US low cost airlines say pandemic preference for non-stops

Airlines worldwide are being forced to adjust the way they read customer behaviour in line with the new reality that they find themselves in as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

But now, with broadly eight months of pandemic operations under their belts, some US low cost airlines are detecting emerging trends about the way customers are adapting to their new reality, and about what needs to change in the operating environment to keep a recovery moving in the right direction.

The US ULCC Allegiant Air has concluded that a growing willingness by passengers to travel comes with distinct conditions - namely, nonstop flights to avoid connections in crowded hubs.

JetBlue, meanwhile, believes a cohesive testing strategy is critical in the short to medium term to reach pre-pandemic travel levels.

All airlines continue to navigate an evolving landscape and for now, Allegiant and JetBlue have drawn some distinct conclusions in the way they expect the long road to recovery to be evolving.