Flights still going in lockdown - who and why?

[anonymous-user]

Air pollution and global warming must be massively down.

[JuniorD]

sidekickdmr said:

Here I am sat at home working, wishing for some winter sun, but obviously not allowed.

Yet I look at flight radar app, or the heathrow departure board and its like BAU, flights leaving every minute to Dubai, New York, Shanghai etc and I just dont understand why?

https://www.heathrow.com/departures



Are they empty but have to fly anyway? Are they people traveling for business?

I can go on sky-scanner right now and book a flight for tomorrow to anywhere, Spain, Germany, UAE etc, but im not allowed to travel.

Anyone working at the airports able to confirm how busy they are, and why?

I'm not looking to travel by the way, It's a lockdown for a reason and im staying put, just confused as in here in rural devon in a little bubble and no idea how the outside world is working at the moment

Flightradar have recently scaled up the size of the little aircraft icons by 19% due to the relatively empty skies so that makes the maps look busier than they are.

[survivalist]

GT03ROB said:

Saweep said:

The outrage at these people just seems to smack of sour grapes.

Nobody would care if the execs of Instagram needed to travel somewhere to work but somehow it's not ok for their content producers?

I don't even have instagram but I recognise that this is their business and is as legitimate as any other if you ask me.

I wouldn't so much say sour grapes, more these "influencers" are misreading a situation & seem to be taking the piss.

Guess it’ll be determined by the numbers. If their followers desert them then it’ll be decidedly so.

There is certainly an element of sour grapes out there. A number of my colleagues are currently working from Barbados. I’m happy for them, they get to socialise in bars and restaurants, also go to the beach.

Another friend has 2 teenage kids who may not see school for 5 days a week anytime soon, so is applying to live in the caymans until September via a local sponsor. Options of local international schools or remote learning with tutors.

I’m in the halfway house of one in nursery (wisely still
open) and another one in primary who will hopefully be back in March.

TL:DR - not sure we should be criticising people’s desire to escape our current destructive, ineffective and pointless lockdown measures. With 2020 hindsight I would have left in mid December.

[GT03ROB]

survivalist said:

Guess it’ll be determined by the numbers. If their followers desert them then it’ll be decidedly so.

There is certainly an element of sour grapes out there. A number of my colleagues are currently working from Barbados. I’m happy for them, they get to socialise in bars and restaurants, also go to the beach.

Another friend has 2 teenage kids who may not see school for 5 days a week anytime soon, so is applying to live in the caymans until September via a local sponsor. Options of local international schools or remote learning with tutors.

I’m in the halfway house of one in nursery (wisely still
open) and another one in primary who will hopefully be back in March.

TL:DR - not sure we should be criticising people’s desire to escape our current destructive, ineffective and pointless lockdown measures. With 2020 hindsight I would have left in mid December.

....and don't get me wrong.... I have no sour grapes towards them I just think they are being a bit frikkin insensitive given where the rest of the country is.

I was able to go out to a bar last night, I'm off out this afternoon for some more drinks with work colleagues as we don't have major restrictions here. Flying out from the UK is a bit like escaping a prison at the moment. I can still get to Dubai & the Maldives direct from where I am with no problem or restrictions. However should I then post up on facebook pictures of me enjoing life on a island in the Indian ocean sipping cocktails I'm sure I'd get some grief..... not to mention a divorce petition in the post .... hence I shall return to prison a few weeks rather than that tropical paradise.

[ChocolateFrog]

Saweep said:

MiniMan64 said:

dirky dirk said:

The influencers going to Dubai.
Have just buggered up freight rates for Britain’s exporters.
Emirates and Etihad are used a lot for cargo
Less flights. Means less capacity means higher rates.

Well done steroid munching protein glugging bleached teeth knobtards
Just what we need in a pandemic

To be fair they were acting like complete knobheads before they buggered up freight flights

The outrage at these people just seems to smack of sour grapes.

Nobody would care if the execs of Instagram needed to travel somewhere to work but somehow it's not ok for their content producers?

I don't even have instagram but I recognise that this is their business and is as legitimate as any other if you ask me.


Anyway, back on topic. I'm glad Emirates are flying one way to Dubai now as I was looking at an extra leg to get to Bangkok next week.

I am there taking a massive gamble buying a distressed business and am not looking to quarantining for 2 weeks in a hotel.

I expect, like last time I flew Lon-Dxb a month or so ago, that it will be packed at the front and quiet at the back (377).

Definitely.

If you could semi legitimately bugger off to a warm country with fewer restrictions and get paid to do it then most of us would be doing it.

[Petrus1983]

Last night I booked3 international flights, prices are down quite a lot on this time last year. I thought they may be more expensive.

[Mark V GTD]

Saweep said:

Anyway, back on topic. I'm glad Emirates are flying one way to Dubai now as I was looking at an extra leg to get to Bangkok next week.

I am there taking a massive gamble buying a distressed business and am not looking to quarantining for 2 weeks in a hotel.

How do you avoid the quarantine in Bangkok?

[Saweep]

Mark V GTD said:

Saweep said:

Anyway, back on topic. I'm glad Emirates are flying one way to Dubai now as I was looking at an extra leg to get to Bangkok next week.

