Airlines Safety Plans for Travelers
As the fight against coronavirus heated, air travel plans have suffered greatly. The airline industry has faced the brunt of travel restrictions across the world. Aviation experts estimate that the industry has lost in the upward of $84 billion. Many airlines have furloughed their staff and in worst-case scenarios, some airlines might never recover to fly again. Save for a few domestic flights, international air travel has seen the most cancellations. As the skies open up again, is it really safe to travel by air? I will share some strategies that airlines have put in place to ensure safe travel.
Mandatory Testing
To ensure safe travel, most airlines have announced that passengers will only be allowed back to the cabin upon production of test results. The result should be as recent as 24 hours prior to traveling. To ensure that travelers suffer minimal disruptions, some airlines have partnered with testing centers to provide credible results in the shortest time possible. Moreover, there have been great strides in testing kits innovation which are giving results within a few minutes of taking samples.
Quarantine Rules
Some airlines are only allowing passengers who are from quarantine centers or have been quarantining at home. This is an added layer of assurance that we can travel safely. Moreover, some airlines have ordered their crew and pilots to stay in specially set aside facilities so they don’t mingle with the public. This further minimizes the risks of contracting or spreading the virus by the much-traveled airline staff.
Personal Protective Equipment
Before the pandemic, personal protective equipment was hardly part of our daily lingo. Enter the pandemic and PPEs have become part and parcel of our lives. Airlines have made personal protective equipment an indispensable accessory in ensuring that we travel safely.
Airline staff is now required to put on personal protective equipment at all times when in the cabin. The type of PPEs donned by the staff is the head-to-toe coveralls to minimize contact with travelers. In some cases, disposable gowns may be needed, that is why websites such as StringKing are providing these for those who need it as it can offer up another layer of protection. Moreover, the staff is required to have their face masks on at all times during a flight. Some may even get disposable gloves from somewhere like unigloves.co.uk as an extra safety precaution to reassure passengers even further.
We have not been left behind in the personal protective equipment craze. To board a plane, it is now compulsory for all passengers to wear medical grade face masks. After boarding, we are all required to maintain the mask in the same position for the entire duration of the flight. It doesn’t stop there as we are needed to be on masks as we disembark and into our destinations.
Airport staff play an essential role in ensuring we have an easy time whenever we travel. The interaction with the staff can pose a health risk. As a precaution, airport workers such as security guards, loaders and immigration staff are also required to be in face mask or coveralls depending on the risk of exposure.
To ensure that we get to the airport safely, some airlines have made it safer by contracting out airport connection services with reputable modes of public transport. This means that we only use the approved transport means before our flight and after we get to our destination. The public transport company staff are also required to be on personal protective equipment such as face masks.
Fewer Passengers Onboard
Maintaining social distance has proved to be an effective means of combating coronavirus in public spaces. The same holds for air travel. Most airlines have implemented this rule by requiring that aircraft carry less than the full capacity to allow for social distancing between passengers. What does this mean for us? As aircraft fly with fewer passengers, we will be expected to pay more due to the vacant seats. Moreover, booking a flight early will be absolutely essential as the flight will be marked full when it is actually half empty. This also means that that urgent booking of flights will not be possible for some time. Therefore, those who delay in booking their tickets might miss out on the chance of traveling to their destination. However, with the availability of private charter planes, interested individuals can tackle the situation. All they need to do is search for empty leg flights (available in their route) and check out the prices. Those who are concerned over the cost to charter a plane can visit web portals of Jettly and similar firms (who can provide a quick price estimation).
Online Booking and Payments
Airlines have for a long time nudged us to adopt online booking and payment. Now it has become a mandatory procedure for most airlines. Contactless booking minimizes person-to-person contact hence reducing the risk of coronavirus spread. Paperless payment is also discouraged as paper money is a potent agent for virus spread.
Most airlines have taken serious steps in ensuring we shed the fear of air travel going forward. That notwithstanding, the burden of care still lies squarely on us to ensure we stay safe and keep our fellow travelers safe.
