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Watch: When can we resume traveling?

Alberto Riva
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Alberto Riva Alberto runs our flight reviews and oversees special projects across several verticals. Previously, he was the managing editor of Vice News and worked at Bloomberg and CNN, where he was constantly trying to convince people to do more stories about airplanes. He speaks Italian, French and Spanish and one day he’ll be better at German.
April 24, 2020
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2 min read
Philippine Airlines Airbus A321Neo clouds from window
Watch: When can we resume traveling?
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When can we start traveling again? That's the question many of our readers are asking us in emails and messages on social media.

The short answer is: We don't know for sure, but probably at some point this year. The clues, mostly from airlines, point to the fall of 2020 as the time when they expect demand to resume in earnest.

The elite-status extensions from the major U.S. carriers indicate clearly that they consider this year to be a wash: most people, airlines reckon, will not fly enough to requalify for the elite levels they currently hold. And the change waivers they have issued recognize that even people who want to buy tickets may be too skittish unless they know they can cancel without penalty.

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Flyers can expect scrambled schedules, new rules about middle seats and a vastly different experience of flying. Travelers eager to get back on cruise ships will find they look different from what they used to be.

But that's all in the future. What we know now is that if you are ready to start making plans, you can begin by looking at our vey own, and very large, back yard: the United States of America. Domestic travel, by train or car or plane, is a great way to help the U.S. economy recover and to see some of the world-class sights this country has to offer.

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For more on the return of travel, check out this video in which TPG Audience & Community Producer Wallace Cotton explains what the return of travel may look like.

And here's another short video The Points Guy did if you're hungry for more: