In anticipation of domestic travel restrictions slowly beginning to ease, Qantas has introduced a range of ‘fly well’ measures to ensure a safe travel environment and to give passengers extra peace of mind.
Qantas is rolling out the new ‘fly well’ safety measures to ensure peace of mind for passengers Australia-wide.
Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said safety was “absolutely core to how we operate and that applies to new challenges like managing the risk of coronavirus so people can fly with confidence”.
As of the 12th of June, you’ll receive a face mask (wearing optional) and sanitising wipes to use to extra clean surfaces if you feel like it. But the controversial middle seat will not be empty.
Here’s what you can expect pre-flight from the 12th of June.
- Information will be sent to all customers before they fly, so they know what to expect.
- Contactless check-in (via online/app) and self-serve bag drop strongly encouraged, including use of Q Bag Tags.
- Hand sanitising stations at departure gates.
- Temporary changes to Qantas Lounges, including increased physical distancing, hand sanitising stations, enhanced disinfection of surfaces and adjustments to food and drink service.
- Working with airports on other safeguards in the terminal, including regular disinfection of security screening points and installing hygiene screens at airline customer service desks, wherever practical.
What does the new in-flight experience look like?
- Masks provided to all passengers on each flight – while not mandatory from a safety point of view, they are recommended to be worn in the interests of everyone’s peace-of-mind.
- Enhanced cleaning of aircraft with a disinfectant effective against Coronaviruses, with a focus on high contact areas – seats, seatbelts, overhead lockers, air vents and toilets.
- Sanitising wipes given to all passengers to wipe down seat belts, trays and armrests themselves, if preferred.
- Simplified service and catering to minimise touchpoints for crew and passengers.
- Passengers asked to limit movement around the
cabin , once seated. - Sequenced boarding and disembarkation to minimise crowding.
In addition, the air conditioning systems of all Qantas and Jetstar aircraft are already fitted with hospital-grade HEPA filters, which remove 99.9% of all particles including viruses.
Qantas says the air inside the cabin is refreshed on average every five minutes during flight.
“We’re relying on the cooperation of passengers to help make these changes work for everyone’s benefit, and we thank them in advance for that. Given the great job Australians have done at flattening the curve, we’re confident they’ll respond positively to these temporary changes to how we fly,”
Alan Joyce, CEO Qantas Group
The Fly Well program will be reviewed after its first month of operation and shaped by customer feedback and medical advice.