Isolation vs. Risk-based travel

The WHO in its latest guidance (July 2021), recommended a risk-based approach to international travel in the context of COVID-19.

This approach made recommendations regarding vaccination, testing, quarantine, and other considerations. Many of States rely on the guidance of the WHO as key in the development of national health policies during the pandemic.

The recommendation on vaccination states the States should not require proof of Covid vaccination as mandatory for entry or exit; lifting of testing and/or quarantine requirements to travelers who are fully vaccinated, at least two weeks prior to travelling or have had previous SARS-CoV-2 infection and are no longer infectious; and offer alternatives to travel for individuals who are unvaccinated or do not have proof of past infection, such as through the use of negative PCR tests.

Although the pandemic crosses borders by the movement of persons, 17 months and several variants later, it seems futile to fight the pandemic by complete isolation. Risk-based travel is simply common sense. Therefore States in embracing this guidance, should endeavour to destigmatize travel and focus on the promotion of safe practices as we seek to adjust our lives to yet another threat.

Policy considerations for implementing a risk-based approach to international travel in the context of COVID-19, 2 July 2021 (who.int)

Scenes from Hamid Karzai International Airport (KBL/OAKB) have engaged our attention since Sunday 15th August. Evacuations accelerated. A week later, on Sunday 22nd August, the United States (US) activated the Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF), however these commercial aircraft will not fly into KBL. They will be used for the onward movement of passengers from temporary safe havens and interim staging bases.

The CRAF is a cooperative, voluntary program involving the US and the U.S. civil air carrier industry in a partnership to augment aircraft capability during a national defense related crisis. Air carriers volunteer their aircraft to the CRAF program through contractual agreements with the U.S. and in return, the participating carriers are given preference in carrying commercial peacetime cargo and passenger traffic for the DOD.

The US explain that activating CRAF increases passenger movement beyond organic capability and allows military aircraft to focus on operations in and out of in Kabul. As at the time of posting, over 50,000 persons have been evacuated by the US  

Insurance is essential for commercial aviation but aviation insurance may not be available or economically feasible to air carriers when CRAF is activated. Commercial airlines purchase all-risks insurance to cover losses due to mechanical failure, weather, or pilot error. They also purchase war-risk insurance to cover losses due to terrorism, acts of war, or other hostile acts. However, many commercial insurance policies have a war exclusion clause or a CRAF mission exclusion clause, such that commercial insurers can cancel war-risk coverage upon activation of the CRAF or charge unreasonably high surcharges for the war-risk coverage. To protect commercial air carriers from these types of eventualities and ensure adequate coverage, the Aviation Insurance Program was established in 1951. 

The CRAF order is for 18 aircraft: three each from American Airlines, Atlas Air, Delta Air Lines, and Omni Air; two from Hawaiian Airlines; and four from United Airlines. 

United Airlines’ (UAL) first flight under CRAF flew Sunday 22nd from Frankfurt-Hahn Airport to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. We wish all participating carriers safe flying in these unusual times.

https://www.transportation.gov/mission/administrations/intelligence-security-emergency-response/civil-reserve-airfleet-allocations

 

The interesting story of Wizz Air's survival during the pandemic

The airline that remained resilient during the pandemic | World Finance

There is no century in our existence as humans without war, pestilence and natural disasters. Transport by land and sea have evolved around these realities. Transport by air was achieved by us as we flew the first commercial flight in 1914. We should not be surprised therefore, that air transport would also need to make adjustments to our proclivity for war (in all its modern iterations), pestilence (whether caused by our own indirect or direct actions) and natural disasters (arguably worsened by us - now at ‘code red’). Some lament that the glory days of flying are all but over. Gone are our nostalgic reminiscences, romanticized in the sexy-dreamy-drama of PanAm, the short-lived made for TV series. No real security checks, alcohol flowing and cigars smoking ! But remember the major adjustments following 9/11?The stricter security and prohibition of certain items in our carryon luggage - that was our adjustment to ‘war’. Now comes Covid-19. By far the most devastating pandemic since the Spanish Flu of 1918. Proof of vaccination / negative status / quarantine / isolation - now required by most of the major airlines and countries. But this should not come as a surprise. It was inevitable. Wasn’t it? The pestilence of the 21st century …. yet another adjustment for aviation.

We have heard that American Airlines Group Inc. agreed to buy a stake in JetSmart Airlines, a privately held, low-cost carrier based in Chile. JetSmart is an Indigo operator.  Indigo holds a majority stake in Frontier Group Holdings Inc., the parent of Frontier Airlines; Hungary’s Wizz Air Holdings Plc and Mexico’s Volaris.  Franke is Indigo’s managing partner as well as chairman of Frontier.  A codeshare, or marketing, alliance will join American’s extensive long-haul international network from the U.S. to South America with JetSmart’s short-haul, low-fare routes to 33 destinations mostly in the western half of the continent, allowing passengers to travel seamlessly throughout the Americas. Customers will be able to earn and use miles in American’s AAdvantage loyalty program on JetSmart flights. 
This model will not likely be replicated in the Caribbean. Why? AA already has services to literally all of the Caribbean destinations and loads are good. Additionally, operators in the region are not privately held. AA's strategy will likely be one of direct competition not alliance to grow in the region. What is instructive in the JetSmart investment is that AA is pursuing growth outside the US and ensuring that it keeps Frontier in its sights by this very indirect method. Genius.