YULA Girls | Panther Post | Issue I | November 2020

THE PANTHER POST | YULA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL
PAGE 7 | NOVEMBER, 2020
Effect of CoronaVirus on Airlines
BY ARIELLA GERSHOV ‘23
The COVID-19 pandemic has
affected nearly every industry
in the world, but the aviation
industry was hit one of the hardest.
Every aspect of a passenger’s
experience has changed
from comfort, to security, and
even to price. The most accurate
way of accruing the significance
is through comparison
of this year’s and last year’s
statistics: according to the TSA,
on September 23, 2019, there
were over 2.1 million travelers
whereas on September 23, 2020,
just one year later, there were
around 600,000 travelers—over
a 70% decline!
According to Bloomberg, the
2020 Hurricanes:
Proof of Global
Warming?
BY TAMAR SCHEINFELD ‘24
For only the second time,
the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA) has been forced to dip
into greek letters to name tropical
storms. The last time this
occurred was 2005 when the 21
roman alphabet letters were used
up and 6 greek letters had to be
used, the last one being Tropical
Storm Zeta. For some, this seems
to indicate that predictions about
the effect of global warming on
the frequency and intensity of
hurricanes are correct. Others are
not so sure. The increased number
of hurricanes this season may
simply be the result of improved
technology. In other words, we
can name more storms because
we can see them better.
The science of global warming
has put forth two possibilities.
One scenario predicts an increase
in the frequency and intensity of
Atlantic hurricanes because of
ocean warming. A contrary view
suggests the opposite. Because
both the Atlantic Ocean and the
tropics are warming together,
the frequency and intensity of
Atlantic hurricanes may not show
a strong correlation to global
warming.
The Miami Herald reported
that the increased number of hurricanes
this season may simply
be the result of improved satellites
that are used to monitor
storms in the Atlantic. Gerry Bell,
lead hurricane season forecaster
with NOAA’s Climate Prediction
Center said, “Since the year 2000,
we’ve been seeing, on average,
about two to three more storms
named early in the year. Many
of them are weak or short-lived
storms.” Many of the Storms in
2020 are indeed weak, short-lived
storms.
As for the intensity of storms,
2020 has only had one major hurricane
(Laura) out of 20 named
tropical storms. For the same time
period in 2005, there had already
been four major hurricanes out of
nine named tropical storms. Two
of those hurricanes, Katrina and
Rita, wreaked havoc on the US
gulf coast, destroying large parts
of New Orleans.
The hurricane season in 2020
will not decide the debate about
global warming and tell us nothing
of what is to come in 2021.
Will 2021 look like 2006 (nine
named storms and only two
major hurricanes)? Or 2013 (with
13 named storms and no major
hurricanes)? Will we have to dip
into the greek alphabet again
because we are better able to
recognize tropical storm formation
and identify several weaker
storms as happened in 2020? A
lot will depend on the path these
storms take. If they arrive in the
Gulf of Mexico where their intensity
can increase because of the
increased warmth of the Gulf of
Mexico waters (global warming),
they can do a lot of damage. Or,
we can have a lot of small storms
that peter out in the Atlantic and
never reach the Caribbean.
airline industry, as a whole, has
lost over 314 billion dollars as
of April. In addition, according
to airlinegeeks, accompanied
by their loss of travelers, over
500,000 employees in the airline
industry had lost their jobs.
The rationale for such a
decline of passengers can be
ascribed, not only to their fear of
sickening, but also to the inconvenience
of flight. For example,
over 35 states mandate a
14-day quarantine upon arrival.
Moreover, masks are obligatory
on nearly every airline, regardless
if the flight is domestic or
international. In terms of enjoyment,
or lack thereof, on Alaskan
Airlines, for instance, flights of
less than 350 miles fall short on
customer services, refusing to
offer flight attendance services.
Additionally, those in charge of
the aircraft raise the air conditioning
to increase circulation
while in confinement, inconveniently
causing the airplanes
to be unpleasantly cooler than
usual.
According to Travelperk,
business travelers only make up
12% of all travelers. However,
they may stop traveling permanently.
The pandemic has forced
many meetings to be held online
and, in turn, could render another
decline in the airline industry’s
travelers, considering the
prevalence of business travelers
who used to comprise their most
loyal and high-paying passengers.
There are a few benefits to the
“The airline industry, as a
whole, has lost over 314
billion dollars as of April”
consumers, however: the prices
of tickets have dropped dramatically.
According to Vox, a
roundtrip ticket from New York
to Los Angeles, which would
usually be around $600, is now
under $150. Security in airports
has also been mitigated in severity,
incrementing the 3.4 fl ounce
limit to 12 fl ounce of hand sanitizer,
and they even allow a full
pack of Lysol wipes.
Generally, the traveling experience,
due to COVID-19, has
changed drastically in terms of
the amount of travelers, pricing
of tickets, and practicality,
though not without legitimacy:
all precautions have been executed
in the spirit of retaining
the safety and security of the
public.