Brussels Airlines is getting ready to welcome passengers and staff again as from 15 June. Next to retraining its cockpit and cabin crew to be ready to start flying again, the airline has reviewed its services and processes and has taken the necessary measures to protect the health of its customers and staff throughout their travel journey, based on recommendations by international aviation organisations IATA and EASA and the Belgian health authorities.
On 15 June the first nine flights of Brussels Airlines will take off from Brussels Airport. In order to make the journey as safe as possible for travellers and personnel, the airline has taken several hygiene measures while still allowing to travel in all comfort.
At the airport
A first important measure is that the airline reminds passengers via several communications not to come to the airport when having symptoms or feeling ill. Flexible rebooking options remain in place should travel plans change at the last minute.
Furthermore, Brussels Airport will perform temperature checks before allowing passengers to enter the terminal. At the airport check-in and sales desks plexiglass screens have been installed to protect check-in agents as well as passengers. Transactions will be limited to electronic payment. Social distance courtesy lines will remind travellers to keep at a safe distance. Additional cleaning procedure, hand sanitizers and hygiene reminders are put in place by the airport. Passengers on European flights are encouraged to check in their hand luggage (for free) to avoid queuing on board to find space in the overhead bins.
Mouth and nose covering mask
As from the moment they enter the airport, all passengers from the age of 6 years old are required to wear a mask that covers nose and mouth. The mask must be kept on during the entire flight, as social distance on board cannot be guaranteed.
Boarding and de-boarding will be phased to avoid queues and passengers are requested to scan their own boarding pass to avoid physical contact. The cabin crew will offer to apply hand sanitiser to all passengers when boarding the aircraft, as well as hand out a disinfectant wipe. The aircraft disinfection process has been reinforced and a stronger detergent will be used to make sure all surfaces are clean and the risk of contamination is reduced to a minimum. In combination with the HEPA filters that are on board every Brussels Airlines aircraft, passengers can travel with peace of mind. The HEPA filters on board create a downward stream of continuously cleaned air, which takes away 99.9% of particles in the air, creating an atmosphere in the cabin that is comparable to the air quality of hospital operating rooms.
During the flight, the airline will reduce physical contact between passengers and crew as much as possible. Therefore the meal and drink service on European flights (Buy-on-Board) will not be available and on intercontinental flights, the duty free service will be available for electronic payments only. Unnecessary paper like menu cards, magazines and newspapers are also removed from the aircraft.
The set of measures is based on the recommendations of IATA (International Air Travel Association) and EASA (European Union Aviation Safety Agency) as well as the Belgian authorities.
“We are confident that with these changes in our travel journey, we are able to offer our customers and staff the confidence and health focus that is needed to feel at ease and safe when travelling with Brussels Airlines. We however remain in constant contact with the relevant authorities in order to further finetune our set-up if needed. We very much look forward to welcoming our guests again on board of our flights,” said Brussels Airlines CEO Dieter Vranckx.
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