Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

bloomberg.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

31–40 of 72 posts

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#31

Post by gambiting »

rovr138 wrote: post #9
ornornor wrote: post #3

> Configurations are likely to change as carriers try to squeeze more money from customers. If that’s not what they were already doing, I wonder what that will look like. Anyway, it’s not necessarily bad. Air travel was way too cheap considering its externalities. I know someone who _commutes_ by plane because their office is two countries over (in Europe), they don’t want to move to the much higher COL country where…

Do they go in to the office twice a week or do they fly on Monday and leave on Friday? The part about not letting them be remote is confusing me. Where do they stay when they go in to the office?

It makes total sense to me seeing as I know people who commute to London twice a week, use Airbnb from Monday to Friday and they have or rent a house elsewhere. It's still a lot cheaper than acually renting a place full time in London

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#32

Post by hjuijjytt »

I would pay to fly in a completely enclosed pod. I would enter it in my hazmat suit, seal the door, flood it with disinfectant, wait 5 min, remove hazmat suit then enjoy the flight. Put a fresh suit on before exiting.

I bet a lot of other people would too, now that it's becoming acceptable walking around in masks, goggles and hazmat suits.

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#33

Post by spinach »

samatman wrote: post #10
Pfhreak wrote: post #2

I think about the depression era behaviors that stuck around in my grandparents as a good example of what to expect coming out of this pandemic. They learned certain things out of necessity and it changed their worldview on everything from darning their own socks to what ingredients they'd use in their cooking. I expect that many of us will carry similar behavioral scars for years or decades later - ensuring we have…

Personally, I expect to walk straight to the sink and wash my hands, as soon as I get indoors, for the rest of my life.

That's what I've always done my entire life even before the virus - the outside is gross (basic things like knowing people use the washroom and don't wash their hands and then touch knobs you do, etc). How did you not?

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#34

Post by gambiting »

samatman wrote: post #10
Pfhreak wrote: post #2

I think about the depression era behaviors that stuck around in my grandparents as a good example of what to expect coming out of this pandemic. They learned certain things out of necessity and it changed their worldview on everything from darning their own socks to what ingredients they'd use in their cooking. I expect that many of us will carry similar behavioral scars for years or decades later - ensuring we have…

Personally, I expect to walk straight to the sink and wash my hands, as soon as I get indoors, for the rest of my life.

...and you didn't do that already? I'm not being funny, but since I was a little kid I was always taught that as soon as you get home you take off your shoes and go wash your hands. I actually do the same at work where the first thing I do is go wash my hands after arriving at the office. I think I assumed everyone did the same already.

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#35

Post by arcticbull »

TekMol wrote: post #19
cscurmudgeon wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I wish they would simply remove every second seat and charge twice the price Will that help with the virus? It is less than six feet and you will be with that person for hours or so.

Imagine 9 passengers sitting like this: *** *** *** Now lets remove 4 of them: * * * * * I would say every one has at least a 50% reduction in the number of people close to them. On top of that, minimum distance and average distance both went up. I wouldn't be surprised if the infection rate in the second example is only 10% of the first. Pair that with everyone wearing a mask. I have read that the infection rate goe…

> Pair that with a 10-minute test [1] which everyone has to take at the airport and let only negatively tested passangers on board.

Isn't that the only thing you'd need? Then the seating arrangement wouldn't be relevant. Seems unnecessary to require both.

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#36

Post by peteretep »

arcticbull wrote: post #26
TekMol wrote: post #13

I wish they would simply remove every second seat and charge twice the price. That would mean the same revenue for the airline and a much more comfortable flight for me. Win win. And they would probably still have some wiggle room. Because 50% less customers would mean at least some reduction in costs. What about the HN gang? Would you keep flying if prices doubled?

American tried this a few years ago with "more legroom throughout coach" back in 2005-ish and it nearly bankrupted them. People flatly and absolutely refuse to pay more than the bare minimum to fly places. This will not change once the pandemic panic dies down. I'd pay a bit more for transcontinental flying but, like, I'm very much in the minority and I fly enough to get free upgrades most of the time anyways.

> People flatly and absolutely refuse to pay more than the bare minimum to fly places

This is too facile a take, given the existence of Business and Premium Economy.

I think the Asian low-cost carriers probably have it right with very very cheap basic seats, and then the ability to eke out the consumer surplus with reasonably priced “upgrades”. Air Asia’s “hot seats” have a tiny bit more leg room and are charged accordingly. I paid VietJet $6 for premium check-in, and it felt like the future.

Anyway, I suspect the very blunt approach of flight aggregators showing you cheapest first without clearly surfacing comfort factors cause what you describe, rather than an inherent unwillingness to pay among consumers.

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#37

Post by atomwaffel »

TekMol wrote: post #18
vkou wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I wanted to pay ~double for a more comfortable flight, I'd be flying first class everywhere.

Not sure where you are flying. In Europe, there usually is no such option. Most of the time, all you can do is pay an additional €30 or so and get a seat with more legroom. And that's it.

That’s true if you’re flying on budget airlines like Ryanair or Easyjet, but nearly all the legacy carriers offer a business class “cabin” where the seats are usually the same as in economy but middle seats are kept free. That’s a 33% reduction in density, not 50%, but it’s not far off.

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#38

Post by gambiting »

TekMol wrote: post #18
vkou wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If I wanted to pay ~double for a more comfortable flight, I'd be flying first class everywhere.

Not sure where you are flying. In Europe, there usually is no such option. Most of the time, all you can do is pay an additional €30 or so and get a seat with more legroom. And that's it.

Exactly, I am(or well, have been) flying very regularly and I've never been on a plane with a business class, much less first class. The best upgrade is an extra legroom seat.

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#39

Post by probably_wrong »

vkou wrote: post #17
TekMol wrote: post #13

I wish they would simply remove every second seat and charge twice the price. That would mean the same revenue for the airline and a much more comfortable flight for me. Win win. And they would probably still have some wiggle room. Because 50% less customers would mean at least some reduction in costs. What about the HN gang? Would you keep flying if prices doubled?

If I wanted to pay ~double for a more comfortable flight, I'd be flying first class everywhere.

Only for domestic flights, I suppose? For me, double the price on an intercontinental flight (where leg space really matters) only gets me to premium economy. First class is closer to 3x-3.5x the price.

Re: Coronavirus will change airlines and the way we fly

#40

Post by gambiting »

cscurmudgeon wrote: post #16
TekMol wrote: post #13

I wish they would simply remove every second seat and charge twice the price. That would mean the same revenue for the airline and a much more comfortable flight for me. Win win. And they would probably still have some wiggle room. Because 50% less customers would mean at least some reduction in costs. What about the HN gang? Would you keep flying if prices doubled?

> I wish they would simply remove every second seat and charge twice the price Will that help with the virus? It is less than six feet and you will be with that person for hours or so.

Isn't the distance completely irrelevant in an airplane anyway, seeing as everyone is in a closed, pressurised environment with recirculated air?
Post reply on HN