The Week In Travel

This week, following the ruling from a federal judge in Florida that the mask mandate - which had been in place in the US for 14 months - was unlawful, all major American carriers ended their requirements for passengers and staff to wear face-masks on flights. The ruling came as a surprise to many, including the US government, which had renewed its mandate shortly before the judge made her ruling. Delta said in a statement that they are ‘relieved to see the U.S. mask mandate lift to facilitate global travel as COVID-19 has transitioned to an ordinary seasonal virus’. The industry trade group, Airlines for America also hailed the news as positive for the continued return of air travel.

In Asia, Singapore has revealed that it is already seeing encouraging results after last month’s reopening to international vaccinated travellers. The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) revealed that the number of people passing through Changi Airport in the past week has reached 31% of the average weekly passenger traffic in 2019, while the number of passenger flights has reached 38% of pre-pandemic levels.

A survey published this week, ahead of the Future Aviation Forum taking place in Riyadh, 9th-11th May has revealed that confusion over health requirements continues to deter people from travelling internationally. The survey, conducted by YouGov, reveals that 46% of respondents in the US chose not to travel in 2021 due to concerns over health-related restrictions. This figure rises to 65% of respondents in the UK, and 68% of people in the Gulf. It also shows that significant sections of respondents are also unwilling to travel for the same reasons in 2022.

Air France has scaled back its ambitions to reduce carbon emissions by 50% by 2030. The carrier revealed that it now targets a 30% reduction for the same period. It does, however, maintain its target to reach net-zero emissions by 2050. Methods the carrier is already employing to reach its targets include the use of sustainable aviation fuel, and eco-piloting techniques - such as using only one engine while taxiing.

And finally, the internet was divided this week after a video of a group of Evangelical Christians singing loudly on an EasyJet flight went viral. The video shows a group of about a dozen people, led by a pastor on guitar, enthusiastically singing religious songs, while other passengers stoically endure. The video has gained 36 million views on twitter since it was posted, with many commenting on the good intent of the performance, while others pointing out the intrusiveness of the act.