Crystal ball - will coronavirus effect our travel (public and private)?

[whole diary]

[TonyK]

SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) tickets are already pretty flexible, but now they are saying that for any date up to 31st April you can rebook or cancel for a full refund.

Vive la difference! I assume there will be double time for working on this new public holiday?

[Surrey 455]

Google has many results detailing why you shouldn't make your own hand sanitiser.
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=don%27t+make+your+own+sanitiser

I'm carrying around my shop bought one which I bought a few months ago anticipating it would last me a year. I now expect it to last a few weeks. If they don't come back onto the shelves soon then I may consider packing a bar of soap and bottled water in my bag if I can't find a wash basin out and about.

[broadgage]

Making your own hand sanitiser is not that hard ! all that is required is the correct ingredients and careful measurement to ensure that these are mixed in the correct proportions.
And MINOR errors don't matter that much.
Ready made products often contain a bit less alcohol than is desirable, because water is cheaper than alcohol.
The better formulations such as those that I previously suggested contain a bit more than the minimum alcohol so as to give a margin for MINOR errors in measurement, or for the alcohol being SLIGHTLY less concentrated than claimed by the supplier.

I anyone is doubtful, I would assure you that clinics and hospitals in developing countries DO use hand sanitiser, and that they DONT import it in small, pretty, and expensive bottles from Europe.
It is made on site, from locally sourced ingredients, in the clinic pharmacy, with facilities only slightly more sophisticated than most of us have at home.

[Marlburian]

If Coronavirus does spread among railway employees, leading to more staff shortages, it's going to be very difficult to assess the performance of rail companies using the normal criteria. Could be a knock-on effect on compensation for delays and cancellations.

[stuving]

SNCF^▸ (Societe Nationale des Chemins de fer Francais - French National Railways) tickets are already pretty flexible, but now they are saying that for any date up to 31st April you can rebook or cancel for a full refund.

Vive la difference! I assume there will be double time for working on this new public holiday?

I suspect that come the end of April, exactly how many days it had (as determined by astronomical observation) is not going to matter a lot to Air France, their customers, or the rest of us. Nor will the French be so intent on their usual habit during May - trying to get as many days off as possible (due to be "only" four this year, Pentecost being on June 1st).

[Wizard]

If Coronavirus does spread among railway employees, leading to more staff shortages, it's going to be very difficult to assess the performance of rail companies using the normal criteria. Could be a knock-on effect on compensation for delays and cancellations.

I’m surprised that this doesn’t appear to have happened yet. With guards and customer hosts spending so much time in the saloons with passengers, and then coming into close proximity in messrooms with everybody else I’d have thought this would have started happening by now. But I’m not aware of anybody in this situation just yet. Thankfully.

[stuving]

I see hundreds of 'ghost flights' are still operating to avoid losing slots at the airports:  https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-51809318

Airlines have requested a moratorium on those "use it or lose it" rules. At least, some have, but from whom? No doubt the same issue of who decides and how widely does it apply comes in here too - but maybe dire necessity will bear some inventive decisiveness in one or bath cases!

European Commission - Statement

Commission proposes measures to ease impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the aviation industry and the environment Brussels, 10 March 2020

The COVID-19 outbreak is having a major impact on the international and European aviation industry. The situation is deteriorating on a daily basis. Traffic is expected to decline further in the coming weeks.

In order to help ease the impact of the outbreak, the European Commission will put forward targeted legislation to temporarily alleviate airlines from their airport slot usage obligations under EU^» (European Union - about) law.

This measure will help both the European industry and the environment. It releases pressure on the whole aviation industry and in particular on smaller airlines. It also decreases emissions by avoiding so-called ‘ghost flights' where airlines fly almost empty aircraft to keep their slots.

Commissioner for Transport Adina Vălean said: “The temporary measure will allow airlines to adjust their capacity in view of the falling demand caused by the outbreak. Without such a measure, airlines would have to continue to operate flights, even if largely empty, to guarantee their current slots at EU airports, with a negative impact – both economic and environmental. Given the urgency, the Commission will in due course present a legislative proposal and calls on the European Parliament and the Council to swiftly adopt this measure in co-decision procedure.”

