Airlines Efforts to Make Flying Safer 

Airlines have a major role to play in fighting this pandemic and have been following guidance from the CDC to help contain and stop the spread of the virus. Below are the ways they have amped up their regular cleaning procedures and the different  safety procedures they have implemented.

American Airlines

·    Inflight service will no longer be used

·    Flight attendants must wear face masks

·    Passengers will have access to face masks

·    All seats adjacent to flight attendant jump seats will be blocked

·    50% of standard middle seats will not be utilized

·    International flights will receive a 30-point cleaning package each day

·    Aircraft that remain overnight at an airport will receive a more thorough cleaning of all hard surfaces

·    Fogging treatments have been increased

·    Hand sanitizer and sanitizing wipes will be provided to crew members

·    Certain kiosks will be down to enforce 6 ft. social distancing

·    Reduced food and beverage options

Delta

·      All middle seats will be temporarily blocked

·      Advanced complimentary upgrades will be suspended

·      Flight attendants must wear face masks

·      The number of passengers per flight will be reduced

·      Interior overnight fogging and fogging performed before every flight

·      Prior to every fight, the aircraft will be cleaned using the extensive checklist utilized for overnight cleaning

·      The team will perform spot checks before each flight

·      More hand sanitizer will be available throughout 

·      Workers will be disinfecting surfaces throughout the airport

 

JetBlue

·    All flight attendants must wear masks

·    All passengers will be required to wear masks starting at check-in and all the way through deplaning (small children who cannot maintain a mask will be exempt)

·    Number of seats available for purchase will be limited

·    The seats adjacent to the flight attendants jump seat will be blocked

·    The food and beverage service will be limited to a single snack selection and water will be the only beverage option for those in coach

·    Buy on board sales are suspended

·    Increased aircraft cleaning every night and during extended ground time

·    During longer aircraft turns, crews will perform cleanings in-between flights

·    All JetBlue aircrafts are equipped with hospital-grade HEPA filters which recirculate the air approximately every 3 minutes

 

Southwest

·    Encouraging passengers to spread their seats out

·    Encouraging employees and passengers to wear face masks (but this isn’t enforced yet)

·    Suspending all beverage and snack services

·    Upgraded disinfectant to EPA-approved, hospital grade

·    Aircrafts routinely undergo 6+ hours of cleaning every night and this will be amped up even more

·    Flight attendants and ground operations agents will tidy up the cabin before each flight

·    Each bathroom will receive more attention than ever before

 

United

·    All flight attendants must wear face masks

·    Boarding fewer customers at a time

·    Using electrostatic sprayers that contain EPA-approved disinfectant on certain flights

·    Every flight will get a thorough wipe-down of all touch points with a high-grade disinfectant

·     Any aircraft that has transported anyone who is believed to have COVID-19 will be taken out of service for a full decontamination process

·    Temporary removal of onboard items

·    Tape to encourage the 6 ft. social distancing throughout the airport

·    Working on employing sneeze guards at key interaction points

·    Temporarily shutting down self-service kiosks in most locations

·    Asking passengers to self-scan boarding passes

·    Switching out existing soap and hand towel dispensers for hands-free units

The airlines are doing their part, so in an effort to do ours, make sure you follow these basic protective measures from the CDC:

·     Stay home if you are sick
·     Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
·     If soap and water are unavailable, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content
·     Avoid touching your eyes, hands and mouth
·     Cover your mouth and nose with your bent elbow or tissue when coughing or sneezing