The Airline Industry: Predictions for 2021
Let’s face it: 2020 wasn’t a good year for a lot of businesses. Even the multi-billion dollar airline industry has been affected by much of the global economic crisis. 2020 is a year that much of the airline industry wants to forget, especially when it has lost billions of dollars in revenue. But even 2020 has already come to an end, the effects of the events that have transpired throughout much of the previous year are far-reaching and are still reverberating through 2021.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a variety of economic issues in the past year. Still, the eventual development of the COVID-19 vaccine by various pharmaceutical corporations has caused a surge in confidence among businesses and industries to reopen. As the first few weeks of 2021 are unveiling, much of the world’s industries are starting to get back on their feet.
How the world will shift and react to too much of the economic and social climate will determine factors that will affect the airline industry. This isn’t a surprise when this industry has close ties with the tourism, financial sector, and other major facets of society.
Still, small-to-medium sized businesses are still being hit hard by the pandemic stretching from 2020 to the first parts of 2021. This might affect how the airline industry will be doing much of its operations in 2021. But what are some key predictions about the airline industry for the next 12 months? Will it be able to restore itself to its former glory? Here’s what you’ll need to know.
Foot Traffic During the Hotter Months
First and foremost, we’ll need to discuss one of the most important sources of income for the airline industry: foot traffic. Although much of the world will go back to “normal,” schools are now starting to resume, or at least some semblance of it. A few months from now, it’s bound to become warmer. Summer and spring are just on the horizon.
With warmer months being on the horizon, young travelers and families are bound to go on long road trips or tour different countries. One of the best ways of getting around is usually through planes.
Since many people have been staying inside their homes through the majority of 2020, many tourist destinations in the form of resorts, hotels, and cities that heavily rely on a steady influx of customers have to close themselves from visitors. Because most individuals are just at home, this has caused a “buildup” of hype for the traveling community. That said, wanderlust has never been this high.
Although some airports are still closed, some terminals are slowly re-opening and accepting tourists, especially in countries with relatively low cases of COVID-19. This is especially true for Thailand, which has been professionally handling its COVID-19 cases.
Not only is Thailand relatively safe, but they are also known for their wondrous airports. You might want to check out what to do at an airport as soon as you touch down. There are a wonderful plethora of activities that you can partake.
Vaccination Is Not Enough
Contrary to what most people think, the vaccination process that’s well underway by governments worldwide won’t be effective until a few months have already passed. Although there’s new-found confidence in the form of the vaccine, this isn’t enough for most governments to start opening up their borders. In fact, most would say that the number of COVID-19 cases is steadily increasing, with at least one new variant which can’t be easily detected. This has caused widespread alarm among a variety of countries.
That said, much of the airline industry will need to find ingenious ways of bringing in more foot traffic while still abiding by safety rules and regulations. However, some governments will need to close down effectively.
In the next 12 months, the airline industry will have to grapple with various obstacles and address a variety of issues to build momentum again. Even though the airline industry will have a long way to go, it will slowly but surely gain momentum. However, many of these businesses will have to be clever with their marketing campaigns and how they will conduct their operations.
These businesses will still need to be cognizant that safety measures and precautions should still be a priority and a concern for the airline industry. COVID-19 transmissions from flights can cause serious implications if not controlled. Thus, much of the industry will still need to be careful. Are these predictions already set in stone? Well, there are still a lot of factors that need to be taken into account.
