Here’s The Next Big ‘Passengers Behaving Badly’ Conflict We’re About To See

by Gary Leff

May 04 2020

With airlines beginning to require passengers to wear face masks on board, we’re about to see a new conflict, because people are just as awful as they used to be. It’s just that there are fewer of them flying.

When American Airlines debated internally whether to require passengers to wear masks, or merely encourage them to (including by providing the masks), the argument that ultimately gave way to a mandate was that cabin crew would be in a position of having to enforce the new rules. And there are always going to be exceptions, which creates grey areas and opportunities for conflict.

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Will Social Distancing Finally Give Us An Orderly Deplaning Process?

by Gary Leff

May 04 2020

When planes pull up to the gate passengers unbuckle their seat belts, not waiting for the captain to turn off the seat belt sign. Then everyone begins to jump up, and get into the aisle. Everyone crames body-to-body in the aisle. They’ve been cramped into airline seats for the duration of the flight, and strangely decide to cramp themselves even closer together in the aisle.

United Airlines has a new approach to deplaning that starts today, that they hope will bring social distancing to get off the plane that way that airlines are trying to implement for boarding and blocking of middle seats.

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Starting Monday The Vienna Airport Will Offer Coronavirus Testing On Demand

by Gary Leff

May 03 2020

In mid-April it seemed like the best place to get coronavirus testing might be the Dubai airport. And since they were running tests right away, it might even be faster to fly there, get tested, and come home. However the plan there was only to deploy testing for passengers heading to destinations that required a negative test for entry.

Starting Monday testing is available to anyone who wants it at the Vienna airport at a cost of $210. And Vienna is much closer than Dubai.

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Hawaii Prepares To Welcome Visitors With New Slogan, “The Safest Place In The World”

by Gary Leff

hawaii
May 03 2020

In March Hawaii started asking tourists not to visit the state. And then they got so serious about keeping outsiders away, who might bring a virus, that they started paying for plane tickets so tourists would leave.

Now the State of Hawaii – with fewer than 700 confirmed coronavirus cases and just 16 deaths – is making its success containing coronavirus part of a new tourism marketing campaign that’s in the works.

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Warren Buffett Walks Away From U.S. Airlines

by Gary Leff

depressed businessman leaning his head below a bad stock market chart
May 03 2020

Warren Buffett owned about 10% each of Delta, Southwest Airlines, American and a little bit less of United. He wound up with a bit over 10% of Delta – his biggest airline position – by accident when he was buying as Delta was buying back shares. It was rumored a year ago he was going to acquire Southwest Airlines in its entirety.

Buffett has now unwinded them all and walked away from the industry.

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