Canadian airline, WestJet commences proactive measure against coronavirus
Olabisi Kayode-Adedeji in Lagos
A Canadian airline, WestJet Airlines has commenced intensive disinfect and sanitize of its aircraft as a way to prevent passengers from possible contact with the deadly coronavirus using industry-approved products.
Penpushing reports that, the President and Chief Executive Officer of WestJet Airlines, Ed Sims made this known in a statement emailed to Penpushing on Tuesday, adding that the management has also introduced hospital-grade Clorox Wipes and Spray to our cleaning processes
‘I am writing you today to provide information regarding the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak and what we at WestJet are doing in response.As a valued WestJet guest, your safety has always been, and remains, our number one priority. We train comprehensively for these scenarios as part of our overall emergency response and stood up a COVID-19 direct response team immediately as the situation began to unfold’ Sims wrote.
Penpushing further reports that, the company said from the onset of the coronavirus, ‘we have been in contact with the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), Transport Canada and other agencies around the world to ensure we are aware of, and aligned with, guidance regarding air travel’.
‘There are hundreds of WestJetters across Canada involved in the planning and implementation of our coronavirus response. In addition to the standard aircraft cleaning that has been part of our daily maintenance schedule, we have introduced additional measures to increase the sanitization of our aircraft’, the airline explained.
‘We already disinfect and sanitize our aircraft using industry-approved products and have also introduced hospital-grade Clorox Wipes and Spray to our cleaning processes. These new products are used to clean the galleys, lavatories, tray tables, seat armrests and headrests, seatbelt buckles, the power supply unit panel, overhead bin door latches and lavatory door handles’.
‘In the air, our aircraft are equipped with state-of-the-art HEPA filters which are similar to those used in hospitals. These filters achieve a viral and bacterial removal efficiency of greater than 99.99 per cent. These aircraft also introduce fresh air into the cabin every two to three minutes’.
Penpushing also reports that, the Chief Executive Officer of the company to help passengers continue to book with confidence, ‘we had already instituted a flexible change policy giving those guests who booked between March 3, 2020 and March 31, 2020 the ability to change their flight without the applicable change fees.
The statement added that, in addition, ‘we are temporarily removing the normal change and cancel restrictions for guests who had previously booked a Basic fare for travel beginning on or before March 31, 2020.
‘More information can be found on the WestJet travel advisory page. If you have any questions regarding your reservations, there are a number of ways to contact us that you can find here. If you booked with a travel agent, please contact them directly’, Sims emphasised.
Penpushing reports that, the statement noted that, Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), has assessed the public health risk associated with coronavirus as low for Canada, pointing out that to date, there are no known cases where this virus has been transmitted from one person to another on an aircraft.
‘We recognize that this is an evolving story and my commitment is to provide you with up-to-date information as it become available. We will continue to post to the WestJet blog which remains the best place to find the most current information’.
‘I hope this gives you confidence in the actions we are taking on your behalf. We remain committed to providing you a safe travel environment and I look forward to welcoming you on board in the near future’, Sims stated
