How flying could change for the better after coronavirus
Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. In an age of social distancing, it will be interesting to see how Sharm el Sheikh airport changes its approach to security. If nations are confident in each other’s standards, it makes good sense to subtract the intermediate security step – saving time, stress and an avoidable airport pinch point. At the departure airport, IATA foresees several layers of protective measures: “Boarding should be made as efficient as possible with redesigned gate areas, congestion-reducing boarding priorities, and hand-luggage limitations.” With the possible exception of those of us who shun checked baggage, those priorities looks good. On arrival, some parts of the roadmap take on the hue of a wish list: “Accelerated processing and baggage reclaim to enable social distancing by reducing congestion and queuing.” All travellers would enjoy that prospect in the sunlit uplands of future travel: your bag waiting eagerly as you stroll up to baggage reclaim.
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