Coronavirus Impact on Air Travel

[FFMAN]

As SWBKCD has fairly pointed out, I'll try to keep this to potential impacts on air travel.

Demand: Business - some business travel will always be necessary. Those of you 'zooming' your mates down the road wil have no concept of the challenges of holding multi-stakeholder project meetings in countries where the digital infrastructure can barely support it. Literally banging your head against a wall sometimes. However even I, who prefer the face to face approach infinitely, will be reducing business travel to the absolute bare minimum - I've realized that I can increase my profits by not feeding the airports and airlines. Frankly the whole experience is going to go from a previous 'pretty crap' to 'utterly dire'. Why would anyone voluntarily put themselves through it?
VFR - same applies, vastly reduced numbers but will continue.
Holidays - the big question, and this will afffect airlines and airports more than anything else. My view is that people go on holidays to 'relax' or just have a good time, to see something new or to experience different cultures. Most of that won't be possible in the next year or two. Despite being able to go there - why bother?. Why would I want to go to Spain if I have to wear a face mask all the time I'm not in a hotel room? The whole message coming through is: 'you are not welcome: you are a problem - we don't want you, we just want your money'.
Why would you go to a bar or restaurant when every time you move your chair a waiter or other guest looks at you suspiciously as if you are about to unleash a storm of virus 'droplets' on them? The holiday experience will be so regimented, it would be just crap - better to stay at home - or maybe try that trip to North Korea where you might experience greater freedom and get a better welcome.

Airports - shops, cafes, bars and restaurants will get a commercial pasting - many will become unviable, Airports will find it harder to find tenants for their concessions and certainly not at the previous 'captive market' rents they previously charged. This will change the way airports are funded at a time when costs will escalate. Inevitably the costs will have to be borne by the airlines who will pass the costs on through ticket prices.
Airlines like Easyjet and Ryanair who rely on on-board sales will see that type of income plummet. How can you eat an irradiated cheezy toast brick through a face mask? Aircraft turn round times will be much greater, reducing time in the air, increasing airport parking charges and aircraft cleaning costs.

Flying will become a much more expensive pastime. This too will negatively affect demand because just as it gets more expensive, people will have less money to spend on it. Some airports will no longer be viable without (local) government support. Political pressure will not permit it as it will be seen as a subsidy for wealthy people at the expense of a much greater number of people in genuine need.

All this could change of course if politicians and especially the media turn off their fear game and put some rational thought in to the subject. Social distancing as a policy is not possible in aviation or any other form of public transport. To pretend it is, is frankly dillusional and dishonest and just politicians spouting self-righteous nonsense.