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Currently, all Indian airlines remain grounded due to an extension of the government-imposed blockade. But the new normal that will require social distancing will reduce the warmth and hospitality of air services.
For example, interactions between business class passengers and cabin crew members during a mid-distance flight will decrease from approximately 14-15 interactions to approximately three to four interactions.
Passengers will be asked to report well in advance of the current 60-minute to 120-minute rule. The amount of food served on board and meal options will also be significantly reduced.
“The idea is to have minimal interaction between passengers and cabin crew personnel,” said an airline official, who requested anonymity.
Another senior official with a low-budget airline said that airlines may be forced to group flights if the number of passengers is low. In such a case, airlines can entice passengers to fly through discounts and low fares.
“For example, if a Mumbai-Delhi flight has a load factor of 25%, they can all be grouped into one flight,” said the airline’s second official, requesting anonymity.
“It is economically unfeasible to fly only a third or a quarter of the total capacity of an aircraft. Airlines are against this. Therefore, keeping the middle seats empty will not work,” the official said, adding that the approach rather it should focus on strict detection standards. and providing protective gears.
India’s largest national airline, IndiGo, will gradually increase operations and discontinue on-board meal services for a short period after resuming services, the airline’s chief executive Ronojoy Dutta said in an internal communication earlier of this month.
In an email to IndiGo employees, Dutta said the airline “will run its coaches (coaches that carry passengers onto planes from the terminal) with a maximum load of 50% of capacity,” adding that the airline is seeking to change many operating procedures to minimize costs. “We will soon come out with the new set of operating procedures.”
Passengers must also prepare for longer security checks and minimal points of contact between passengers and the airline’s crew, including at the terminal.
“End-to-end travel time is expected to increase as travelers will be required to report to the airport two to three hours prior to their flight departure. Check-in and security checks may take longer than usual with implementing social distancing practices, “said a Vistara spokesperson.
“We will promote non-human contact points, such as web check-in and airport self-check-in kiosks, and this would be an appropriate time to reinforce their use to improve efficiency,” added the Vistara spokesperson. .
A SpiceJet spokesperson said social distancing rules will be strictly enforced when boarding planes, inside buses that transfer passengers from the terminal to the planes.
Depending on the government order, we will take a call if we have to keep certain empty seats inside the aircraft to maintain social distancing standards, the spokesperson added.
Spokesmen for airlines such as IndiGo, GoAir, AirAsia India and Air India did not comment.
However, much will depend on the guidelines established by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) once the flight services are resumed.
“Many of the practices that will be implemented will depend on guidelines established by the civil aviation ministry and the DGCA. Currently, the government has not yet submitted one,” said the first airline official mentioned above.
“Ultimately, it will be a combination of measures taken by airlines, airports and government guidelines that will be implemented once air travel is restored,” the person added.
When contacted, a DGCA spokesperson said the government has yet to come up with guidelines.
“We still have some distance to go (before flight operations resume),” the spokesperson said.
