Traveling on planes has long been the fastest and safest way to get around with hundreds of millions of people flying around the world every year, but in 2020 everything was shut down by the Covid-19 virus. Three years later, flights are back in full force, but not everything is the same.       

 Travel is enjoyed by so many people in this day and age of modern planes that can take you across the ocean within a day, convenient and safe. But this all changed in March 2020, when it was all shut down by the Covid-19 virus. Now three years later, planes have taken to the skies and people are traveling in great numbers again, but is everything the same as before? And do people feel safe traveling?  What precautions are taken still, if any?

All areas of the Air travel industry were effected by the Covid pandemic, “orders for commercial aircraft dropped by around 55 percent in 2020 from the previous years level” (Mckinsey.com)

According to Mckinsey.com “airlines hemorrhaged 168 billion dollars in economic losses in 2020”.  In 2020 the amount of commercial flights was 63 percent less than in 2019. From December 2019 to april 2020 the amount of passengers in the US dropped from 80 million to 3 million, according to Simpleflying.com

The numbers of passengers on US based airlines have increased to the 850 million mark as of 2022, closer to the pre covid numbers of 1.05 billion in 2019, but still a ways to go. The number of flights also increased back to close to 2019 numbers. 754,819 flights left the USA in May 2022 compared to 880,399 in May 2019 according to Simpleflying.com. 

Number of passengers on US based airlines by year. (rounded to nearest hundred million)

(info from the Department of transportation website)

 Some precautions still exist as you need to submit a proof of Covid vaccination to enter the USA. If you can’t show that you have had the vaccination you must show a negative test taken within 72 hours of the flight. Masks are not required on flights anymore but are strongly recommended as the vaccination does not guarantee your safety from the virus.

Some people shared their views on flying.  Connor Farquhar, A freshman at Amherst college in Massachusetts, said this about his feelings on flying “ I am so so on traveling via planes. Although they have filtration systems, the use of recycled air means that viral particles are easily spread. 2. I think that masks should be required when not eating. It is cramped and people are not able to open windows like on a bus. 3.excluding medical exemptions (real ones), vaccines should be required for everyone, no matter the location”.

Some places are still concerned about the pandemic being spread to their country, The Seychelles is one example, the touristy island nation in the Indian ocean still requires a negative Covid test or proof of vaccination, these precautions are easy to abide by if you take the proper amount of time before your trip.

Basic precautions are still recommended in the airport such as masks, social distancing (when possible) these things are still being utilized and will probably be used for a long time as the Covid virus may never fully disappear.