As global economies got back on their feet following the 2008 financial crash, citizens of developed countries were aiming for the skies as budget airlines enticed ever more passengers with deals that many saw as too good to turn down.
With the aviation sector loosely regulated and a burgeoning appetite for travel, flight numbers in Europe rose unabated for a decade – both responding to and driving demand. Half-hearted efforts to regulate the industry in the name of climate targets were watered down by strong lobbying and legislators reluctant to stand in the way of the popular transport mode.
But things were brought abruptly back to earth by the pandemic, which not only burst the aviation bubble but also gave national and international bodies pause to push ahead with long-delayed environmental measures. Whilst flying is back on the cards, industry experts expect that the days of bargain deals are behind us.
And though fares are already 15–25% more this summer than last, will the appeal of foreign destinations trump the higher prices of airlines eager to maintain profits? Or will (regular) flying become a reserve of the rich, as once it was (and arguably still is when viewed on the global scale)?
Belgium in Brief regulars might detect an undertone of flygskam from your correspondent – of all the activities an individual can indulge in, flying is far and away the most detrimental to the environment. But despite exciting developments on Europe's network of night trains, prices remain prohibitive in most cases and flying is often still cheaper.
Not deaf to the argument that cheap airfares have democratised travel, Europe is in danger of denying less affluent folks the pleasure of overseas vacations whilst allowing the richest to keep polluting undeterred. A more equal solution would be a type of flying tax that increases significantly with each additional flight over a certain threshold – say, one medium-haul return journey per year.
But with the 'ecological and economical aberration' that is ultra short-haul flights only just being outlawed, we are still a long way from an egalitarian approach to air travel.
How much more would you pay to fly? Let @Orlando_tbt know.
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