Originally Posted by
the810
If that's the case, I'm very sceptical about it. People who are afraid to travel won't change their mind just because of masks on board - there will still be way too much contact during their travels to reassure them. And in the process, airlines will be losing those customers who would be willing to fly under relatively normal conditions, but are not willing to go through so much hassle.
If this becomes a widespread norm with all airlines, it will be a huge blow to those destinations that are trying to open up for the summer season.
Exactly this.
I'm not willing to pay premium fares if I'm assured of a miserable experience at the airport and onboard. I might endure it for an ultra short-haul hop in economy, but if I'm assured of a miserable experience then why should I not just travel with Ryanair and save myself some cash? Meanwhile, the ultra-risk averse will never be satiated unless and until there is a vaccine. They'll be too scared to travel.
Perhaps we might have to accept that flying will inevitably be miserable for the next few years. But for those of us whose travel is discretionary, KLM is likely to find that we prefer to stay at home - or at best, switch to the cheapest available economy fare.