Some may see it that way, others may not.

Airlines' current safety campaigns are continuously reinforcing the message that flying is now a lethal activity due to a certain virus that's just waiting to pounce and then spread through the cabin like wildfire. The only way to prevent being carried off the plane in a body bag is to strictly follow all the rules and regulations imposed on you, trust that being served little or no food or drink is in your best interest, and hope that the cabin has been thoroughly scrubbed with industrial-strength disinfectants.

All that may make some people feel safe, but will still not be enough to reassure the craven and fearful, who anyway much prefer to follow the glorious example of the Wilmington troglodyte and hide in their basements, no matter what the airlines say. They are wasting their breath, and money too.

Then you get those who couldn't care less about anything, and aren't put off travel by the chance of a chance meeting with a virus. The airlines' covid PR is completely wasted on them as well.

Finally, you have the rational people who see flying as a perfectly acceptable risk. As most people probably know, planes have been known to crash ever since the beginning of powered flight, and some 300 people have been killed in commercial airline crashes so far this year. If that doesn't stop people from flying, then why should a virus? However, the very same people who still want to fly find this incessant, pervasive and intrusive beating of the corona safety drum extremely annoying. I'm one of them.

Hotels, airports, etc. are plastered with signs and posters wherever there is space. Doors, walls, floors, tables, elevators, lobbies, rooms, lounges, bars, restaurants, there's no escaping from the stuff. Staff hide behind screens and masks, and airports treat you to inane announcements every few minutes ("refuse kisses on the cheek" is my favorite so far, but after hearing it a dozen times I was no longer that amused), and cabin crew chime in with helpful advice of their own, such as "do not shake hands" (when last did you see people shaking hands on a plane?). Not only have I heard it all before about a zillion times (Should I wash my hands? Really? News to me! Why?), but a lot of these rules are senseless, pointless, useless and silly. To make matters worse, when not traveling I'm still the lucky recipient of a deluge of emails from travel and hospitality businesses announcing the latest measures to make me feel safe. Enough already!

Airlines should focus on returning service to normal as soon as commercially possible, thus providing the reasonably pleasant and relaxing travel experience want and have every reason to expect. Well, at least in J and F.

Reassuring ignorant once-a-year leisure fliers should not take priority over enticing frequent flyers back on board, which can only be achieved by meeting or exceeding their expectations.

Just to end on a positive note: from a personal perspective, half-empty planes are nice; deserted airports are nice; not waiting in line is nice; quick boarding is nice; improved punctuality is nice; hotel prices down by 30%, 50% or more is nice; the greatly reduced number of tourists almost everywhere is really nice. Bad for business, but nice for me, as well as for those others who still travel.

Johan