Would booking flights now for November be a reasonable gamble. Surely a level of normality would be back by then??

Doubt it. Lockdowns are only slowing the rate infection, not eliminating it. We must wait until a vaccine is available and in volume production. There is no chance of that happening before winter in the northern hemisphere.

Use a credit card when you book your holiday. At least you can claim the money back through your credit card provider. Nobody knows when flying will resume and even the scientists disagree about the timetable for a vaccine.

Take all the precautions you can so that you don’t lose any money. I only recently booked a holiday, used my credit card for the flights and have free cancellation up to the day of arrival with the hotel. Whatever happens I will get my money back and only lose a few leave days if restrictions are still in place.

Personally I would not be making a booking for November until October just to get a better view as to what is going on.

Just be aware that new insurance policies won’t cover Coronavirus. It won’t have disappeared so if you catch it here and end up in hospital abroad you could potentially end up with a bill. Again if you are in self isolation in the UK you won’t get your money back.

NEW AIRCRAFT
Do we have any ideas of whether the deferred orders are from EasyJet UK or EasyJet Europe fleets - or both? Again, would it be both A320s and A321s? How many new aircraft were expected between now and the end of 2020? According to Jethros list EJU should have received its next A321 last week.

EasyJets financial year runs from October-September so the 10 they talk about in FY2020 were aircraft due between now and September 30th. A321neo OE-ISE was meant to arrive on the 8th so I’m guessing it is built but not sure if it is already paid for. Below is the fleet growth plan from last years financial report. There are currently 337 aircraft in easyJets fleet today. With no deliveries and up to 24 A319s being returned over the next 16 months the fleet could end up around 313 by the end of FY21 instead of the 330 frames listed. Look at the minimum fleet line as that’s more likely where the company is headed and in fact could go well below it.

There is a trading update from the company on April 16th. It may have more information on future fleet allocation.


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Thanks: that's helpful.

EasyJet founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou has sent a complaint to the UK's financial regulator about the airline's Airbus order, ratcheting up tensions between the company’s largest shareholder and its board.

The UK-listed airline and its founder have been battling for weeks over an Airbus order for 107 new aircraft, which he estimates will cost the airline £4.5bn.

Sir Stelios argues the order should be cancelled in order to preserve cash in the face of the coronavirus pandemic that has left the aviation industry grappling with its biggest crisis in decades.

Last week, easyJet attempted to ease tensions by saying it would defer the purchase of 24 aircraft over three years.

But in a letter to the Financial Conduct Authority, lawyers from London firm Signature Litigation acting on behalf of Sir Stelios said the airline breached the UK's Market Abuse Regulation and Listing Rules since it did not obtain shareholder approval before deferring the Airbus order.

Sir Stelios also said that easyJet’s statement about the deferral did not outline how many aircraft deliveries will go ahead in the 2020/21 financial year, leaving the financial effect of the deferral “entirely unexplained”.

“Given the global Covid-19 pandemic, the grounding of the company’s entire fleet and loss of all its revenue, this is critical information, without which the actual deferral decision is impossible to understand,” the letter said.

EasyJet said it was “well aware of its obligations and constantly reviews its obligations” under the UK Market Abuse Regulation.

The airline and Sir Stelios, whose family owns 34 per cent of the company, have been embroiled in a battle over the multibillion pound order for weeks, with the outspoken founder threatening to oust board directors unless the order is cancelled.

Sir Stelios has asked the regulator to make easyJet reveal the value and cash flow impact of the deferrals as well as to confirm whether shareholder approval is required.

In a separate statement, he said that if the FCA does not force a shareholder vote, the businessman would himself go “to a High Court judge to ask for an injunction requiring the regulators to do their job properly.”

EasyJet became one of the first big UK companies to tap the government for help, taking £600m from the emergency loan scheme to shore up its cash pile.

Sir Stelios’s last notable fight with the carrier followed the financial crisis in 2008 and played a part in the subsequent departure of the airline’s chairman, chief executive and finance director.

BOOM.

easyJet gave an updated trading statement to the city this morning including a new fleet plan.


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Coronavirus: EasyJet losses could hit £380m after jets grounded https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-52306868

All flights between 1st-17th May now taken off sale

Also easyJet to go all 'business class' i.e. keep middle seat blocked out until an undetermined time once flying resumes.

That'll about kill the leisure routes, you can't take 33% of the seats out without raising average fares by 50%.

However passengers are not going to come back call at once - some routes will have lowish loads at least initally

ATNotts Maybe higher average fares are something the travelling public will need to get used to post CVD19?
Airlines are unlikely to want to see a return to ultra low fares as they could not make money at those levels.
If we see less airlines with less seats going forwards then the basic rules of supply and demand suggest higher fares will follow.

Surely these easyJet suggestions are a joke? call that social spacing - really?

EasyJet to leave middle plane seats empty

The EasyJet proposal is a joke but what else can they propose?

You never know, this could be a winner.
Go by Ryanair at special post corona fare of 99p/99c but you will be sitting right next to who knows what or go by Easyjet where you have a little bit of distancing but pay normal or slightly higher fares.
The public will determine what is best!

There's nothing materially changed so far in either EasyJet or Ryanair's stance from how each of their business strategies have been for years.

EasyJet deferring fleet growth, which of course a lot of pressure on them to do so, and prioiritsing yield per head and market share positions above all else.

Ryanair's 'load factor active yield passive' stragtegy will mean they'll cut fares to whatever it takes to best fill the aircraft as much as possible. They know full well they can withstand the downward pressure on fares more so than anyone else.

Not to say which strategy is better in the long run, but I'm sure the airports at least will favour volumes in the short run as are essential for thier commercial spend, never mind the employees and contractors right across the business.

Anybody personally still concerned about the covid-19 spread once restrictions are eased are not in my view the people that will be flying away on a jolly, regardless of price or seating policy etc.

The reality of course will unfold purley on how and when restrictions are lifted and how the market pans out. One thing that is for sure and will be a lasting effect is the aviation world will look much different on the other side of all this.

Of course if Ryanair do 99p fares the smart thing would be to buy your own social distancing through purchasing an additional seat and paying £8 or whatever to reserve it