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Check before you travel -

Traveling after flying restrictions are lifted doesn’t necessarily mean that you can enter every territory without being put on quarantine.

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Check before you travel -

As the pandemic eases around the world, there will be countries that will still be considered high risk. So quarantine might be a reality, depending where you travel from and to.

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Insurance and health certificates -

Health certificates and insurance covers might be required in order to travel to some countries in the future.

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Health certificates -

Thailand, for instance, is requesting health certificates issued no more than 72 hours before the travel date. This is for passengers who travel from specific countries.

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Insurance -

Thai authorities were also requiring passengers to have an insurance policy of US$100,000 that covers COVID-19. Such measures might become a reality in other countries.

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Safety distances at the airport -

Online check-ins are already a reality, and an effective way to avoid unnecessary queuing. 

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Safety distances at the airport -

Signage indicating safety distance between passengers might become a standard in airports.

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Safety distances at the airport -

Other areas of the airport might also be affected. Restrictions are likely to drop, but overcrowding will still be a major concern.

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Face masks -

Wearing a mask while flying might become the new normal. 

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Face masks -

This includes while going through airport security checkpoints and in the aircraft itself. Whether a specific type of mask will be adopted universally is still not known.

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Face masks -

Canadian authorities, for instance, are requiring passengers wear a "non-medical mask or face covering."

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Face masks -

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) also recommends wearing a mask.

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Baggage -

Many airlines have restricted hand luggage during the pandemic, while others have taken an opposite stance, to avoid people standing waiting for their luggage at airports.

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Baggage -

Airlines such as the German Lufthansa, which used to allow two pieces of hand luggage, only allows one piece now. There is no indication that this measure will continue in the future.

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Baggage -

It's uncertain how airlines will operate in this regard in the future. Though using self-bag drop will certainly be encouraged

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The race for planes with more seats will slow down -

“The pace of “densification,” as airlines call it—ramming more seats on planes—will actually slow, even absent any COVID-related sensitivities, because many airlines are up against the regulatory limits of how many seats you can put on an airplane,” pointed out transportation analyst Seth Kaplan.

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Flying will be cheaper... at first -

Airfares are likely to decrease. This is mostly due to two factors, according to Kaplan, namely “the reluctance of people who don't feel comfortable about flying and the fact that people are struggling financially.”

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Flexibility -

Airlines will likely make more flexible tickets available. This will help people feel more comfortable booking a flight, knowing that they can change or cancel.

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Distance between seats -

Airlines have started to block middle seats as an easy fix for the lack of safe distance between passengers.

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Distance between seats -

But with a future increase in demand, this will mean that airlines will lose lots of money with the empty seats.

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New seats -

Reverse middle seats with plastic shields between them might be the future. An Italian company called Aviointeriors has designed a concept seat called "Janus," that might well be adopted by many airlines in the future.

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Plastic shields -

For airlines that don’t want to invest in completely new seats, the company also offers another product called "Glassafe." The product is a sort of plastic hood that, according to Aviointeriors, is a “solution that can be installed on existing seats to make close proximity safer among passengers."

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Hygiene and sanitation -

From check-in to security and boarding, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces will be a top priority.

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In-flight meals -

Onboard snacks might not return straight away. This measure, implemented by some airlines, is a way to reduce unnecessary interactions between crew and passengers. This will eventually return–we just don’t know when.

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Guidance -

The Civil Aviation Administration of China (ACAA) issued a very thorough guide on the prevention and control of COVID-19. 

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Guidance -

Furthermore, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has issued a number of operational recommendations.

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Guidance -

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) produced a new guide specifically for national aviation regulators and civil aviation authorities (CAAs). It’s called ‘The Handbook for CAAs on the Management of Aviation Safety Risks related to COVID-19.’

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See also -

What will staying in a hotel look like post-pandemic

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