" types will make up for it, with all the private jets they are riding around in, to avoid contact with "the common folks" LOL.

 

[mrvco]

Those rules have to be changed immediately to prevent waste of fuel and unnecessary carbon dioxide emissions.

Say hello to Little Ice Age 2.0

 

[Markoni35]

This is good, because we have to keep adding CO2 to make the global climate warmer. This winter was really warm, probably the warmest I remember, and yet I still have to turn on heating. Which means - it's not warm enough. Keep burning that fuel, we need to add more CO2 to the atmosphere.

 

[treetops]

Yeah and when I went to an amusement park on a wed they ran some rides with no one aboard.... We are wasteful blah blah

 

[Ravalo]

This is good, because we have to keep adding CO2 to make the global climate warmer. This winter was really warm, probably the warmest I remember, and yet I still have to turn on heating. Which means - it's not warm enough. Keep burning that fuel, we need to add more CO2 to the atmosphere.

That way coronavirus will dissappear

Yeah, this is big brain time

Its been a while since my city has reached 1°C for 5 consecutive days in winter