Some Airlines Trying to Be More Than Just Airlines to Make Up for Pandemic’s Financial Hit
Photo Credit: Passengers arriving at the airport wearing a little bit of everything in preparation for their Qantas mystery flight in Australia during the pandemic Skift / Qantas Airways
Skift Take
The pandemic has been devastating for the world's airlines, forcing some to think outside the box to stay afloat. Is this a gimmick for coping with the times, or the renaissance of a more diversified airline industry?
From an aircraft housing a restaurant on the tarmac and Hello Kitty flights to nowhere, to home delivery of chef-prepared meals in a box and sightseeing flights over the Australian Outback and Antarctica, or an airline CEO delivering your food order, some global airlines are getting creative and thinking outside the box in order to generate revenue lost to a monumental decrease in flying due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The industry as a whole continues looking for ways to stay afloat until demand returns, ever since the pandemic brought the airline industry to a standstill a year ago,
In the early days of the pandemic, some airlines inspired by frequent flyers yearning to be free of quarantine, started finding alternative ways to serve the flying public.
Of course, airlines diversifying their businesses is nothing new and the strategy was around well before the pandemic. Remember Allegiant Air's foray as a hotelier with Sunseeker?
But the brand extensions in the past year
