Qatar just cut 25% of its fleet. The CEO said not to expect a return to 2019 levels of flights until 2024. All airlines, government owned or not, will be reworking their business model and trying to figure out how to survive with less passengers, less flights, more sanitary expenses, and a big hole in their bank accounts where their 2020 income was supposed to be. Inevitably fares will go up.
Maybe one piece of good news is that they can't squeeze passengers any closer together unless they have us sit on each others laps. And maybe with higher fares there will be less annoying passengers on the flights.
I think it is inevitable that the virus will pop up at destinations around the world further complicating planning and recovery.
Two days ago United was promising to keep the middle seat open. Yesterday they returned to filling every seat.
The same planning will occur on the ground, tour companies, hotels, taxi companies, restaurant will be dealing with these issues.
And possibly the worst plague is still to come...the lawyers will be suing everyone everywhere for everything.
36 Days Without Steve