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Heathrow Airport

March 18, 2020 By Eric

Will Coronavirus Change Flying Habits Forever?

Ever since the first case of coronavirus was confirmed in Wuhan, China in December 2019, the world has experienced what can only be described as a massive shakeup.

From daily activities to jobs and even regular movements, nations of the world have realized that the simplest of activities have become an asset we cannot afford.

As travel restrictions continue to increase all over the world, the aviation sector is experiencing a drastic situation that will leave lasting marks on it.

While you might think that the airline industry can cope with the direst circumstances; (after all it weathered the storms caused by the 2001 September 11 attacks and survived. It also made it through the 2002 April severe acute respiratory syndrome pandemic), the COVID-19 pandemic brings a different wave of shock that the industry might not know how to recover from

The rapid nature of the spread suggests that it would take long months for any and every sector affected to recover.

Airlines will struggle to stay afloat

The first challenge airlines are beginning to face is that of revenue generation. As flights are canceled and people cancel their travel plans for months into the future, most airlines cannot afford to run into the next few months without having money come in regularly.

This reality poses a threat to the business and finances of airlines, especially the struggling private ones. Profit-making is no longer the topic of discourse, rather, staying afloat is.

 

The world is adapting quickly and traveling might not look very attractive soon

The coronavirus pandemic has made travelers think twice about the importance of making long and short distance trips; especially as we are increasingly realizing that we can do without them.

Nobody is willing to trust scanners and automated machines in the airport to keep them out of harm’s way. Hence, the decision by many to stay put and stay safe.

 

From Skype to Zoom, the nature of meetings is changing rapidly

Face to face meetings have been replaced with Skype and Zoom calls, and things are going quite fine. Business proposals, deals, and meetings are conducted and concluded online.

It seems as if in the past months, the world suddenly became aware that we have many alternatives to nearly all the activities you can think of. Or maybe as they say, adaptation is one of our major strengths.

Tourists and vacationers are increasingly connecting to online streaming platforms and engaging in virtual tourism. Firms and organizations have realized that their staff can work from home. Seminars now hold as webinars, and job interviews have become phone-in, rather than a walk-in.

People are slowly getting used to staying home, connecting with people via technology and doing all they need to do without moving an inch.

All these raise a pertinent question; will our airline industry recover from COVID-19 pandemic? Will people dust off the shoes and get back to flying after discovering that they can indeed live without it? Or will we decide to continue as we are now?

 

The climate change factor is set to come in

While we talk about finances and changing travel habits, climate change reports have shown a drop in air pollution ever since restrictions in movement, particularly flight restrictions have been implemented nearly world over.

NASA’s Earth Observatory pollution satellites have shown significant decreases in air pollution over China since the coronavirus outbreak began.

For years, scientists and weather experts have urged world leaders to combat gas emissions and air pollutions, which have continued to increase as organizations, factories, and the aviation industries continue to contribute in the spike.

However, in light of the unexpected decline in air pollution as a result of the virus outbreak, the focus is again returned to the need to curb this impending climate crisis and eyes might turn to the aviation industry.

The talks about less flying being best for climate change are about to resume, and this time they are likely to be more heated than other discussions we have had.

Another resounding question is how the world is supposed to go backward, as we have increasing plans to expand our airlines especially in the western part of the world.

 

Heathrow and proposed airline expansions might need a rethink

With Qantas proposing direct flights from London to Sydney, and the Heathrow airport planned 3rd runway expansion which has brought about much-heated debate, we are likely to arrive at a stalemate with such plans.

As the idea to expand Heathrow still remains a topic of debate after so many years, with businesses supporting the idea, and environmentalists on the other end, one would dare take a look at what state Heathrow is in right now.

The Heathrow airport where you can find virtually everyone and everything has become near empty as things become increasingly quiet.  With canceled flights to Italy, China and other countries, rapid drop in airline bookings, and adamant refusal by passengers to even come by the airport, perhaps we should look at how we survive this epidemic and recover before moving forward.

Conclusions

In light of all the changes, restrictions and activities that have developed as a result of COVID-19, many fingers point to a drastic change in flying habits for a long time; if not forever.

However, with possible adaptability strategies, suggested government support, and enthusiasm that people might quickly return to their old ways after things die down, we might choose to keep our fingers crossed.

Filed Under: Heathrow Airport

February 11, 2020 By Eric

Storm Ciara Breaks JFK to Heathrow Flight Record

Storm Ciara has been a menace for most, felling trees, riling seas and causing travel chaos across Britain and Northwestern Europe. Not so though for the lucky passengers onboard the British Airways flight 112 from JFK to Heathrow Airport on Sunday; they had the honor of being the first people on a subsonic flight to travel from New York to London in under 5 hours, handily beating the previous subsonic record for this route.

The previous record sat at 5 hours and 13 minutes, but it was smashed by the flight that landed at Heathrow Airport on Sunday having taken only 4 hours and 56 minutes to complete the 3440 miles across the Atlantic Ocean. The average time for this flight is around 6 hours and 13 minutes, so you can imagine the passengers surprise on Sunday when they were told that they would be landing almost 2 hours early, at 4:43 am instead of 6:25 am. A little less sleep for those onboard, but worth it for the bragging rights of being on a record-breaking flight.

This was definitely a case of being in the right place at the right time. Thanks to what is thought to have been an extremely strong jet stream, which in turn strengthened Storm Ciara, which subsequently caused a tailwind that pushed the 747 to speeds of up to 825mph, this flight to Heathrow Airport caught the air currents just right. If it had been earlier or later, or on a slightly different path, the passengers would have had a very different journey to contend with, like many others that were caught in the path of Storm Ciara.

There were gusts of 50 to 60 mph to be endured by most, while gusts of 80 to 100 mph were reported by those in seaside locations and on higher ground. This was also accompanied by heavy rainfall, not unheard of at this time of year; but on Sunday, Storm Ciara cut a path of destruction across Britain and Northwestern Europe that is relatively rare in this part of the world. The deluge and wind saw train services canceled, severe weather warnings being issued, and people being told to travel only if necessary. The howl of the wind tore through forests and felled many trees, blocking some roads and adding to the travel chaos.

Heathrow Airport has had to cancel more than 470 flights due to Storm Ciara, with other flights having to be re-routed to different countries, let alone airports. British Airways decided to introduce flexible rebooking options on domestic and European flights to and from Heathrow Airport, as well as London City and Gatwick airport if flights were supposed to be taking off on Sunday; a rare occurrence.

However, this lucky flight landed safely and securely in the record books. Everyone onboard flight 112 now has a claim to fame having traveled on the record-breaking flight of a lifetime, their unintentional upgrade kindly being provided by Storm Ciara, destroyer of many peoples weekend, but the hero of flight 112.

Filed Under: Heathrow Airport

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