MONTREAL – Canada’s two largest air carriers, Air Canada and WestJet, announced late last week that it would end current physical distancing policies on flights starting July 1.
Their announcements came as a reply to changes with international travel guidelines.
Starting on July 1, Air Canada and WestJet said they would drop their seat distancing policies and be booking flights at normal capacity again.
According to WestJet officials, because their flights have HEPA filters installed to clean recirculated air and the air flows from the ceiling to the floor, it did not need the extra barrier of distanced seating.
“WestJet has built a robust framework to ensure Canadians can travel safely and responsibly through the airline’s Safety Above All program. The guidance supports the measures that WestJet has implemented to limit the spread of COVID-19,” WestJet said in the release.
Both airlines said that despite no longer offering seat distancing, it would still be conducting thorough pre-boarding temperature checks, and require masks on board. Aircraft cleaning has also been enhancing since the pandemic started.
American Airlines followed up these announcements saying it will start booking flights to full capacity starting July 1 as well.
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