I’ve seen the future of flying – and it’s very relaxing

Even in the time of coronavirus, when the aviation industry is enduring its toughest time since the start of the jet age, old habits die hard.

On a flight with just 26 passengers on board – one-seventh of capacity – Ryanair’s “random” seat assignment system placed me in 27B, a middle seat on the left, near the back of the Boeing 737. And from what I had learnt about the future of flying from the flurry of airline and airport announcements, I anticipated having to ditch my old habit: always being last on the plane and ignoring what is said on the boarding pass in favour of any seat that appeared to offer a degree of extra comfort.

But on the 2.10pm Ryanair flight from Edinburgh to Dublin, the friendly and professional cabin crew were relaxed.

On a day where I sampled five airports and three flights, “relaxed” sums up the new normal of aviation – from the passengers’ point of view, if not the airline accountants.

This must surely be the closest most of us will get to flying on a private jet. With no passengers flying, you don’t wait for security; security waits for you. When you are good and ready, half-a-dozen staff will be pleased to scrutinise you. And when you and the handful of other travellers are comfortably on board, the plane leaves.

The pilots enjoy the same premium service, with no waiting for slots. The skies are wide open; absurdly early arrivals are the new normal.

That may all sound a little too relaxed in these difficult and dangerous times. Certainly, if you have a problem with the inevitable incompatibility of passenger aviation and social distancing, flying is not for you.

If, though, you are prepared to tolerate a certain degree of risk, then you might want to take advantage of the fairly random selection of routes and prices on offer; I paid a walloping £175 from Gatwick to Glasgow with EasyJet, a meagre £30 from Edinburgh to Dublin and a reasonable £48 from the Irish capital to Bristol with Ryanair.

With only one-third or fewer seats filled on the typical flight, the giant budget airlines are losing their corporate shirts right now. But they believe loss-leading flights are an investment to help persuade reluctant flyers that mass air travel has a future.

And as you trace the crinkled coast of southwest Scotland, marvel at the clouds over the Mountains of Mourne and feel the reassuring thud of another safe landing, you too may sigh with pleasure at the privilege of seeing the world’s wonders once again. For a while, we must take greater pleasure from more modest journeys, but the planet feels less lonely.

Yours,

Simon Calder

Travel correspondent