Singapore Airlines says flight experience after COVID-19 will change

Passengers will have to adapt to a different travel experience when air travel picks up again, as regulators and airlines look into how to make flying safer, said SIA. While the specifics of how the aviation sector will evolve post-COVID-19 are still unclear, SIA has created four working groups to prepare for potential scenarios, it said during a briefing on its financial results on Friday. Mak Swee Wah, executive VP of operations, said: "Obviously, the concern now is on safety and health. There are a few themes out there, for example, wearing masks, social distancing and contactless services. All these issues are now being examined to see how practical they are both on the ground and in the air... so safe to say, it will not be the same as the pre-COVID situation." In response to a question on fares and whether they will increase because of social distancing measures implemented on planes, Lee Lik Hsin, executive VP of SIA's commercial department, said: "The price of the air ticket is really a function of demand and supply, and we will adapt these curves accordingly as we get back out in the market and restart our services. And to the question of social distancing in particular on planes, it is still not determined at this time the efficacy of such measures. There are many discussions ongoing between the various authorities and airlines... but it is too early to make an announcement on this."<br/>