Special report | No heads in the clouds

Could covid-19 shake up air travel for the better?

Governments’ re-entry into airlines may spur more competition

Still lumbering, but where are the passengers?

ECONOMY PASSENGERS taking one of the few international flights still running have had an unusually pleasant experience of late. Exasperated cabin crew battling to close overhead lockers full to bursting with wheelie-bags, duty-free booze and laptop cases have been replaced by masked attendants presiding over planes two-thirds full at best and often with only a handful of passengers. Some report sleeping across empty rows of seats. The collapse of passenger numbers and revenues will damage the industry. Yet previous disruptions have shaken up the airlines to the benefit of the flying public. It could happen again.

This article appeared in the Special report section of the print edition under the headline “No heads in the clouds”

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From the February 13th 2021 edition

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