Crowded Flight Leaves No Way to Social Distance

It seems that social distancing on airplanes may be more difficult to accomplish.

One traveler, Erin Strine, noted that it was not possible to stay physically distant from other passengers during a full American Airlines flight from New York City to Charlotte, North Carolina.

Well silly me thinking that an airline would adhere to social distancing guidelines. Currently abroad a nearly full @AmericanAir flight and I’ve never felt less safe or cared for in my entire life pic.twitter.com/sx5STfHKBI

Many travelers were wearing masks but not all, and it appears that most seats, including middle seats, were occupied.

This comes after the CEO of American Airlines Doug Parker said in a video statement that consumers could expect to see new safety precautions, including announcing that the airline had eased seating requirements, eliminated 50 percent of its middle seats and now reassigns people to maintain safe social distance.

The airline also reduced food and beverage services and changed its boarding processes to cut down on crowding and physical interactions.

American Airlines responded to Strine’s tweet saying she should ask to move seats, and she replied that the plane was full and that flight attendants announced that it wouldn’t be possible to social distance, according to a report on WBTV.

Strine also said to WBTV: “If they need to fill the flight to the capacity that they did on that New York to Charlotte flight, then you need to be handing out masks and requiring your passengers to wear them, for their safety and the safety of others.”

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