Hi everyone! In this post, we’re going to take a look at something fresh off the press: Singapore Airline’s cancellation of their plans for “flights to nowhere” announced earlier this week (Tuesday, 29 September) – something that has been implemented by carriers overseas like EVA Air from Taiwan and Qantas from Australia, framed as a solution for wanderlust.
The future of tourism… or not?
In as early as June this year, as part of a strategy to keep airlines in business, EVA Air decided to create “flights to nowhere”, a experience for people desperately wanting a holiday experience. In such a flight, one travels to the airport, goes through all of the check-in and immigration procedures, and seats oneself comfortably on a plane fired up and ready to go… nowhere. Other airlines like Qantas soon hopped on the bandwagon after realizing how much such an experience was sought after.
A couple enjoying their “flight to nowhere” (Source: Massive)
For us here at Paradise (Not Yet) Lost, the first thing that came to our minds was – could this be the future of tourism? Instead of taking a full flight over to the destination country, perhaps we could simply pay for such an experience and save both money, time, and the earth in the process.
However, once we considered the fact that firing planes up on the ground still contributed to carbon emissions (check our previous post which mentioned pollution by airplanes even when on land) and that there were probably other ways to save the aviation industry without being so ‘wasteful’, we hesitated in our support for it.
SIA’s about-turn
This, in fact, was the view posited by a lot of environmentalists and community groups in Singapore, which eventually resulted in Singapore Airlines scrapping its “flight to nowhere” plans and deciding on recreating the airline experience through an airline-themed restaurant and home deliveries of airplane meals instead.
Such a plan for a themed eatery follows in the footsteps of Thai Airways, which decided to open a airline-themed café and restaurant in early September. Furnished with airplane-related items like seats directly taken from their own airplanes, as well as the dressing of all café staff in crew member uniform, Thai Airways sought to recreate the holiday experience as much as possible through this venture.
Thai Airways café with airplane seats (Source: Business Traveler)
Here at Paradise (Not Yet) Lost, this decision by Singapore Airlines is welcome news indeed. Perhaps such a measure will last longer than just this COVID-19 pandemic period to transform from a contingency plan of mimicry into an actual experience that people will crave to satisfy their wanderlust.
In the future, maybe, just maybe, we’ll take lesser flights and impulse holidays, because we know we can satisfy ourselves with just a café within the country. And we’ll feel good doing so, because we know we’re actually helping to cut carbon emissions too.
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References
Business Traveler 2020, Thai Airways opens plane-themed restaurant, online image, viewed 30 September 2020, https://www.businesstraveller.com/business-travel/2020/09/09/thai-airways-opens-plane-themed-restaurant/
Hicks, R 2020, ‘Are ‘flights to nowhere’ a necessary environmental cost to save the aviation industry?’, Eco-Business, viewed 30 September 2020, https://www.eco-business.com/news/are-flights-to-nowhere-a-necessary-environmental-cost-to-save-the-aviation-industry/
Massive 2020, What it’s like taking a flight to nowhere, online image, viewed 30 September 2020, https://massive.news/2020/09/23/what-its-like-taking-a-flight-to-nowhere/
Teo, J 2020, ‘Can’t travel? People in Taiwan & Australia are paying to go on flights to nowhere’, TODAY, viewed 30 September 2020, https://www.todayonline.com/8days/liveandlearn/travel/cant-travel-people-taiwan-australia-are-paying-go-flights-nowhere
Toh, T.W 2020, ‘SIA drops ‘flights to nowhere’ plan; will launch A-380 ‘plane restaurant’, home-delivered premium meals and tours instead’, The Straits Times, viewed 30 September 2020, https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/transport/sia-drops-flights-to-nowhere-plan-will-launch-a380-plane-restaurant-home