ECONOMY PASSENGERS taking one of the few international flights still running have had an unusually pleasant experience of late. Exasperated cabin crew battling to close overhead lockers full to bursting with wheelie-bags, duty-free booze and laptop cases have been replaced by masked attendants presiding over planes two-thirds full at best and often with only a handful of passengers. Some report sleeping across empty rows of seats. The collapse of passenger numbers and revenues will damage the industry. Yet previous disruptions have shaken up the airlines to the benefit of the flying public. It could happen again.
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