As travel restrictions and safety issues have dropped the air travel demand, we think sightseeing flights can help meet the flying demands. Two Asia-Pacific airlines have already started domestic sightseeing flights and we are sure more will follow, but it is to be seen whether or not it has the potential for a successful long-run.
It’s a full-service 85min flight and the passengers would also enjoy the live commentary of the pilot and the crew. The price for the ticket was $109 and it was sold out in 48 hours and according to the airline, people are showing great interest in it.flic
However, Eva Air gave another travel option as it operated its sightseeing flights on 8 and 15 August from Taipei Taoyuan. It was an Airbus A330-300 with 30 seats in business class and over 250 seats in economy class. The price for the economy class ticket was $179, while an additional NT$1,005 was charged for business class.
It was a 2h 44min flight that offered magnificent views of the Ryukyu Islands. Both flights operated at full capacity, and the airline is happy about this. According to the president, they are happy to allow local travelers to go abroad and we are also delighted to operate the flight at maximum capacity. He also said they are hopeful we will get rid of the crisis very soon and every traveler would be able to go abroad.
It might seem a simple flight or just a local trip, but in reality, scenic flights can also face some serious operational challenges. The flights can go in the airspace of the neighboring country, so to avoid this proper and efficient coordination is required.
The success of these flights, in the long run, is hard to predict now. Different factors could play a role like when the travel restrictions will be lifted. It’s also hard to predict whether or not people would like to go on a scenic flight when normal flights resume.