Are you crazy? Have you bumped your head and lost your mind? I can hear people screaming now. But, wait! As a travel writer who looks forward to exploring new places…well, of course, I’ve been thinking about how to fix this problem. The travel and tourism industry was responsible for a little over 10% of the world’s GDP last year. In the U.S. alone it accounts for nearly a third of the United States‘ service exports. So, yes! This is a conversation we need to have and think about in detail to help people get back to work. I’m told I’ve always been a glass-half-full kinda gal. So maybe my reimagining this can lay the groundwork to get more flights started again (fingers crossed, we can hope).

Additional Safety For Getting Flights Started

I’m taking the time to amend this post on 9/29/20. My original post was released on 5/6/20 at the beginning of the discussions about the worldwide pandemic known as Covid-19. I’m adding to this article because almost 5 months later the airline industry is looking to furlough 50,000 employees. In the wake of the CARES payroll protection program expiring, the industry that delivered our first responders to the hotspots, undoubtedly saving lives while risking their own, is again in jeopardy. Flights started, however, we are far from back on track.

The original idea in this article remains the same for getting flights started in a safer manner, in addition to this, though, we’ve added even more ways to protect yourself in travel. At the end of this article, I’ve provided a link to an article by consumersadvocate.org. A much-needed addition to traveling safely is what the landscape looks like for insuring your travels. Consumersadvocate.org has completed extensive research to break down for you (in layman’s terms) what IS and ISN’T covered in the various travel insurance plans.

When making educated plans in the coming holiday season for safer travel, there are obvious concerns. How do you protect yourself & your loved ones? There could be travel plans delayed, canceled or God forbid interrupted by illness. The information research by the team at Consumersadvocate.org breaks it all down for you. I felt this is information everyone can benefit from. See their informative link at the end of this article.

Where Do We Start?

So where do we start? Well, let’s start with the prior business model. I’m a consumer. And, I want to travel. So I pull up my favorite booking site & enter my dates of travel. A funny airplane swirls in a circle on my screen as I patiently await the results. Then suddenly, the screen lights up with every time and airline available, on those dates to take me to my destination. I choose (from the list it gives me) the time and price I’m comfortable with. STOP. Back up one step, to before you hit submit & here is where the business model changes.

Remember what you forgot. As an Airline, this is your business. You tell us when & where you’ll fly. So you can change the parameters here. And, believe it or not, it’s a simple (with your technically savvy IT team) three-part change that helps the entire tourism industry.

Part 1 Of How To Get Flights Started

Add these three simple questions to the search:

1. Are you flying for business?
2. Are you traveling with a passenger who has special needs who is not 60 years of age or older?
3. What is the date of birth of each person you are flying with?

Now when the customer hits submit, it will give back only the dates and times available for the group they are in. This, in turn, removes anyone from their flight options that do not fit that group.

1. Elderly (60 & over let’s say)
2. Elderly With 1 Caretaker (Elderly 60 & over)
3. Families With Children ages 1-18
4. Parents traveling with Infants
5. Young Adults (Say 19-29)
6. Adults (30-59)
7. Families With Special Needs
8. Business (If it’s a business flight you are booking it has to be a solo booking)

Part 2 Of How To Get Flights Started

In the above scenario, you created a cattle shoot effect putting all elderly on one flight for their safety, etc. Now the real work begins. The airlines can decide as a whole if they are going to allot certain planes in their fleet for the individual categories or if different carriers will cater to different groups. You have planes allotted for cargo, why not planes allotted for human categories?

There are 7 days in a week. Each category gets a full 24 hour period per week to work with. That allows everyone in a group to travel in different time zones. This also allows the rest of the tourism industry to prepare for the arrival of different groups! The only category that would overlap the first 7 categories would be Business. So, they can be easily placed on separate planes and dropped off at a separate terminal from whatever the group of the day is. You can even separate the security screening sections.

