Airlines attacked reveal coronavirus security guidelines to reassure passengers

Airlines attacked reveal coronavirus security guidelines to reassure passengers

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Airlines are trying to fill at least some of the seats on planes they have in the sky.

Air travel in the United States United States They have largely stopped because people are wary of potentially exposing themselves to the coronavirus. Many airlines have used mostly empty flights, although in some cases passengers have complained about crowded planes, as in the case of a recent United Airlines
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+ 5.19%
flight.

Jet blue
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+ 3.02%
He said this week that he would continue to block Airbus’ intermediate seats.
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-0.70%
row planes where people won’t travel together until July 4 and will block seats in the aisles of the little Embraers
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+ 4.00%
190 planes.

“Even with the seats locked, it’s hard to keep everyone six feet on board, and that’s why JetBlue was the first airline in the United States. United States Requiring face covers for customers” , the airline said on Wednesday. JetBlue will maintain the seat distancing program in effect until July 6 at least.

United announced a series of changes this week to help restore public confidence in air travel, outlining how it will work at airports and on planes, including a partnership with Clorox Co.
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+ 1.24%
for better cleaning and another with medical experts from the Cleveland Clinic, as it works to keep passengers safe during the coronavirus pandemic.


United will present sneeze protectors at check-in counters, contactless kiosks in certain areas for baggage check-in, mandatory coverage for crew and customers, and offer options to passengers when flights are full at most 70%.

The company unveiled new cleaning and security protocols on Wednesday that include sneeze guards at check-in counters, contactless kiosks in certain areas for baggage check-in, mandatory coverage for crew and customers, new inexpensive snack bags coming soon. with a disinfectant wipe and provide customers with disinfectant hand wipes individually wrapped when boarding. United will also limit advance seat selection where possible, and allow passengers to take alternative flights when flights are more than 70% full, the company said.

This is a notable change in airline policy, given the criticism leveled at United in recent weeks. Earlier this month, Ethan Weiss, a cardiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, shared a photo on Twitter.
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showing almost all of the seats full on the plane leaving Newark Airport in New Jersey. He said the customers were “shocked” and “scared”.

“I guess @united is loosening its social distancing policy these days. Each seat is full on this 737, ”wrote Weiss. “They could have avoided this by simply communicating better,” added Weiss. “They literally emailed 10 days ago to tell everyone that the middle seats would be empty.” I was traveling with 25 other nurses and doctors who had volunteered in New York hospitals.

At the time, United said it could no longer guarantee that all customers would be booked next to an empty seat. “Last month we started to limit the advanced seat selection to adjacent seats in all cabins, including medium seats when available and alternating seats in windows and aisles when seats are in pairs”, said the company in a statement. at ABC7
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+ 4.85%

.

Airlines for America, a commercial group in the industry, published a summary in April, how American airlines are improving cleaning and safety protocols. Alaska Airlines
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+ 5.58%
He has increased his cleaning procedures between flights and is now using disinfectants that are effective against viruses, he said. American Airlines planes are cleaned at regular intervals throughout the day with a disinfectant.

Airlines attacked reveal coronavirus security guidelines to reassure passengers 2

Read more: Airlines issue billions of dollars in coupons, but can you still get a cash refund for flight cancellations related to coronavirus?

Airlines are working to contain and stop the spread of COVID-19, said Airlines for America. “The safety of passengers and employees is the highest priority of American airlines,” he added. “Since the start of the new coronavirus pandemic, carriers have worked closely with Congress, administration and federal agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”

“There is no doubt that these unprecedented times will bring about major changes in the travel industry,” said travel expert Brian Kelly, also known as The Guy Points on their website. “Until a vaccine is developed, carriers will need to make sure that customers feel safe. Increasing cleanliness is a start, but we will likely see requests for more protections, including a health assessment. “


“Until a vaccine is developed, carriers will have to make customers feel safe. Increasing cleanliness is a start, but we will likely see requests for more protections, including a health assessment. “


– Brian Kelly, aka The Points Guy

“JetBlue was one of the first American airlines to require crew members to wear masks and recently extended the same rule to passengers,” Kelly wrote on her website. In addition, JetBlue has limited the number of seats available for purchase, allowing more space between customers. Crew members will continue to review seat allocations to comply with social distancing guidelines. “

US airlines are considering taking steps similar to Chinese airlines.

“Etihad, based in the United Arab Emirates, has already started testing a new technology that would filter passengers for dangerous medical conditions like COVID-19 by monitoring their temperatures, heart rate and respiratory rate,” added Kelly. . “However, many people with COVID-19 have been asymptomatic.”

“In the United States, Frontier Airlines recently implemented a program that requires passengers to accept a health check before completing check-in via the website or app,” said Kelly. “This is the first time we have heard of an American airline. United States This establishes its own sanitary control. It is not the most effective assessment, but it is a start.”

See also:Frontier Airlines to cut social distance charges after spate of criticism

Carrier actions have had a roller coaster in response to the national economic downturn due to the coronavirus. Warren Buffett recently revealed that Berkshire
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+ 2.08%
had sold all of its interests in the airline industry, including Delta shares
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+ 4.41%,
American Airlines
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+ 2.38%
and southwest
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+ 5.27%.

Boeing
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+ 2.20%
CEO David Calhoun said a major airline would “likely” sink as a result of the coronavirus pandemic in a recent appearance on NBC’s “Today” program. He added that it could take three to five years for the industry to recover the level of passengers observed before the pandemic. Meanwhile, airlines face a difficult struggle to convince passengers to fly.

“Safety has always been our top priority, and right now, in the midst of an unprecedented crisis, it is our single customer goal,” said Scott Kirby, CEO of United, in a video message to customers on Wednesday. . “We recognize that COVID-19 has brought cleanliness and hygiene standards to the minds of customers when they make travel decisions.”

(Jacob Passy and Ciara Linnane contributed to this story.)