The seven airlines that comprise the trade group Airlines for America (A4A) will step up enforcement of their mandatory mask policies and might even revoke flying privileges for offenders.
All mainline U.S. carriers except Allegiant implemented mandatory mask policies in May, however the policies proved to be toothless on many airlines.
After announcing the mask rules, major carriers American, United, Delta also quickly directed flight attendants not to enforce the policies should individuals remove their face covering once the flight was boarded. Southwest took an even more hands-off approach, instructing flight attendants to be lenient during the boarding process as well.
A notable exception was Frontier, which has been vocal in saying that flight attendants are under instruction to enforce its mask requirement throughout its flights. Larger carriers now say they will do the same.
In a recent statement, A4A said that Alaska Airlines, American, Delta, Hawaiian, JetBlue, Southwest and United will “vigorously enforce face-covering policies.”
“Each carrier will determine the appropriate consequences for passengers who are found to be in noncompliance of the airline’s face covering policy up to and including suspension of flying privileges on that airline,” the trade group said.
A4A also said each airline will make an onboard announcement of its specific mask requirements and of the consequences for non-compliance.Boeing expects local air travel to recover faster than international.
The airline industry is expected to lose up to $252 billion in revenue this year due to the impact of covid-19 and the enduing lock-down. Aircraft maker Boeing Corporation expects local air travel to recover faster than international, given the curbs on cross-border travel by governments to prevent the spread of covid-19 pandemic. “We are seeing some recovery happening now. Domestic travel is picking up in some Asian countries,” said Jim Haas, director of product marketing for Boeing Commercial Airplanes.
“We are however several years away from recovering to pre-covid-19 level,” he said, adding that domestic and short-haul travel is expected to recover faster since restrictions are lesser compared to international air travel.
The airline industry is expected to lose up to $252 billion in revenue this year due to the impact of covid-19 and the enduing lock-down, airline industry body The International Air Transport Association (IATA) had said in March after the outbreak.
IATA said Indian airlines will lose $11 billion in revenue this year and 47% of its air traffic while the domestic aviation industry could record 3 million job losses. Boeing, meanwhile, doesn’t see the need for extra spacing inside an aircraft to maintain social distancing as part of preventing the spread of infection. “The current spacing (inside the aircraft) is adequate as long as we have multiple layers of protection,” Haas said.
To this extent, there is no need to block middle seats, Haas added.
Indian aviation regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), earlier this month told airlines to keep the middle seats in an aircraft vacant or offer protective gowns to passengers as air travel resumed in the country, after a two-month hiatus, amid a spike in cases.
Boeing has launched a new cleanliness-focussed strategy, Confident Travel Initiative (CIT), to develop solutions to minimize health risks associated with air travel in the times of the pandemic. The Chicago-headquartered company will work with healthcare specialists, airlines, and partners to promote awareness of various technologies that are being worked on by Boeing, which include prototype versions of self-disinfecting lavatory, ultraviolet light disinfecting systems and antimicrobial coatings for high-touch surfaces.“We see the need for multiple layers of protection around flying to minimise the risk of transmission on board,” Haas said. “The health and safety of passengers and crew is of utmost importance. The best way to protect passengers is to have multiple protection approaches.”
