United Airlines under fire for packed flights amid coronavirus pandemic
United pledged to block off middle seats on flights; travel expert Laura Begley Bloom reacts.
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Airline carriers JetBlue and United Airlines announced new health and safety measures Wednesday in order to restore confidence and raise the standards for flying amid coronavirus pandemic.
States across the country are starting to reopen and air travel is expected to increase after seeing a sharp drop in flyers in early April, according to Airlines for America (A4A).
A4A launched an initiative called "Fly Healthy, Fly Smart" that encourages both airlines and people to hold higher sanitary standards when flying.
DELTA TO ADD ADDITIONAL FLIGHTS TO MAINTAIN SOCIAL DISTANCING, DESPITE LOWERED DEMAND
JetBlue announced Wednesday that it will be accounting for seat distancing on all flights, making sure that parties who are not flying together stay seated as distantly as possible.
The middle seats will be blocked off on all Airbus flights, and on the smaller planes such as the Embraer 190 aircraft, aisle seats will be blocked off.
“It’s challenging to maintain 6 feet of distance between everyone onboard, and that’s why JetBlue was the first U.S. airline to require face coverings for customers,” JetBlue said in a statement announcing the new policies.
JetBlue’s distancing policies are expected to be in place through at least July 6.
ROYAL CARIBBEAN CANCELS NEARLY ALL CRUISES UNTIL AUGUST 1
Face masks are now required by every airline when flying.
United Airlines has introduced new measures that include “touchless kiosks in select locations for baggage check-in, sneeze guards, [and] mandatory face coverings for crew and customers,” according to a statement released by United Airlines Wednesday.
Clorox products will also be used at the airport hubs, initially starting in Denver and Chicago, with the intention to expand.
Airline employees will have their temperatures checked at the start of each shift and hand sanitizer wipes will be handed out to passengers as they board each flight.
United Airlines has not put an end date to the new standards it will be exercising.
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Domestic flights for the first two months of the year averaged 80 to 100 passengers according to A4A. By the end of March, flights had an average of less than 20 passengers.
Airlines are now reporting an average of nearly 40 passengers per flight since the beginning of May.
