Brussels Airlines recently stepped up efforts on combating the continuous spread of the deadly Coronavirus disease that had brought flights to a halt while most Airlines grounded their fleet.
On June 15 June, the Airline announced its resumption of commercial short haul and long haul flights to major destinations after months of grounded fleet.
However, to curb the spread of the dangerous virus, Brussels Airline reviewed its services and processes and took the necessary measures to protect the health of its customers and staff throughout their travel journey, based on recommendations by international aviation organizations IATA and EASA and the Belgian health authorities so as to make the journey safe as possible for travelers and personnel while the airline took several hygiene measures to enable passengers travel in all comfort.
Measures both at the Airport and Mouth and Covering mask
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 travelers 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 sanitizer 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 traveling 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.” Says Dieter Vranckx, CEO Brussels Airlines
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