Early pandemic memory:<p>I remember this issue was in the (german) news for a time in march 2020 when it slowly dawned on everyone that almost all the planes we were watching in the sky were empty - most people had either stopped travelling on their own or were prevented so by travel bans. The airlines were only flying the planes as to not lose the slots.<p>EU institutions acted reshingly quick in that situation and suspended the rule for some time. After that point, flight traffic in Europe came to a virtual standstill as everyone went into lockdown.<p>It's a bit disappointing to read that the rule is back in action and apparently with the same results as before.
Is there some sort of service that identifies these planned-to-be-nearly-empty flights so that you can book them? I would absolutely love to be on a near-empty flight instead of a congested flight, and my schedule is such that I can fly out at more or less whichever time of day I want, so this would be extremely beneficial to me.<p>Or failing a dedicated service for this, is there at least a manual way of finding out which flights are going to be near-empty?
This is not just something that this airline does. There are MANY airlines that do that, especially internationally, but also domestically in the USA. The reason you likely aren't aware is that you fly at times when the routes are popular.<p>In the USA there is also a totally different issue, Congressional pork barrel that, e.g., subsidizes a route or even whole airline that serves the interest of a single Congressman so he does not have to take longer routes or fly on limited schedules. There are even famous instances of whole airports being built/funded for that very reason.
I've been really grateful for airlines like Qatar Airways continuing to run their mostly empty flights. I've been on a flight with just 8 people in economy & business and most recently one with 30. I know people can call it wasteful, most things we do are wasteful, but it really means a lot when it's already a huge headache to get the paperwork to board the flight and I can't imagine having to worry about the flight being cancelled.
Although I'm unfamiliar with the details, the pilots need to continue flying to maintain their type ratings.<p>Perhaps Lufthansa/Brussels Airlines could have used single-engine propeller planes (think Cessna 172 or the many other aircraft in its class) to decrease the cost and environmental impact?
This issue looks like something solvable through policy like the container stacking limit in port of LA if it gain enought traction. Would require governments to make airports "freeze" slots for some period of time?
This info is not entirely correct: the sources they cite (in French and Dutch) say Brussels airlines is <i>planning</i> to make 3000 unnecessary flights. The mother company Lufthansa published this news themselves, I presume they also hope the rules get changed. Not that one should have sympathy for the airline, but it’s good to keep the facts straight.
Silly question: are the flight safety messages still played, and performed by air crew, on these empty flights? I believe it is a 'mandatory' requirement for passenger flights.
When I think of global warming it's stuff like this that makes me chuckle. I can try to reduce my emissions, but the system is built for unlimited fuel burning. Leaving the oven on with the door open so you don't miss your chance to bake cookies.
Whereas in the US necessary flights have been cancelled left and right. I had to take a series of flights in the past two weeks, and it was an absolute mess. By the third trip, I honestly had no expectation that my flight would take off on time, if at all.<p>That and getting a PCR test this week in the NYC area seems totally non-functional. Appointments have to be made days in advance, for results which can several days to come back. It's a far cry form Germany where I can get same day service at any number of testing centers, and pay to get expedited results if I need to.<p>How can these systems be so broken, and why isn't capitalism solving them?