Yesterday,
I took the plane for the first time in this post-Covid era. I had a compelling
reason to travel.
It
was a three-hour trip out of Frankfurt. And I got a couple of surprises. First,
the aircraft was full. Like in the old days. It is true that everyone was
wearing a mask, but every seat was taken. And this is still a time of
restrictions on travelling abroad, even within the Schengen area. Second, there
were all types of passengers, from young families with small kids to older
couples, and everyone in between. I would have loved to ask my fellow
passengers what the reason for travel was, but I had no authority to do it. I
know that the airline had asked them a similar question, in very vague terms
and without requiring any supporting document. Third, there was no health or
temperature checking before embarkation. Just a request to keep a safe distance
before passing through the boarding pass control, a request that was in
contradiction with the crowding on board.
Upon
arrival at the destination, there was a temperature check. And that was it. We all
left the airport to go and take care of our own business.
My
conclusion was that it is better to re-open the air travel soon. And, at least,
check the temperature of the would-be passengers before boarding. If there are
more options to travel, more flights available, there might be less crowding on
each plane. This should go hand in hand with the lifting of restrictions on cross
border road and train trips.
At
the same time, it is important to keep repeating the recommendation for people
to think twice before travelling. Many will follow such advice, I am sure.
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