Some travelers are so desperate to get back on a plane that several airlines are starting to offer destination-less trips to nowhere. In a bid to recover some of the money lost because of the coronavirus pandemic, Singapore Airlines is considering launching three-hour flights around the country that depart from and return to Changi Airport. And even if the flight isn’t going far, at least it starts and ends at the world’s best airport for eight years running.
Singapore has had strict COVID-19 rules and regulations. Its borders remain closed to short-term visitors, and those who do get approval to enter the country are required to quarantine for 14 days and are monitored by an electronic wristband to ensure they don’t leave home.
Singapore isn’t the only airline to start up no-destination flights. In July and August, EVA Air in Taiwan launched special Hello Kitty-themed flights, some of which stayed grounded for the duration of the ‘experience’. However, passengers got a huge upgrade to their in-flight meals, which were prepared by three-Michelin-starred chef Motokazu Nakamura.
In October, Qantas, Australia’s flag carrier, is also offering a seven-hour ‘joy flight’ on a Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Sydney that passes over the Great Barrier Reef and Uluru before landing again, and the 134 available seats sold out in 10 minutes.
‘So many of our frequent flyers are used to being on a plane every other week and have been telling us they miss the experience of flying as much as the destinations themselves’, Qantas’ CEO Alan Joyce said in a statement.
Qantas has branded the excursion as a scenic flight and said that it ‘will be carbon offset and operate on a cost-neutral basis’. The middle seats are being blocked off, but not for social distancing reasons: the airline wants to guarantee all passengers a good view from the plane’s large windows.
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