This also allows for transportation sources and accommodations to have time to prep for the same, preparing for the next onslaught of travelers. Across the board, it helps the entire industry. Now hotels can check in their arrivals on a day set just for them, ensuring their safety. Maybe they can even start reimagining their hotels & resorts to allot certain buildings for the different groups on their property. Obviously this works at a larger resort and not individual hotels. But it’s a start.

Part 3 Of How To Get Flights Started

What About The Baggage?

NO MORE checking luggage. Allow for two carry-ons & a personal item. Keeping some seats open between passengers will allot for the extra overhead space. And yes, you can charge for the second carry on, I’m sure people will enjoy the convenience. If people have things they can’t fit in an overhead, they’ll just have to mail the item in advance of their trip.

So, what happens to the baggage handlers? They can still load the pets staying below or they can help sanitize the airport between flight categories. Is that ideal for them? Will they still get tips? No. But they will still have a job, just a job reimagined.

What About The Kiosks & Stores In The Airport?

And what about the businesses throughout the airport that sustain airports & help to keep the airline’s costs lower? Restaurants can take orders and their servers can deliver to the terminals. Kiosks can either convert to machines that dispense the items or they can take their chances….but only by wearing a mask and gloves. Store spaces can be reimagined where people come to an enclosed counter & tell the cashier what they would like. Can you browse & handle everything in the store…No! But if you want a safer environment…well, welcome to the new normal.

People may feel inconvenienced, but it will work at keeping people safer. Supermarkets open earlier for the elderly, why wouldn’t airlines allot certain flights for them? I’m sure you’ll be asked what happens when a husband wants to treat his 29-year-old wife to a romantic getaway & he’s 30? The answer is simple…’ Sorry, you have to book separately.’ Welcome to the new normal! Either fly on separate flights & meet there or wait until she turns 30. A grandparent might be upset they can’t fly with their grandchildren. Well, they get there a day ahead of them & they get there safe. Again...Welcome to the new normal. A parent may be upset they have an infant and a three-year-old and they can’t travel together. Ok…either have one parent fly on the appropriate date with one child & the other flys the other day or wait until the infant is 1. It’s for everyone’s protection.

So that’s the plan! I know it’s a little rough, but we can leave the rest of the details to the big brains in the board room.I’m just spit-balling here…I think it can work!

What Issues Would This Cause?

And, what other problems does this cause? Well, you can not take quick getaways. Because you’d have to travel on those specific days 1 week apart. Could you jump on a flight in an emergency? No. Not unless that’s a day you were allowed to travel. You ask, what happens if a flight is canceled due to weather conditions …. the same thing that happens now, if there are seats on another plane available, you can purchase one…if not then you have to wait until the next available flight on a day you are allowed to travel. If that doesn’t work, you can rent a car or if you’re so lucky, take a private jet. The point is, it gets the industry moving in a safer way. Is it sustainable? People resist change, but if this is the only option, we adjust.

An Even Better Solution

Better yet, maybe the answer isn’t changing every flight. Maybe this opens a new allotment of flights for every airline. Call them “Safe Flights”. Dedicate terminals and specific flights for people in the high-risk group. They can be shuttled on and off certain flights and terminals that are untouched by other travelers. Or, perhaps, don’t allow their flights to walk through terminals, they can board and debark on the tarmac. The final point is, there are ways we can deliver people safely to their destination and get flights started.

Have I forgotten the elephant in the room…Covid-19?…No! This isn’t a cure for the disease, just a way to travel safer by putting up parameters everyone can work with. It’s a place to start on the drawing board, it doesn’t cover everything, but maybe it’s a jumping-off point to start the conversation.

As promised above, I am including a link here to the Consumersadvocate.org article titled “Best Travel Insurance: Based On In-Depth Reviews”. Take advantage of the educated answers they give for traveling safely with insurance.

If you have anything you’d like to add or any additional ideas, please fill in the comment box below. And however the travel industry moves forward, my main wish for us all is Godspeed to our health & safety.

Photo Credits: 1, 2, 3