Gary Leff, Founder of ViewfromtheWing.com, says there hasn’t been a lot of testing on how the virus spreads on a plane. Some airlines have proposed that there will be more social distancing if people have to bunch up together to put away their carry-ons. There is the fear though that if this gets implemented, it’ll never go away. The airlines might not be blocking the middle seat, but you can buy another seat to give yourself the extra distance and comfort. Then, Gary and Peter discuss social distancing within the airport itself. Airports were not designed for people to be six feet apart, and lines may stretch for miles long. There’s also the issue of any Covid-19 testing equipment not being properly maintained or used by TSA. There are no clear solutions for the best practices moving forward as airports begin to fill up again.

Kristen Frohnhoefer, President of Sea Tow, explains how Sea Tow is like the AAA of the sea. Her father always used to say that the more electronics you have, the further you go up on shore. Don’t just watch the radar, you need to use your eyes. One of the biggest pieces of advice she gives is that when in doubt, slow down. Never go full speed in your boat while trying to get your bearings. If you’re driving the boat, make sure you’re fulfilling all the necessary course requirements, but go the extra mile and practice what you’ve learned as much as possible. She says that you always need to keep learning and to make sure you know what you’re doing, not just on paper, but in applications. She also shares that the most common and the simplest problem Sea Tow responds to is the engine cut-off switch being knocked out. The second biggest problem is people running out of gas, followed by people running out battery during the day.

Peter King, CBS News Radio Reporter, gives his first-hand perspective of the coronavirus pandemic. Thursday set another record of coronavirus cases in the United States. Air traffic is down 70% of what it usually is at this time of year. There will be mask policies, social distancing and fireworks displays cancelled. He shares the other ways that experiences will be altered out of an abundance of caution. The median age for the virus is now the mid-30s age group. And he says that there will be an economic impact, not just for the rest of the year, but for the foreseeable future.

Gene Sloan, Senior Reporter, Cruise and Travel for thepointsguy.com, speaks about 23 cruise ships that may not be coming back after the coronavirus runs its course. All of the larger cruise lines have admitted that there will be ships that most likely have to go. In general, the big lines will be starting to get rid of the older and smaller ships. You can look through ship brokers and see what ships are for sale. While the ships won’t be named, you’ll see descriptions of what companies are looking to offload. Royal Caribbean is a line that has each new class of ship that has tried to bring a revolution to the brand. He says it may start to offload ships that no longer fit with the brand’s direction. Another big issue for the industry is how many ships were ordered to be built before the pandemic. Up until the last few months, ships couldn’t be built fast enough to meet demand.

Mike Boyd, Aviation Consultant & President of Boyd Group International, observes that it’s not just business travel, but also it’s leisure traffic that’s leading the uptick in passenger numbers. He also believes that many companies will restructure how their business runs and how many people actually have to travel. Traveling is still a hassle for business travelers, and now companies are potentially seeing how it’s not as needed. Domestically, he thinks that the traffic will be incremental. He predicts that traffic will be at an all-time low for a while, and airports that service heavy, international travel will be the hardest hit. Then, he speaks about how the future for aircrafts is the A350 or the Dreamliner.

Nick Coulson, Detroit Class Action Attorney, shares how some airlines in lawsuits are saying that their policies don’t include guaranteed refunds instead of vouchers. Airlines are under the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) laws and if an airline cancels a flight, legally it’s required to refund you. He explains that what you’ll see across the board are contracts of carriage that are drafted to meet the U.S. DOT guidelines. The most basic part of a contract is that both parties will maintain its portion of the contract, but if you pay for a service you need to get that service. The law is very clear here that many airlines are taking involuntary loans from passengers. He says that these things don’t happen in a vacuum. Litigations aren’t just bad financially, but also they give the airlines bad publicity. Airlines looking to run out the clock on their liability will find that they’ve also run out on goodwill from customers.