Flying is a nightmare, and that’s our new normal

Flying commercial in 2023 is widely known to be an experience not unlike entering the seventh circle of hell. In the past week alone, the in [Bloomberg]( Flying commercial in 2023 is widely known to be an experience not unlike entering the seventh circle of hell. In the past week alone, the internet has gleefully flayed passengers losing their minds over [screaming babies]( and [popcorn crumbs](, while Southwest customers are probably starting to regret sticking with the [technologically challenged]( carrier. But actually being an airline might somehow be even worse. Over the next few years, European airlines must start to comply with stricter decarbonization rules, which will spell the [end of the cheap-fare era](, writes Lara Williams. Reaching net zero by 2050 looks like a nearly impossible climb, and the costs of doing so will make ticket prices a lot less palatable for passengers (who, by the way, are showing only growing hunger for flights, whatever the costs). It doesn’t help, as David Fickling points out, that the airline industry hasn’t even developed carbon-free technologies to reduce its emissions. He writes that any advertisements claiming that an airline is cleaner are pure rubbish, and regulators are calling out such greenwashing. Unfortunately, [airlines’ carbon footprints are bound to only increase]( — not decrease. On the bright-ish side for airlines, while [business travel hasn’t rebounded]( after Covid the way the industry would like, leisure travelers are picking up a lot of the slack for carriers, says Brooke Sutherland. But any enthusiasm is being tempered by fears of recession, as [companies pause]( business travel and report more cost-cutting measures. The pandemic remains very much with us, and the lockdown hangover will keep airlines guessing as to who’s booking a ticket once the summer travel season wanes. More Airline Reading: - [Get Ready for Summer Travel Hell, Part II]( — Brooke Sutherland - [Your Next Holiday Flight Will Cost a Fortune]( — Chris Bryant - [Corporate Climate Promises Don’t Add Up]( — Mark Gongloff Notes: To contact the author of this newsletter, email bsample1@bloomberg.net. This is the Theme of the Week edition of Bloomberg Opinion Today, a digest of our top commentary published every Sunday. Follow us on [Instagram](, [TikTok](, [Twitter]( and [Facebook](. Follow Us Like getting this newsletter? [Subscribe to Bloomberg.com]( for unlimited access to trusted, data-driven journalism and subscriber-only insights. Before it’s here, it’s on the Bloomberg Terminal. Find out more about how the Terminal delivers information and analysis that financial professionals can’t find anywhere else. [Learn more](. Want to sponsor this newsletter? [Get in touch here](. You received this message because you are subscribed to Bloomberg's Bloomberg Opinion Today newsletter. If a friend forwarded you this message, [sign up here]( to get it in your inbox. [Unsubscribe]( [Bloomberg.com]( [Contact Us]( Bloomberg L.P. 731 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10022 [Ads Powered By Liveintent]( [Ad Choices](