VIDEO: Flying and Covid-19: what you need to know
Aviation expert Jeff Price outlines what airlines are doing to protect flyers and what you can expect at the airport and on the plane.
The global aviation industry has been walloped by the global coronavirus pandemic, with the International Air Transport Association announcing last week that airlines are expected to lose $84 billion in 2020.
But as lockdowns and travel restrictions lifted in May, planes started taking off again as airlines instituted myriad changes to reassure the jittery public about the safety of air travel.
United Airlines passengers must now complete a “Ready-to-Fly” health check during the check-in process as part of the airline’s new United CleanPlus initiative, for instance, and masks are required on all flights. Masks are also required on American Airlines flights, and American changed food and beverage service to eliminate glassware and serve food only in individually wrapped portions. All Delta employees and passengers are likewise required to wear masks while onboard, and plexiglass partitions have been installed at check-in points. The airline has also launched a new department dubbed the Global Cleanliness Division, to ensure cleaning standards.
With so much going on in the airline industry this summer, RED connected with Metropolitan State University of Denver aviation Professor Jeff Price for his expert insights on flying during the COVID-19 pandemic.
