Coronavirus Update: How The Airlines Are Screwing Everyone Over
The ability to get up and travel anywhere you want to go has always been a luxury in this world. Even with prices sky-high, airports across the world have always stayed packed. But not anymore. Thanks to Coronavirus, airports are now like ghost towns.
No one wants to travel by plane and rightfully so. But here is the real issue. Companies are still offering flights for a reduced rate and that’s a scary thought.
Normally, a roundtrip flight from New York to Tennessee would cost a flyer $336. Today, you can get a roundtrip from NYC to Nashville for $65. Wow. And why is that? The reason being is that airports are still operational and have not been ordered to shut down. With many states being issued a stay-at-home order, Airlines are still sending emails to customers offering safety during this pandemic.
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Is it fair? Yes and no.
Each Airline is still a business and must operate as such. However, offering such a low deal while people are being ordered to stay at home is playing with the lives of millions. Let’s say you always wanted to go to Jamaica. Maybe you couldn’t afford it and that’s what’s been stopping you. Now, with such reduced fares, that trip can happen. But is it worth risking your life over?
This is what the airlines are not factoring, or maybe they are.
In New York, we’re told that if you travel, then you must self-quarantine for 14 days. Does the payoff outweigh the risk of it all? To be truthful, that’s not the airline’s place to make that choice for you. That’s totally up to you. As for myself, just out of boredom and curiosity I find myself checking flight deals to see where I can go. But I am scared to travel. Being lockdown will take its toll on you physically and mentally.
But we must ask ourselves is wherever we decide to fly to on these incredible rates, is that destination safer than the point of origin? If I could take a $56 flight to a place with the virus can’t get to me, then yes, I’ll fly there. But at this point in time, where is that safe haven?
When all this is over, what will happen to the flights? More than likely, they will go back to those sky-high rates and the people who always wanted to travel to their favorite destinations, still won’t be able to go. So, using that as a marketing tool, Airlines are putting unnecessary pressure on people to play with their lives so they won’t lose business.
The bottom line has always been the driving force of any company. But yet, we are not in normal times here. People are stuck in the house and after a certain amount of time, they will start to look for an escape. This is exactly with these Airline companies are banking on. That we are no longer afraid due to boredom.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
