WASHINGTON - Passengers say airlines’ new social distancing measures are unevenly applied. Not all airports have taken steps recommended by public health officials to slow the spread of the novel coronavirus, Katherine Khashimova Long reports for the Seattle Times. Continue reading original article.
The Intelligent Aerospace take:
May 20, 2020 -Washington Senator Maria Cantwell, who is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation has sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to urge the agency to issue "clear, uniform national social distancing guidelines for the aviation sector to keep airline workers and the traveling public safe" as the COVID-19 epidemic continues.
“I commend the airlines that have taken action to ensure that passengers are not seated in middle seats or have otherwise provided for additional distancing. Yet, there are reports of full flights, and it has become all too common to see pictures of crowded flights shared by worried passengers,” Cantwell wrote to Secretary Chao. “To be effective, these guidelines need to be uniform. The public expects no less. As air travelers gradually return, they must feel confident that they will be safe from the coronavirus. A consistent approach by airlines, guided by federal agencies, will be more effective in thwarting the spread of COVID-19 than if no guidelines are in place.”
Related: United says demand for travel is 'essentially zero' and signals layoffs
Jamie Whitney, Associate Editor
Intelligent Aerospace
