As we start to travel again in 2021 and as we start to recover from COVID, what shape will the industry take?
- Wild Prices
No one is quite sure what form the airline industry will take when flights really begin to take off again. As a result, you can bet that prices will be quite variable, especially at the start. Remember when the pandemic first took hold, how prices plummeted, and then started to spike again? Expect more of that in 2021 as the industry starts to find its footing again.
- Masking and Vaccine Requirements
As travel starts to resume, you can bet that strict masking requirements will remain in effect. No one wants to go back to the darkest days of the pandemic, and no airline wants to be hit with the massive liability cases that could follow if people get sick on their flights. As a result, airlines are bound to require vaccinations as well as a prerequisite to boarding.
- Limited Seats
In the race to make flying safe again, airlines have taken to implementing social distancing on flights, limiting the amount of seats they sell so passengers can sit away from one another and have protective screens in place. All of that is definitely a positive, but it also means that seats are bound to be even more in demand than ever before.
- Overbooked Flights
It is now easier than ever before to cancel a flight without any penalties because of the new cancellation policies that were put into place by many airlines in the aftermath of COVID. As a result, once travel starts to pick up again, you should expect passengers to be looser with their booking than ever before. They may or may not use those seats, but with deals abundant and penalties minimal, you can bet that more flights will be overbooked and airlines will have to scramble to sort that out, especially with limited seats.
The airline and travel industries are looking to find their footing in 2021, as we all are. It is bound to be a rocky and uncertain road while we all adjust to the world that COVID has created.