United has enhanced aircraft cabin sanitisation by implementing electrostatic spraying into its cleaning procedures on all inbound long-haul international flights, as well as mainline overnight aircraft at its US hubs.
In June, all United aircraft will have electrostatic spray on every one of its departures, in addition to disinfecting customer touchpoints and surfaces before every flight.
The carrier’s mainline aircraft use a high-efficiency (HEPA) filter (like those found in hospitals) to circulate the air and removes up to 99.7 per cent of airborne particles.
The airline has also adjusted its onboard service to minimise touchpoints between crew and customers, including moving to pre-packaged foods and sealed beverages, and suspending onboard purchases.
United was one of the first major US carriers to require all flight attendants to wear a facial covering and all customers will be provided with facial coverings if they don’t have their own when the board the aircraft.
To promote social distancing in the air and on the ground, United is allowing customers booked on regularly scheduled flights that are expected to be closer to full capacity to choose to rebook on a different flight or receive a travel credit. This option will be available through 30 June.
The airline has also adjusted its seat selection systems to avoid seating customers next to each other where possible; altered its boarding process boarding to allow for more distance between passengers; and introduced a temporary front-to-back deplaning process as customers exit the aircraft, among other things.
In addition to this, United customers can now enjoy a touch-free check-in experience thanks to the airline’s enhanced health and safety measures.
Flyers can check in digitally on united.com or on the United app, and then once arriving at the airport, they can use its new touchless kiosks to print tags for any checked bags, available at select airports.
Along with United, several other airlines have announced enhanced health and safety protocols, including Emirates SkyCargo and Wizz Air.