Passengers can check if buses full
● Low-cost carrier will start up with domestic flights in the UK and France before confirming more routes over coming weeks
Easyjet is to resume flights from a number of UK airports from 15 June.
The low-cost carrier announced that its initial schedule will involve mainly domestic flying in the UK and France.
Further routes will be confirmed “over the coming weeks” as demand increases and coronavirus lockdown measures across Europe are relaxed, the airline said.
UK airports to be served by easyjet from 15 June include Edinburgh, Glasgow, Inverness, Gatwick, Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Belfast.
The only international route from the UK will be between Gatwick and Nice, France.
As part of new safety and hygiene measures, passengers and crew will be required to wear masks in airports and on aircraft.
There will be no food sold during flights, enhanced cleaning of planes, and disinfection wipes and hand sanitiser made available to passengers.
Passengers will be able to tell if the bus they are awaiting is too full to use with a new app planned by Borders Buses and sister operator West Coast Motors, The Scotsman has learned.
The app is being developed because physical distancing will significantly cut the number of available seats on buses. Vehicles will have only around one quarter of seats in use, with some double deckers able to carry as few as 18 passengers.
The app could become available within weeks to help people plan their travel when lockdown restrictions are eased in Scotland.
Passengers would be able to track the next buses due to arrive at their stop to see if there was space for them to board.
The app would calculate how much room was available using information from tickets presented to the driver by passengers as they got on the bus.
It may also contain other information such as when A number of other airlines have announced tentative plans to ramp up their operations from the skeleton schedules currently being used due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Ryanair plans to restore 40 per cent of its flights from 1 July, while British Airways is due to make a “meaningful return” to service in the same month.
Easyjet chief executive Johan Lundgren said: “I am really pleased that we will be returning to flying in the middle of June.
“These are small and carefully planned steps that we the bus was last fully cleaned.
The technology is being devised by electronic ticketing firm Ticketer using the Passenger public transport app. Borders Buses is the main operator between Edinburgh and the region.
The firm is also looking at a booking system for some services over longer routes.
West Coast Motors runs Citybus services in Glasgow and buses across Argyll and Bute, including in Campbeltown, Dunoon, Mull and Oban.
The body, which represents bus operators, said such developments would help aid travel.
Paul White, director of the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK – Scotland, said: “Bus and coach operators are working to government guidance and public health best practice to make travel safe for those carrying out essential journeys by public transport.an element of this may involve trialling technological solutions.” ALASTAIR DALTON are taking to gradually resume operations.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation across Europe so that, when more restrictions are lifted, the schedule will continue to build over time to match demand, while also ensuring we are operating efficiently and on routes that our customers want.
“The safety and wellbeing of our customers remains our highest priority, which is why we are implementing a number of measures to enhance safety at each part of the journey, from disinfecting the aircraft to requiring customers and crew to wear masks.
“Thesemeasureswillremain in place for as long as is needed to ensure customers and crew are able to fly safely as the world continues to recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Easyjet admitted on Tuesday that nine million of its passengers had their email addresses and travel details exposed in a “highly sophisticated” operation.
An additional 2,200 customers also had their credit card details stolen.
The airline insisted there is “no evidence that any personal information of any nature has been misused”.
On Friday, easyjet shareholders will vote on whether to remove Mr Lundgren, chairman John Barton and two non-executives from their positions.
This is part of a bitter battle between founder Sir Stelios Haji-ioannou and the company’s management.
Meanwhile, Easyjet founder Sir Stelios Haji-ioannou has fired off a series of questions attempting to expose links between the airline’s boardroom and engine manufacturer Airbus.
Sir Stelios, the airline’s largest shareholder, has called an investor meeting for Friday to try and force out chief executive Johan Lundgren, chairman John Barton and two non-executives, describing the people in charge of the company as “scoundrels”.
He will ask how many shares Airbus has in easyjet, directly or indirectly, call on the chairman to stand down from leading a meeting for his removal and whether any directors met with various Swiss lawyers.
The tycoon is also set to ask the board to confirm the company is still solvent.
He wants the carrier to terminate
“These are small and carefully planned steps that we are taking to gradually resume operations We will continue to closely monitor the situation”
JOHAN LUNDGREN
its entire £4.5 billion order with Airbus for new aircraft, claiming it will lead to the airline running out of money amid the collapse in demand caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Easyjet has agreed with the European manufacturer to defer the delivery of 24 new aircraft.
In Sir Stelios’s questions, published on Thursday, he said: “How many shares in easyjet PLC does Airbus control, directly or indirectly, via fund managers or otherwise?
“If the answer of the directors is that “they don’t know” then a followup question is why didn’t they check with Airbus to find out?”