The COVID-19 pandemic has and will continue to shape most industries. The airline industry has, of course, not escaped unscathed. The airline industry has had to adapt and change several components of their business that could remain with us even after the pandemic has passed. As an industry-leading airline dispatcher school, we wanted to take a look at what the future of the airline industry could look like in the post-COVID world.
How Demand for Flights May Change After COVID
One of the most significant changes to the workforce during the pandemic has been the transition from office and in-person work to work from home jobs. We expect demand for flights to increase as more time passes and as COVID cases begin to diminish. There is, however, one exception for one type of air travel consumer. Business flights, like most flights, have suffered greatly during the pandemic. Leisure travel suffered as well; however, we believe that business flights may never return to the pre-pandemic levels. Many companies have begun seeing some benefits to at-home work, as they can decrease office costs and maintain productivity levels. For example, you may have seen Twitter’s announcement a few months back that employees, if they so choose, will be able to work from home indefinitely. As a result, business conferences and business travel may soon be replaced by video conferencing. This means that airline industries will need to attract more leisure travelers or rely more on air freight for their income.
How Might COVID-19 Change Airline Industry Employment?
In addition to changes in demand and consumers, the pandemic will almost certainly bring about a change in airline industry employment. One of the hypothesized ways in which the industry may change is in the increase of automation. More easily automated jobs such as baggage handlers and airport ticket agents may soon be competing with automation, which could save airline industries millions of dollars in the long run. As a result, airline employees may need to start looking at skilled jobs which are too difficult to automate, such as aircraft dispatchers and aircraft pilots. While these jobs have certain aspects that possibly could be automated, the need for human thinking and decision-making makes these positions extremely difficult and highly unlikely to be automated.
How Aircrafts May Change in the Post-COVID World
If the demand for airline travel shifts as we hypothesize it might, this will bring about changes in aircraft to meet these demands. As we said before, business trips may decline, and leisure travel may take some time to return to pre-pandemic levels. We did see a large increase in the need for freighters. Shipping services saw a serious increase during the pandemic as most people got food, goods, and whatever else they needed through shipping services. As shipping convenience and prices continue to improve, the airline industry will surely have to invest more into freight aircraft.
Prepare Yourself for the New Airline Industry
While demand, supply, and certain jobs may be changing in the airline industry for the foreseeable future, one job is certain to remain. Flights need aircraft dispatchers to ensure that flights are properly managed, organized, and scheduled. Our aircraft dispatcher courses allow you to gain a valuable aircraft dispatcher certification and set you up for an adventurous and lucrative career in the airline industry. Contact us to begin training for the jobs of tomorrow.
