Qatar Airways has outlined its new flight protocols in the wake of COVID-19, and it starts with full-body gear.
That’s for the crew. As a press release for the airline notes, “Cabin crew will wear disposable, full body protective gear during flights while passengers must wear face coverings.” Meaning, besides the gloves and masks they were already wearing, flight attendants will wear PPE suits over their uniforms, as well as goggles.
Other changes include serving meals on a tray in lieu of a table set up in business class, individually wrapped cutlery, sealed meals (standard protocol in economy already), and large bottles of hand sanitizer which will be placed in the galleys. To comply with social distancing requirements, there are no more “social areas” on the craft.
Passengers in business class now also have access to “do not disturb” sliding partitions to more completely wall themselves off. All passengers will have to wear masks, unlike on some U.S. airlines.
“Seeing as we are still flying the world’s largest international network by operating flights to more than 30 destinations around the world, and aiming to grow our network again in the coming months, these onboard safety measures will assist us in achieving our goals,” Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker said in a statement.
The airline outlined its other safety measures, including regular aircraft scrubbings, advanced on-board air filtration systems and the use of fully autonomous disinfectant robots at their home airport. Cabin crew have been redistributed, and crew members who have to stay overnight in foreign cities can only use airline-approved transport and must stay in their rooms.
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