Most people don’t plan to resume travel regime even after virus

The realization that most business can be conducted virtually teamed with a confusing array of testing and quarantine restrictions means many people don’t plan to resume their regular travel routines even once the coronavirus pandemic has subsided, a study by Inmarsat found. As many as 83% of passengers globally are reluctant to fall back into their old travel habits and 31% will travel less often by air, the survey of some 10,000 frequent fliers conducted by the London-based firm and released Tuesday showed. Fear of infection means only just over one-quarter of people in the Asia-Pacific region say they feel confident enough to fly again within six months. When Covid-19 all but shut international borders and closed down central business districts earlier this year, much of the world’s population, outside of those in essential services, was forced to start working remotely. Companies have also slashed expense budgets, including travel, as they reel from the economic impact of the virus. Many firms have found productivity has actually increased, questioning the need for people to always be in an office. “We’ve sat in our houses for a long time, we’re very used to doing business virtually now,” said Chris Rogerson, Inmarsat Aviation’s vice president of global sales. “Business travel will come down a little bit as we get used to these interactions being more digital, and airlines will have to adapt to this.” That’s added bad news for carriers. Corporate travel can drive between 55% and 75% of profit for top airlines, although it may only account for as few as 10% of passengers, because business travelers are more likely to purchase higher class or refundable fares. <br/>