Better leave some extra time before you board that flight. NPR’s Marketplace explores what systems may be in place to protect you and your fellow passengers when flying takes off again. Read more.
Radical New Ideas for Flying Post Covid-19
airlines
3 WAYS TO ACHIEVE A CLEAN NEW DEAL
Ahhh, cleanliness, everyone’s favorite new word. If our industry follows the trends, it will go from a deal-breaker to a deal maker in the future. Start by learning the latest news, below.
- New Airline Regulations For COVID-19 and Beyond In a survey of aviation executives by consulting group ICF, 92 percent of respondents said 1. they expect to see enhanced aircraft hygiene requirements post-COVID-19. At least one U.S. airline—Delta—has said it plans to use its new extensive sanitizing procedures for the foreseeable future. Other carriers are likely to follow suit as a response to the crisis, according to CNTRAVELER.
OUR TAKE: Who knew sanitizing procedures would be the new sexy must-have? We joke, but we’re also pleased to see the level to which companies have promised to rise for safety’s sake.
2. New Cleaning Protocols, New Cleanliness Advisory Council
“We are living in a new age, with COVID-19 front and center for our guests and our associates,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott’s president/CEO. “We are grateful for the trust our guests have shown us through the years. We want our guests to understand what we are doing today and planning for in the near future in the areas of cleanliness, hygiene, and social distancing, he told HotelManagement.net.
OUR TAKE: Trust is what will bring back travelers. That’s why the council is focused on developing global hospitality cleanliness standards, norms, and behaviors that are designed to minimize risk and enhance safety.
3. Learn What Is Level 3 Cleaning Entails They tossed, bedding, mattresses, kitchen utensils, and hundreds and hundreds of towels. Then they barricaded each area to assure it remained uncontaminated. That’s only part of what a Level 3 cleaning requires, Shelden Yellen of CEO of BELFOR Property Restoration told Travelpulse.com He was in charge of cleaning the Diamond Princess cruise ship, where 697 passengers tested positive and seven died. (The cruise had 2,666 guests and 1,045 crew on board, according to Reuters.) He spoke about the cleaning process of the ships in a Q&A with Fox News. A full write-up on Yellen from TravelPulse.com appears here.
OUR TAKE: This particular cleaning job is called a Level 3, the highest standard there is. The company used all Level 3 protocols to protect themselves and eradicate the virus. Such attention to detail will likely be on the minds of devoted cruise passengers when (not if) these beautiful boats sail again.
PLUS: Cleanliness Standards All In One Place!
Sector-by-Sector COVID-19 Protocols and How Effective They Were
Covid-19 cleanliness protocols must be at a standard that meets the needs of our most vulnerable travelers: those with a disability or aging baby boomers (who now control over 70% of the discretionary income in the U.S.) At TravelAbility 2020 (virtual) Presenters from each of the following industry sectors will share their post- COVID-19 cleanliness protocols, how they were promoted, and how effective they were in attracting business.
- Destination Marketing Organizations: State and CVB
- Hotels: Guests, staff, F&B and social distancing for meetings
- Convention Centers: Cleaning and Social distancing protocols
- Airports: Cleaning & concessions protocols for disabled
- Attractions: Cleaning and social distancing
- Cruise Lines: Cleaning, food preparation, and social distancing
- Rental Car: Cleaning and social distancing
- Amtrak: Cleaning and social distancing
- Airlines: Cleaning, boarding process, and distancing
- Escorted Tours: Social Distancing
Why a Dress Rehearsal for a Child with Autism Makes All the Difference Before Flying
For the next few months, we’re offering a free download of the highest-rated presentations from TravelAbility Summit.
Read the summary, below or see the entire “Wings for Autism Dress Rehearsal” presented here.
Wings for Autism Dress Rehearsal Presentation in a Nutshell
- The best way for people with autism to adapt to new and changing environments such as air travel is to give them a preview of what they will experience. Wings for Autism makes airplane travel safer and more comfortable for children on the spectrum by providing airport/air travel rehearsal programs at airports in North America.
Key Learnings
- Rehearsals started in 2014. Since then…
- 165+ events
- 23000 individual rehearsed
- 67 airports
- 16 airlines
- The Arc also holds disability training for aviation and TSA personnel.
- Starts with classroom training and moves to real-life scenario training at a Wings event.
For destinations interested in hosting their own Wings for Autism event, contact Kerry Mauger at mauger@thearc.org
In case you missed it: Last month featured TravelAbility presenting was an overview of Baby Boomer Travel Trends from AARP’s director of consumer insights, Patty David.
Some Airlines Are Still Damaging Wheelchairs at Ridiculously High Rate
First, the good news: Since U.S. airlines began tracking and reporting the number of wheelchairs/mobility scooters damaged in December of 2018, there’s a clear improvement! But there’s still a lot of room for improvement. At TravelAbility Insider, we’ve been tracking the numbers and, in honor of the law’s most outspoken and effective advocate, Senator Tammy Duckworth, we’ve named it The Duckworth Wheelchair Damage Report. Here’s the short story:
American 7.2% to 4.68%
Frontier 5.31% to 2.31%
Jet Blue 4.01% to 1.39%
Southwest 6.46% to 1.28%
The Duckworth Wheelchair Damage Report
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