Air France-KLM is mandating the wearing of face masks for all passengers and crew from 11 May, as the carrier looks to restore some of its pre-Covid 19 services. KLM has begun operating daily flights to Barcelona, Budapest, Helsinki, Madrid, Milan, Prague, Rome and Warsaw, as the Dutch carrier targets restoring 15% of its previous capacity in May. "Routes will gradually be reopened, but may change weekly, depending on measures being taken by the authorities at the destinations," it says. Face masks will be mandatory on KLM's flights until 31 August. Air France is also updating its hygiene policies. As well as requiring passengers and crew to wear face masks, the carrier will implement physical distancing where possible, something made possible by its current low load factors. Cleaning processes will be enhanced and in-flight services adapted to reduce infection. The airline also highlights that cabin air is circulated every 3min and filtered to the same level as hospital operating theatres. "These filters extract more than 99.99% of the smallest viruses, including those no larger than 0.01 micrometres, thus ensuring that cabin air complies with quality standards." Coronavirus-type viruses range in size from 0.08 to 0.16 micrometres. Air France currently operates a limited service to 31 destinations.

Source: Cirium

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