Report by : Gan Yung Chyan
/ KUCINTA SETIA
As AirAsia prepares to resume
domestic and international flights from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, it
has issued guidelines on social distancing pre-flight and inflight on 26 April 2020.
According to Captain Ling Liong
Tien, Chief Safety Officer of AirAsia, the low-cost airline social distancing
measures include 5 kg cabin baggage restriction, seat distancing, floor markers
at airports and alternate check-in counters.
5 kg cabin baggage restriction means
that each passenger is only allowed to bring onboard one lap-top, one shoulder
bag or one handbag. Captain Ling said, "This will help minimise unwanted
contact between you and another guest's baggage and vice versa".
The tighter cabin baggage
restriction suggests that passengers can no longer bring onboard one cabin
luggage that weighs 7 kg and of total dimensions 115 cm. Such luggage has to be
paid in advance for check-in at the airports or the 7 kg baggage may become
redundant in AirAsia carriage.
The tighter cabin baggage
restriction in relation to social distancing cannot be understood. Baggage
distancing has nothing to do with virus transmission as the passenger on mask is located less than 100 cm
away from another masked passenger.
Social distancing is a factor for virus transmission if a passenger does not put on a face mask
throughout the flight as the virus may spread to a masked passenger easily. If a
passenger wants to eat snacks and hot meals onboard the flight, the other
passenger must have put on a mask and must not eat anything at the same time as
the other passenger who is eating.
In short, only two passengers can
sit in one row, one next to a window and the other by the aisle.
On seat distancing, Captain Ling
announced, "when flight occupancy allows for guests to move within
respective zones under cabin crew's guideline", seat distancing will be
practised. This practice suggests it is no longer useful to pre-pay for a
window seat online. There is no favourable seat of choice anymore but it may be
possible for cabin crew to allocate the front row seat to a passenger if it is
empty and if the seat is 100 cm apart from another passenger. However, this may
suggest higher travel cost on AirAsia flights as the airline seeks to recover
costs from the pandemic.
On floor markers at airports and
alternate check-in counters, the latter will be available at terminals where
there are very few flights during the pandemic to maintain social distancing.
For instance, AirAsia Group of airlines have no plans to change operations from
Changi Airport Terminal 4 to Terminal 1 or Terminal 3. There will be enough
alternate check-in counters at Terminal 4 for AirAsia, Thai AirAsia, Indonesia
AirAsia and AirAsia Philippines. The floor markers are found at queuing areas
including check-in counters and kiosks.
Captain Ling further said during the
pandemic, all cabin crew will wear protective attire, disposable gloves and
face masks to serve passengers. All AirAsia aircraft are fitted with HEPA
filters normally used in hospitals to filter out viruses, bacteria and
particles.
The full text of Captain Ling Liong
Tien:
COVID-19: Flying safe with AirAsia -
Safety measures AirAsia implements On-Ground and In-flight
To Ensure You Arrive Safely And In Good Health At Your
Destination
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Your health and safety is always our top priority. As we
prepare to return to the skies, you have our commitment that now, more
than ever, this remains true.
We are looking forward to once again connecting people and
places and recognise the duty to do so responsibly and with care.
AirAsia is working closely with regulators, local
governments, civil aviation and health authorities, including the World
Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Civil Aviation
Organisation (ICAO) and adhering to their expert advice.
While we are doing this, we also need your
cooperation with the following to ensure that you have a smooth,
memorable journey with us:
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- First and foremost, it is your responsibility to
ensure that you are eligible to travel, be it international or domestic
before booking a flight. Please refer here to
check on travel restrictions and special requirements.
- All AirAsia guests will be required to bring
their own mask and wear it properly before, during and after
the flight, including during check-in and bag
collection. Guests without a mask will be denied
boarding.
- Carry-on cabin baggage - to facilitate
social distancing especially during embarkation and disembarkation, we
will only allow ONE piece of cabin baggage not exceeding 5 kg for
each guest. This will help minimise unwanted contact between you and
another guest’s baggage and vice versa. More details are available here.
- Please arrive early at the airport - preferably
3 hours before departure - to allow for enough time for all the
necessary processes to take place.
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To ensure that the highest standards of safety and hygiene
are maintained at all times, here are some of the measures AirAsia is
taking on the ground and in the air:
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Aircraft cleaning:
- Aircraft will undergo disinfection including
a deep clean performed using cleaning agents in accordance with Airbus
Aircraft maintenance Manual (AMM) by professional cleaning teams
- Every night stop, aircraft goes under a
thorough 2-hour cleaning procedure, in compliance with
instructions from health authorities
- For more information on aircraft disinfection,
click here.
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Pre-flight:
- Temperature screening will take place
at different checkpoints, including boarding gates
- Cabin crew will go through temperature
checks after every shift
- Social distancing will be observed
with floor markers at queuing areas, including check-in counters
& kiosks
- Alternate check-in counters will be
opened to keep social distancing
- Hand sanitizers will be available
through journey processing point for guests and staff
- Cabin will be disinfected via aerosol spraying before
departure of all domestic and international flights
- Pre-flight briefings on safety and
hygiene will be conducted for all boarding cabin crew to ensure we are
consistently following the most up-to-date advice
- Contactless web and mobile check-in to
reduce surface and physical contact in check-in and boarding processes
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In-flight:
- All AirAsia aircraft are fitted with HEPA
filters normally used in hospitals, which filter out particles and
airborne contaminants such as viruses and bacteria
- All cabin crew will be in protective equipment including
masks and gloves
- We will observe seat distancing, when flight
occupancy allows, for guests to move within respective
zones, under cabin crew’s guidance
- Food Safety
- All meals are produced and packaged
hygienically following strict food safety requirements
- All production staff will regularly be
monitored on COVID-19 guidelines
- Cabin crew handling menu items will wear
disposable gloves
- Cabin crew are well trained to assist
with any medical situation inflight including identification and
isolation of anyone onboard who may feel unwell
- Temperature checks will occur before
arrival to destinations where temperature screening is mandatory
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Arrival:
- Health declaration forms will be handed
out to be filled out before or on arrival
- Thermal screening will take place upon
arrival
- Transit passengers will be asked to
stay at the airport
- Mandatory quarantine may take place as
per regulations at your destination country
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How can you do your part?
We ask that you observe the universally
recommended protective precautionary measures, including practising high
personal hygiene.
Please be reminded, once again, that you are required
to bring your own mask and wear it properly before, during and after the
flight, including during check-in and bag collection; failing which, you
will not be accepted on the flight.
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Thank you for your continued support, we look forward to
welcoming you onboard again soon.
Captain Ling Liong Tien
Chief Safety Officer
AirAsia
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