Singapore Airlines are the latest in a list of airlines who are planning to or have started offering flights to nowhere. These are aimed at people who "miss travelling" as a result of COVID-19.
The principle is super simple, you go through the whole hassle of getting to the airport, checking in, hanging around buying overpriced coffee, then get on a plane, circle around for a couple of hours, then finally land back at the same airport you took off from.
You then either go back home or go and check into a hotel and pretend you are somewhere else.
Singapore haven't actually flown any of these yet but they are planning to and other airlines including Eva AIR, ANA and Bahrain already have.
As a way for airlines to boost massively hit profits I get it, but from a sustainability point of view...
Air travel is already a big contributor to global CO2 emissions, and if we don't need to get on a plane to actually get somewhere surely we shouldn't be?
I do fly, I try to pick newer cleaner planes, and I offset my carbon, but I do fly. If there is a sensible alternative option that isn't about four times the price of flying then I take that but there isn't always, I'm not going to hop on a plane (not to mention all of the security and checkin hassle) for no reason at all though.
Anyone else think this is a hugely irresponsible idea?
I know there are plenty of people who disagree, the ANA flights to nowhere recently were so popular that they had to distribute tickets by a lottery to deal with the demand. I find it all a bit crazy.