By Peter Miller, Skytrax – London, UK
Four major US airlines have all been certified with the 4-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating
Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines have all received the 4-Star COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating following the latest evaluations carried out by Skytrax audit teams in December 2021.
The Skytrax COVID-19 Airline Safety Rating is a trusted assessment and certification of airline hygiene and safety measures during the coronavirus pandemic, based on detailed, professional investigation of the standards being provided by an airline, both at the airport and onboard flights. It was the world’s first COVID-19 Safety Accreditation for the airline industry, regarded as a global benchmark for defining safe travel assurance for customers, with complex analysis of the hygiene improvement procedures and systems introduced by airlines.
Edward Plaisted of Skytrax said: “With the delayed opening of the US border to travellers from the UK and Europe, we deferred rating the American carriers until our audit teams were able to carry out the required evaluation and inspection trips with these airlines, and we are pleased to see that Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines are all meeting the 4-Star COVID-19 Safety Rating standards. For every airline evaluation we apply a set of global hygiene and cleanliness benchmarks that was formulated in 2020, and this is adjusted where necessary to any more specific country or government requirements that may have to be followed by an airline.”
Overall the audits noted good systems of COVID-19 specific information at key passenger touchpoints, including appropriate pre-travel customer guidance. Face mask usage and the need for distancing are quite well applied in the airport environments, and face mask usage is well enforced by all carriers. For each of these airlines, the aircraft interiors are visually…