Its flying Jim – but not as you know it. COVID-19 is changing a lot of things considered normal and there is a new normal.
Air Canada has just introduced Air Canada CleanCare+ and it impacts processes at Check-in, Boarding and On-Board.
Air Canada is touting this as “….an industry-leading program committed to end-to-end health and safety protocols.” They are using new and existing preventive measures, elevating the steps they are taking to keep you safe throughout your travel, because they believe in putting safety first, always.
At Check-in
There will be health screening questions and pre-flight infrared temperature checks for customers, as well as the disinfection of frequently touched areas such as check-in counters and kiosks.
So, what does this mean for you?
1. Your temperature will be taken without contact.
2. You will be required to wear protective face coverings.
3. All employees will wear face coverings, with other optional PPE (personal protective equipment) items available such as gloves.
4. You will be asked a few health questions before you board to make sure you’re safe to fly.
So whats the problem?
a. My documents will be handled by the employees using gloves, that just handled documents of other passengers causing cross contamination?
b. I guess I will need to remove my face covering to prove my identity? How many times will I need to do this? At Check-in and possibly again at security?
Boarding
Ongoing cleaning of gate areas, regular health screening questions for all customers, as well as mandatory face coverings for all employees and customers designed to protect you, and everyone on board.
So, what does this mean for you?
1. You will be required to wear protective face coverings.
2. You may be asked a few health-related questions before boarding.
So whats the problem?
Overcrowding and people not respecting distancing rules.
On board
All high-touch areas will be sanitized with a hospital-grade disinfectant before every flight and each time an aircraft overnights it will receives a thorough cleaning. Additional preventive measures like blocking the adjacent seat in Economy Class, mandatory face coverings, and adjusted on board service.
So, what does this mean for you?
1. All seat belt buckles and seat controls are sanitized inside and out.
2. Each armrest will properly wiped and sanitized.
3. All cabin windows and shades will be sanitized.
4. Light switches and air circulation controls will be sanitized.
5. From May 15 to June 30, 2020 every adjacent seat will be blocked in the Economy cabin.
6. When an aircraft overnights, the inside of each overhead bin and all ceiling areas will be sanitized.
7. You will be required to wear protective face coverings.
8. Each overhead bin handle will be sanitized.
9. They will use a disinfectant in the regular cleaning of the lavatories.
10. All tray tables will be sanitized before boarding.
11. Only bottled water and pre-packaged meals will be served on all flights.
12. All headrest covers will be groomed.
13. Personal screens and all surfaces of the in-flight entertainment area will be sanitized.
14. Introduction of an electrostatic disinfectant sprayer as part of the sanitization procedures.
15. introduction of new disposable Customer Care Kits that include complimentary hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes.
16. Wiping down of sidewalls each time an aircraft overnights.
So whats the problem?
a. All this extra sanitizing will increase the turn around times for aircrafts.
b. Since there are vacant seats now, the fares will go up.
c. Will this impact families and children seating together?
d. Why are some actions only when the aircraft overnights? Especially on very short haul routes when the same aircraft is completing several flights?
e. Will the crew regularly disinfect lavatories during a flight?
All these ideas seem good in theory, but how many are actually carried out is left to be seen.
Stay safe – Fly Safe – Stay Healthy.
Written by Dominic Fernandes aka CanadaPointsGuy.
Image Photo by Nicholas Santoianni on Unsplash