Air Canada, the largest airline in Canada, announced on May 4 this year that it would re-design its health and sanitation protocols to safety passengers and avoid coronavirus spread.
The new initiative, called CleanCare+, aims to provide greater peace of mind for travelers and crew members, and to reduce the possibility of COVID-19 exposure. With this change, it is the first to unveil passenger and crew temperature tests before embarking.
Sharing the news in a press release on May 4, Air Canada CleanCare+ is "a comprehensive system for personal safety and enhanced aircraft grooming for customers at all travel stages."
As part of their CleanCare+ program, which will track the health of travelers, the airline will set in place new guidelines that will include social distance and on-board aircraft disinfection.
The temperature monitoring consists primarily of a non-invasive infrared check, which will be rolled out at all airports operating Air Canada by May 15.
The non-invasive method would supplement existing government-mandated health questionnaire completed by all flyers to find out whether they are eligible to travel. Customers who are considered unfit to fly will be rebooked at no cost, but will be allowed to obtain medical clearance prior to flight, the airline said.
In addition, Air Canada will immediately restrict the selling of adjacent seats and limit the total number of seats sold on each flight to encourage more personal space in Economy Class onboard its aircraft.
As a result, no Economy Class customer would be needed to sit directly next to another, unless they are needed to do so to support another customer they fly with. The policy will remain in place until June 30 at least.
This new seat-separation protocol will complement the regulations the airline has already set in place to enhance physical distancing between passengers, including promoting self-serve web and mobile check-in.
The new CleanCare+ plan comes on the heels of Air Canada's April decision to make face masks compulsory. The mask requirement means passengers have to wear a face cover in the airport, during boarding and on flights. Acceptable masks include a cloth mask, scarf or the like.
According to Johns Hopkins University, there have been over 63,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Canada, with 4,190 fatalities. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed earlier this week that the government is only weeks away from lifting the limits on lockdowns.
Air Canada announced on Monday its first quarter ended March 31 financials, showing sales down to $3.72 billion from $4.43 billion a year earlier and an operating loss of $433 million compared to operating sales of $127 million a year earlier.
