Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 28) – Air travelers can expect drastic changes at the country’s gateway when airlines resume flights after lockdown.
AirAsia Philippines chief executive officer Ricky Isla told CNN Philippines that airline companies and air travel regulators are in close coordination as they craft new safety protocols that go beyond wearing face masks.
“There’s social distancing, there’s what you call paperless boarding, there’s also the use of more customer machines and kiosks at the airport,” Isla said in an interview.
“So there’s going to be a lot of educational tools passed over to the customers, like the QR method,” he added.
Isla said that temperature checks and social distancing will be practiced from the moment the traveler enters the airport and at different points until boarding the aircraft.
When asked if airlines will be reducing the number of passengers onboard to keep with social distancing, Isla said that all members of the Air Carriers Association of the Philippines (Acap), which include Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific Air and AirAsia Philippines, are strictly using HEPA filters to ensure clean air within their aircraft.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the HEPA or high efficiency particulate air filters are similar to those used to keep the air clean in hospital operating rooms and industrial clean rooms.
The HEPA filters are effective at capturing more than 99 percent of the airborne microbes in the filtered air, the IATA said.
“That therefore gives us the confidence level that even without the vacant seat in the middle, the strong effect or very clinical effect that cleanses the air, the HEPA filters will be very effective,” Isla said.
“And all our cabin crews will have the right gadgets, the right PPEs (personal protective equipment),” he added.
Isla also clarified that AirAsia Philippines will not be operating all their flights by May 15.
“We will start by launching a small percentage, almost like 20 to 30 percent of our domestic flights, as a testing ground,” Isla said.
When asked if air travellers can expect higher airfares in May, Isla said “there has to be a review of pricing at this point.”
Meanwhile, Philippine Airlines Spokesperson Cielo Villaluna told CNN Philippines that social distancing will be enforced both during the flight and at the pre-flight stage.
“There will be adjustments in food service, in the number of reading materials loaded,” Villaluna said.
Villaluna added that Philippine Airlines is still finalizing the routes they will be operating from May 16 onwards.
“If your flight is cancelled, we assure you that your ticket is safe and remains valid,” Villaluna said. “We’ve enhanced our policies to give you more flexibility due to the evolving COVID-19 situation.”
