10 August 2020: Air Travel is slowly starting to gear up and majority of the airlines are putting in extra efforts to gain passenger confidence in safe air travel. Alaska Air has also come up with their set of rules keeping in view the CDC and IATA guidelines for improved air travel. As part of their continuing efforts to keep guests and employees safe, Alaska Airlines announced that all guests must wear a cloth mask or face covering at all times when at the airport or on board Alaska aircraft. Any passenger refusing to abide by this will be suspended from future travel with Alaska Airlines.
“We all need to look out for each other during this health emergency, and the best way we can do that and prevent the spread of the virus is to simply wear a mask or face covering when we’re around each other,” said Max Tidwell, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of safety and security. “Safety remains priority number one for Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air. Our tougher policy shows how important this issue is to us and our guests. If you don’t wear a mask, you won’t be flying with us.”
All the guests above two years are required to wear a face mask covering their nose and mouth. The face coverings must be made from a cloth or other barrier material that prevents the discharge and release of respiratory droplets from a person’s nose or mouth. Besides, the face coverings should not have direct exhaust valves.
If any passenger refuses to wear a face mask on-board the flight, the flight attendant will issue a yellow card to that passenger. Going forward, if a guest chooses not to comply after receiving the yellow card, his or her travel with Alaska will be suspended immediately upon landing. Any remaining portion of the guest’s itinerary will be cancelled – including connecting or return flights – along with any future trips the guest has booked. The guest will be provided with a full refund for any unused travel and will be responsible for making their own travel arrangements from that point.
For guests who forget their mask, Alaska will have them available upon request, in addition to providing individual hand-sanitizer wipes on board.
Alaska will continue to block seats flights through Oct. 31 for physical distancing, while providing the opportunity for families and larger groups to sit near each other if requested. The airline’s “peace of mind” travel policy has been extended till 8th September 2020, allowing guests to make adjustments to their travel plans with no change or cancellation fees.
Recently, nearly 100 actions have been implemented to keep guests and employees safe. Flyers must sign-off on a health agreement at check-in to acknowledge and attest to their willingness to adhere to the mask requirement. Other layers of safety include: enhanced cleaning of our planes in between every flight; hospital-grade HEPA air filters; an air filtration system that circulates fresh, outside air into the cabin every three minutes; limited on board service to reduce interactions; hand-sanitizing stations throughout the journey and more, all a part of Alaska’s commitment to Next-Level Care.
