How AIRLINES react to the proposal to leave SEATS empty

Airlines agree to the mandatory use of chinstraps between passengers and crew during flights, but not with the mandatory distance within the plane as this will force them to leave empty seats.

In a statement, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) argue that the widespread use of chinstraps is sufficient to reduce the risk of disease transmission and avoid taking other additional measures, such as leaving a seat empty between two passengers.

“We must come up with a solution that gives passengers confidence when flying and maintains the cost of doing so at affordable prices,” says IATA CEO and CEO Alexandre de Juniac.

For them, applying the obligation to keep certain seats empty on flights could reduce passenger capacity to 62%, while the measure that the industry currently requires to be profitable is 77%.

“CWith fewer seats to occupy, costs would go up a lot, and compared to 2019, air fares would have to rise dramatically, between 43 and 54% depending on the region, just to cover costs“they warn.

The entity suggests other prevention measures, in addition to the chinstrap. These include taking the temperature of passengers and crew, reducing the contact of people in the entry and exit procedures of the plane and limiting movements in the cabin during the flight.

In addition, it proposes a greater frequency of cleaning in the cabin and a simplification of the food service to limit the movement of the crew and their interaction with passengers.

For IATA, the use of “immunity passports” (which some governments consider issuing to citizens who have recovered from covid-19) could be included in prevention measures.

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