I am there taking a massive gamble buying a distressed business and am not looking to quarantining for 2 weeks in a hotel.

How do you avoid the quarantine in Bangkok?

Sorry I missed the word forward.

"not looking forward" was what I meant to type.

Although looking at some of the ASQ 2* hotels, I'm pretty sure a handful baht could get the problem to vanish if you turned up for the tests as and when.

I'm too much of a princess to even attempt that though so will be doing mine somewhere a little fancier.

[Sophisticated Sarah]

I know people who are still travelling with work and a few who’ve emigrated so had exemption passes (or something like that).

[Thankyou4calling]

JuniorD said:

Flightradar have recently scaled up the size of the little aircraft icons by 19% due to the relatively empty skies so that makes the maps look busier than they are.

The size of the planes on that makes each about 50 miles x 20 miles. If they were to scale you’d not be able to see the pinprick. It’s very misleading.

[Mark V GTD]

How is making the plane symbols big enough to see 'misleading'?

[Thankyou4calling]

Mark V GTD said:

How is making the plane symbols big enough to see 'misleading'?

If you don’t know the answer to that there’s no point telling you.

[wjwren]

How busy are the flights? Ive just looked on BA and I can get a return from Barbados in cattle for £444. Crazy cheap. Are they socially distancing on board or all seats sat in?

[Thankyou4calling]

There’s no social distancing on board. If an airline can sell the seats they do.

Because of the reduced numbers of flights some are busy, others are very quiet so you can have a row to yourself but don’t expect seats to be blocked out.

Good luck

[Petrus1983]

wjwren said:

How busy are the flights? Ive just looked on BA and I can get a return from Barbados in cattle for £444. Crazy cheap. Are they socially distancing on board or all seats sat in?

The flights are quite well spaced out - BA is taking it seriously and a lot of the planes have the upgraded HEPA filters. On the flight you must remain seated, only use the bathroom when it’s clear it’s free, wear a mask when not eating/drinking. BA have used it as an excuse for a shocking food service, United (Star Alliance) on the other hand seem to have a better food service. I’m taking packed lunches on BA flights at the mo. All in all it isn’t the doomsday flying experience you may think it is.

[Saweep]

Petrus1983 said:

wjwren said:

How busy are the flights? Ive just looked on BA and I can get a return from Barbados in cattle for £444. Crazy cheap. Are they socially distancing on board or all seats sat in?

The flights are quite well spaced out - BA is taking it seriously and a lot of the planes have the upgraded HEPA filters. On the flight you must remain seated, only use the bathroom when it’s clear it’s free, wear a mask when not eating/drinking. BA have used it as an excuse for a shocking food service, United (Star Alliance) on the other hand seem to have a better food service. I’m taking packed lunches on BA flights at the mo. All in all it isn’t the doomsday flying experience you may think it is.

As I said a couple of months ago, Emirates was just like any normal flight last time out.

I've booked first for my trip this weekend as a hedge against them having tightened things up; I expect both legs from LHR-DXB and DXB-BKK to be bloody quiet given the restrictions on both sides.

Emirates are only flying one way LHR-DXB at the moment and dealing with the Thai embassy to sort out my next leg has been a rather frustrating experience!

[Petrus1983]

Saweep - the internal US flight was shocking 1 like packed with people on standby with no consideration for space at all. The only thing the did that was different was to board from the back seats going forwards - but it won’t have made any difference.

[djc206]

Petrus1983 said:

The flights are quite well spaced out - BA is taking it seriously and a lot of the planes have the upgraded HEPA filters. On the flight you must remain seated, only use the bathroom when it’s clear it’s free, wear a mask when not eating/drinking. BA have used it as an excuse for a shocking food service, United (Star Alliance) on the other hand seem to have a better food service. I’m taking packed lunches on BA flights at the mo. All in all it isn’t the doomsday flying experience you may think it is.

When I flew to Barbados with BA in December there was one empty seat on the plane. Coming back was a bit quieter as everyone switched to come back after Christmas to avoid Tier 4. The food service on BA in club and first has returned to something more akin to normal now I believe just a one tray thing rather than serving individual courses, I’m guessing they’re still handing out stty sandwiches in economy? When I flew back just before Christmas tbh it wasn’t as bad as I had heard and the cabin crew made sure everyone had plenty of wine to keep us all going rather than doing multiple trips.

[Petrus1983]

That’s interesting djc - obviously Houston for Christmas isn’t as popular. And yes - stty sandwiches in economy. I fly premium/biz alone and economy when I have my child as you can lift the armrests to make a little bed which you can’t in the other cabins.

[djc206]

Petrus1983 said:

That’s interesting djc - obviously Houston for Christmas isn’t as popular. And yes - stty sandwiches in economy. I fly premium/biz alone and economy when I have my child as you can lift the armrests to make a little bed which you can’t in the other cabins.

Under normal circumstances I bet you’d have been cheek by jowl. Sad times.

BA really need to up their game as soon as we’re allowed to start moving again. I do love their line about “having consulted public health and nutrition experts we’ve come up with a revised service”, when I went to Italy in September that involved a bag with a pack of biscuits, some crisps and a bottle of water so small it could be recycled as a shot glass. Poor excuse for poor quality offerings.