Why Are Airlines Offering Flights to Nowhere?

Sometimes called ‘boomerang flights’, a number of well known airlines have marketed flights over the past year which take off from and land back at the same airport, generating plenty of publicity for the airline. These flights play into the desire among many travellers to take to the skies again at the same time as being a potent means to keep people talking about the airline and the experience of flying while widespread travel restrictions remain in place. These ‘flights to nowhere’ have also been called ‘desperate’, ‘a gimmick’, ‘escapism’, ‘freedom’ and ‘dumb’ but how widespread is the practice?