[DGGW]

Story that came up on my daily news updates –

Passengers shocked by conditions on exit flights

[AMcWhirter]

There have been very many repatriation flights. Few by BA but so many with LH Group carriers … LH mainline has been using A380s to NZ.

There must have been many similar cases.

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Roa1, ImissConcorde

[MartynSinclair]

I am sure an expert in aircraft design and spacing would be able to calculate how many seats would need to be removed to ensure social distancing could be maintained on different aircraft types

My uneducated guess is that the space allocation needed per seat, would be somewhere between business / first (for longhaul) to maintain social distancing on a full flight.

On short haul, even the A318 used for LCY – NYC, I doubt that would be a socially distanced suitable aircraft.

Social distancing on aircraft is impossible to achieve, unless airlines restrict passenger numbers or you fly privately.

Question then of course is, who pays for the extra space.

[ImissConcorde]

It’s an evacuation flight and they were “shocked” by the number of passengers on board. Did any of them volunteer to remove themselves from the aircraft to lessen the crush?

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BAGoldcard, TimFitzgeraldTC, AllOverTheGaff, fatbear, K1ngston, Swissdiver, openfly, Roa1, sleak76, Flyboy18, GivingupBA, Terence, DerekVH, Montysaurus, ASK1945, canucklad, first_class_please, FaroFlyer, Bullfrog, MartynSinclair

[capetonianm]

The FCO is organising repatriation flights through an agency called CTM. I am not sure what airlines they will be using but someone I know is trying to get one from Lagos (happiness is V2 at Murtala Muhamed). The price is £504 (obviously it’s a one way … nobody wants to go back there!).

He’s waiting to know when he can get on and I will pass on his comments on the flight. I think it is bound to be full.

I checked a couple of the few BA scheduled flights operating today, at random. Load factors about 20% so definitely no overcrowding there.

1 user thanked author for this post.

ImissConcorde

[AMcWhirter]

Remember those scenes in 1975 when Saigon was about to be overrun by the Communists … and those US evacuation flights ?

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EU_Flyer, Roa1, Tramor01, Montysaurus, ImissConcorde

[AMcWhirter]

Lengthy blog from a BA passenger taking BA repatriation flight from India.

Further in the piece there is a reference to social distancing.

From what the author was saying the flight was full.

But then 200-220 passengers wouldn’t represent a full load. So were any unoccupied seats being taken by flight crew (several sets required if crew are operating back-to-back) ?

British Airways Repatriation Flights from India: A real life experience

[AMcWhirter]

And how could you have social distancing on a flight like this ?

Woman gives birth onboard Emirates repatriation flight

[SimonS1]

I must say I agree with the comments from Willie Walsh in the media today. Social distancing will simply not work in airline travel. Masks or face coverings may provide some limited protection, but the only way of removing the risk is not to fly.

Honestly, anyone that seriously thinks the airports and airlines can manage around this is I’m afraid either a fool or completely deluded. Really – 1km long queues to board weaving through the airport? 30% of seats occupied? People not removing their masks at any point? Yeah, right. Maybe on 1st April next year.

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[J_Pathmore]

Completely agree with SimonS1. It’s amazing that given all the information out there people still believe sitting slightly further away on a plane will make the difference. It’s proven that if someone in an adjacent aisle of a grocery store coughs, you will likely be exposed. How on earth do you think this will play out when someone even ~5 rows behind you on a flight coughs…

Expecting airlines to fly at reduced capacity is also delusional… somewhat similar to the idea that restaurants in busy cities should operate with 25-50% capacity.

If you want to reduce the risk, don’t fly, or perhaps fly 1st class on a wide body where you have your own suite (but don’t forget the risks you’ll take getting to that suite).

[SimonS1]

[quote quote=998406]or perhaps fly 1st class on a wide body where you have your own suite (but don’t forget the risks you’ll take getting to that suite).[/quote]

And don’t go to the bathroom. Or accept any food (you don’t know who has handled it). And take care at the boarding gate, plus security. And in the lounge (if they open it). Not to mention baggage reclaim (no priory baggage on BA!).

In fact good luck altogether.

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Shamsh1, Montysaurus, canucklad

[canucklad]

This BA story, isn’t so much fake news as irrelevant news !!

And another example of a story that ……..BIG SIGH

I can’t talk for anybody else, but for me as an individual sitting here under house arrest (refuse to euphemise) my emotional and logical response swings between anger , and resignation to our plight.

But , as someone who used to be in control of his own destiny, and someone who loves travelling, loves socialising and generally loves life what frustrates most is the frustration I feel every time I realise and recognise that our leaders are behaving like I did when I was setting out as a teenager trying to conquer that scariest of all things …… Women !!

Fumbling , haplessly around in the dark , attempting to unlock something or another that would magically ease you magically on to something else, that you weren’t quite sure of , but knowing it would probably be worth it !!

And mostly credit to WW, we actually need the leaders of all our industries to start to shout louder and put the pragmatic, realistic future to our leaders.

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GivingupBA, Montysaurus

[FaroFlyer]

To go back to the original thread about social distancing on flights this is what the Portuguese Government has decreed:
”
Air transport: Passenger air transport will see a reduction to two-thirds of the capacity of planes, although the Government has cautioned several exceptions.
Exceptions include specific repatriation flights; commercial flights of air carriers, national or foreign, that “are used to carry out repatriation actions or that justifiably serve this purpose””

[SimonS1]

[quote quote=998434]Air transport: Passenger air transport will see a reduction to two-thirds of the capacity of planes,[/quote]

Can’t see how that will work. Take out the middle seat (so roughly a third) and you will still be well within 2 meters of the person in front, behind, across the aisle.

Really such measures are just pandering to the “something must be done” brigade….

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ASK1945, MartynSinclair

[DavidSmith2]

I can’t speak for Nigeria, but certainly in Ghana the High Commission has a list of all Brits who have registered with them and is keeping them well informed by email, as well as posting on social media. We have a flight going out later today from Accra, which is fully subscribed. But I know they hope to do more, as there are still quite a lot of people who would like to return home. Same price arrangement as for Nigeria by the look of it.

[Author]

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