This week brings more details of how airlines are trying to reassure passengers that it’s safe to fly by promoting their onboard health and safety measures.
Singapore Airlines has produced an e-brochure, which will be sent to all customers before their flights, containing information on health and safety during the pre-flight stage, at the airport, onboard the aircraft, and upon arrival.
The e-brochure complements a range of health and safety initiatives recently introduced and the existing measures enhanced as part of a comprehensive review of the end-to-end customer journey.
SIA has set up an internal task force to look into all aspects of the airline’s operations during this time and to ensure that it’s ready to ramp up services when air travel eventually begins to recover. It is also studying what it needs to do to modify its in-flight products and services to provide additional reassurance to customers and to ensure the safety of customers and crew, if necessary.
“It is still too early to speculate on how this would change,” SIA says.
In North America, Delta, WestJet and Alaska Airlines have unveiled their new enhanced health and safety protocols.
Alaska has incorporated over 100 different measures under its Next-Level Care banner; WestJet has launched its Safety Above All programme, while Delta has established a Global Cleanliness Division.
And they’ve been trumpeted across social media with videos showing exactly what all this means.
Saudia, meanwhile, quietly announced a partnership with a brand of antiseptic cleaning supplies and disinfectant Dettol Arabia. It’s the first such partnership of this pandemic and will see Dettol distribute wipes to crew and passengers before extending its reach to other parts of cabin hygiene.
While it’s great to see airlines invest their time and resources walking passengers through their safety and hygiene measures (communication is a key tool in battling the spread of COVID-19), at the end of the day the psychology of seeing and smelling a well-known disinfectant brand, is a major shot in the arm for passenger reassurance.
It was only a matter of time before an airline partnered with a such a brand. That it took so long may be a surprise, but others will follow Saudia’s lead.