Next steps: The Commission will shortly adopt a proposal to amend the EU Slot Regulation. This amendment will then need to be approved by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

Background: An airport slot is the right of an aircraft to take off or land at a congested airport at a certain time of day. Under the EU Airport Slots Regulation (EEC 95/93), airlines are subject to a ‘use it or lose it' rule, and are required to operate 80% of their allocated slots, or face losing their right to the slot in future seasons.
STATEMENT/20/431

[SandTEngineer]

How does flying an aircraft empty rather than loaded have "an environmental impact" then?

[stuving]

How does flying an aircraft empty rather than loaded have "an environmental impact" then?

I don't think it quite says that, but it is simultaneously and confusingly dealing with both environmental and economic impacts. Not having passengers has an economic impact on airlines, and having to fly the planes anyway adds to that. Flying empty planes has a double-negative environmental impact, i.e. it removes the (fortuitous) advantage of not flying them.

I'm surprised they can't rustle up an excuse for doing this as an emergency measure without having to rush out a quickie directive (or regulation). How about saying that if passengers travelling would be a health risk, then even the crew present a small (probably tiny) risk too?

[SandTEngineer]

How does flying an aircraft empty rather than loaded have "an environmental impact" then?

I don't think it quite says that, but it is simultaneously and confusingly dealing with both environmental and economic impacts. Not having passengers has an economic impact on airlines, and having to fly the planes anyway adds to that. Flying empty planes has a double-negative environmental impact, i.e. it removes the (fortuitous) advantage of not flying them.

I'm surprised they can't rustle up an excuse for doing this as an emergency measure without having to rush out a quickie directive (or regulation). How about saying that if passengers travelling would be a health risk, then even the crew present a small (probably tiny) risk too?

I don't normally have to challenge your postings STUVING but......

.....airlines would have to continue to operate flights, even if largely empty, to guarantee their current slots at EU^» (European Union - about) airports, with a negative impact both economic and environmental. 

[stuving]

How does flying an aircraft empty rather than loaded have "an environmental impact" then?

I don't think it quite says that, but it is simultaneously and confusingly dealing with both environmental and economic impacts. Not having passengers has an economic impact on airlines, and having to fly the planes anyway adds to that. Flying empty planes has a double-negative environmental impact, i.e. it removes the (fortuitous) advantage of not flying them.

I'm surprised they can't rustle up an excuse for doing this as an emergency measure without having to rush out a quickie directive (or regulation). How about saying that if passengers travelling would be a health risk, then even the crew present a small (probably tiny) risk too?

I don't normally have to challenge your postings STUVING but......

.....airlines would have to continue to operate flights, even if largely empty, to guarantee their current slots at EU^» (European Union - about) airports, with a negative impact both economic and environmental. 

But that's the impact of flying empty planes rather than not flying them, surely? No passengers either way.

[Marlburian]

A friend of mine travels by train between a South Coast town and Torquay a few times a year and books her tickets in advance on-line. Chatting to her today, she told me a bit of a long tale about trying to get a refund at her South Coast station for a ticket she'd bought last month. She hadn't got very far on-line in seeing if she could get a refund.

The guy at the station was "lovely" and very helpful and even spent time discussing with her the most economical advance ticket for travel next month. He said that in the present situation "they" were being very flexible about cancellation fees and refunds.

(I'm not naming the station lest he was being a bit too forthcoming.)

[onthecushions]

How does flying an aircraft empty rather than loaded have "an environmental impact" then?

All human activity (eg exhaling) requires emission of global warming gases.

We have to decide how to ration this based on the value of the activity. Business and leisure activities made possible by flying may have utility - empty aircraft flying to tick bureaucratic boxes don't.

Perhaps the wording should have been, "an avoidable environmental impact".

Absolute sustainability is not possible in this world - entropy must increase.

OTC

[Oxonhutch]

Absolute sustainability is not possible in this world - entropy must increase.

Entropy can decrease, but only with an input of energy into the Earth System - mainly solar at surface and thermonuclear decay at depth

[onthecushions]

Entropy can decrease, but only with an input of energy into the Earth System - mainly solar at surface and thermonuclear decay at depth

I used to try to explain it to students by pointing out that they could spend all weekend tidying (ie increasing order reducing entropy) their flat. By Sunday pm they were worn out but there were just the same contents.They would be looking forward to going back to work for a rest. By Friday it would be as untidy again.

The modern term for the balance between energy and order is of course Exergy - which is destroyed in natural events.

OTC