Air Canada today announced the launch of Air Canada CleanCare+, a comprehensive program for personal safety and enhanced aircraft grooming to provide customers greater peace of mind during all stages of travel. The new program is designed to reduce the risk of exposure to COVID-19 through such measures as mandatory pre-flight customer temperature checks in addition to required health questionnaires, seat assignment policies to allow for more personal space in Economy Class on all flights until June 30, 2020, and by providing all customers with care kits for hand cleaning and hygiene. To supplement these individual measures, Air Canada CleanCare+ will also strengthen the airline’s industry-leading cabin grooming standards with the introduction of electrostatic spraying of cabin interiors. Air Canada will additionally expand its existing aircraft grooming procedures, which already incorporate the use of hospital grade disinfectant and specialized techniques to maintain cabin cleanliness across its fleet. “While we are eager to see the reopening of economies and the restart of commercial aviation, the safety of our customers and employees is Air Canada’s core value and we aim to establish the highest standards of hygiene, cleanliness and attention to public health guidelines. We have been a leader in progressively introducing new measures in response to COVID-19, such as introducing Personal Protective Equipment for our employees and being the first North American carrier to require face coverings for customers. We are now the first airline in the Americas to administer pre-flight temperature checks system-wide. With Air Canada CleanCare+, we are introducing a comprehensive new program to give each customer added assurance for their well-being throughout all stages of their journey – and we intend to continue enhancing Air Canada CleanCare+ where we can with best practices from around the world, including increased use of screening tools, such as blood oxygen level testing, as they become available,” said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada. “Air Canada CleanCare+ will not only provide protections at the personal level, by better monitoring our customers’ fitness to fly and providing for more personal space in Economy Class, but it also sets new standards for cabin cleanliness and ensures our employees have the best tools to maintain it. Coupled with other new safety practices we implemented earlier in response to COVID-19, Air Canada CleanCare+ will provide travellers with the confidence that they can book and fly safely with Air Canada as they consider their travel plans in the current environment.”

Source: World Airline News

American Airlines has made this announcement:

Last month, American Airlines announced plans to accelerate the retirement of some older, less fuel-efficient aircraft from its fleet sooner than originally planned. As flying schedules and aircraft needs are fine-tuned during this period of record low demand, American will take the unique step of retiring a total of five aircraft types.
American has officially retired the Embraer E190 and Boeing 767-300 fleets, which were originally scheduled to retire by the end of 2020. The airline has also accelerated the retirement of its Boeing 757-200s and Airbus A330-300s. Additionally, American is retiring 19 Bombardier CRJ200 aircraft operated by PSA Airlines.These changes remove operating complexity and will bring forward cost savings and efficiencies associated with operating fewer aircraft types. It will also help American focus on flying more advanced aircraft as we continue receiving new deliveries of the Airbus A321neo and the Boeing 737 MAX and 787 family. American’s narrowbody fleet also becomes more simplified with just two cockpit types – the Airbus A320 and the Boeing 737 families. This benefits American’s operational performance through training efficiency and streamlined maintenance. American continues to evaluate its schedule and remains committed to caring for customers on life’s journey. These changes will help American continue to provide a reliable travel experience around the world, even during these uncertain times.

Source: World Airline News

South Africa’s political opposition is insisting the government detail an agreement with South African Airways unions setting out plans to establish a successor to the crumbling flag-carrier. In a response accusing the department of public enterprises of undermining SAA’s business-rescue practitioners, the Democratic Alliance says it will seek a commitment that the government will not make “any further bailouts” to the airline, or provide any state guarantees or other form of security. It is to ask public enterprises minister Pravin Gordhan for clarity on a “leadership compact” reached between various parties in SAA, arguing that the information provided about the agreement is “scant on detail”. “The question that all South Africans will be asking is whether or not this deal includes yet more billions of rands in bailouts to keep the bankrupt airline going,” says the party, “and whether or not majority ownership of SAA will be transferred to private equity?” SAA had been undergoing business rescue but the process ran out of funding, leading the rescue practitioners to state the carrier had only two options – either immediate liquidation or a deal with employees for a retrenchment package. But the department of public enterprises says the new agreement is part of a “bold and audacious” process committing all parties to a “new approach”, demanding “major performance-based culture change” if South Africa is to retain competitive and profitable international airlift through a strategic national asset with both public and private participation. “It will not be the old SAA but the beginning of a new journey to a new restructured airline, which will be a proud flagship for South Africa,” the department states. “The transition to the new airline may require sacrifices, pain and hardships for all concerned, particularly for those employees who may be displaced.” It adds that it is working with unions on a business model to give a new national carrier a competitive edge. “The agreed intention is to produce an airline which is a catalyst for investment, job creation in key sectors, economic growth throughout all regions of the country,” the department states, “and is a mirror to the world reflecting the splendour and beauty of our great nation.” But the Democratic Alliance describes as “astounding” the unions’ and public enterprises minister’s belief that they can enter an agreement that “apparently has no details” and that SAA’s rescue practitioners – Les Matuson and Siviwe Dongwana – are simply expected to implement it, regardless of the expiry of a 1 May deadline for retrenchment packages. The opposition party accuses the minister of sidelining the practitioners, and says the practitioners are allowing the minister to “dictate” to them a course of action. “It is unbelievable,” it adds, pointing out that the practitioners have an obligation to follow South African company law and either devise an acceptable rescue plan or, if this is not possible, apply for liquidation. Heavily loss-making SAA has spent five months in business rescue and the emergence of the coronavirus crisis has essentially wrecked the carrier’s chances of survival. “The public deserves clarity on the future of SAA and the full details of any agreements the minister has entered into,” says the Democratic Alliance. It adds that the government needs to guarantee that public money will “not be wasted on a lost cause”, particularly during the coronavirus crisis.

Source: Cirium