Alaska Airlines COVID-19 Response
The article below comes from Alaska's COVID-19 Response Blog, the link is available at the bottom of the page. The blog allows passengers to receive updates on everything Alaska is doing to combat COVID-19, and maintain their standard of customer service.
Our guests always come first, and that is especially true as the situation with Coronavirus develops. Learn about all the ways we’re keeping you covered below. For additional information, please visit our travel advisory page for all the details about our flexible travel policies and travel restrictions.
These days Alaska Airlines may look a little different when you fly. From our check in counters to our aircraft, you’ll notice changes to ensure the health and safety of our guests and employees. From social distancing stickers on the floor to our guests & employees wearing masks, we want you to know our care is never cancelled.
Masks
To align with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommendations and to keep our guests and employees safe, masks will be mandatory for all our guests starting May 11. Additionally, Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air employees who cannot maintain six feet of social distance during interactions with guests or co-workers will also be required to wear masks starting May 4. This includes pilots, flight attendants and customer service agents.
Guests will be expected to bring their own mask and will be required to wear it throughout the airport and flight experience. Additional supplies will be available for those who forget their face masks. Specific details about the face mask requirements will be shared with guests in pre-trip communications before their date of travel. The temporary policy will be reevaluated periodically as guidance evolves.
“Safety is our most important value at Alaska Airlines, and thanks to our employees we have an incredibly safe operation. In light of COVID-19, we’re in a new era and are continually updating our safety standards to better protect our guests and employees. For now, this includes wearing masks, which is another layer of protection that can reduce the spread of the virus,” said Max Tidwell, Alaska Airlines’ vice president of safety.
Enhanced cleaning
Our planes have never been cleaner.
We’ve always had robust cleaning processes on our aircraft and will continue using disinfectants that use of high-grade, EPA registered disinfectants to sanitize critical touchpoints like tray tables, seat belts, overhead bins, armrests and lavatories, etc.
As an extra level of precaution, we’ve implemented an enhanced aircraft cleaning process between our flights that are on the ground longer than an hour at our hubs. We’ve also expanded the use of electrostatic sanitizing spray to disinfect aircraft at all of our hubs.
We’re installing social distancing decals to remind people to ‘Mind Their Wingspan,’ at each one of our airports where we fly. The stickers, spanning 6 feet apart, can be found at our ticketing counters, baggage drops, customer service centers and gate areas. The Alaska branded stickers will be deployed systemwide over the coming weeks.
We’re giving our guests more space and the flexibility they need to achieve social distancing onboard by blocking off all middle seats on large aircraft and aisle seats on smaller aircraft at the time of purchase through May 31. Families or large groups who want to sit together are able to by reaching out to our Reservations team at 1 (800) 252-7522 or to one of our agents at the airport. Additionally, First Class seat sales are capped at 50 percent. Read more
Finally, we’ve also updated our onboard service to limit the interaction between our flight crews and guests. You’ll also notice we have removed all seatback contents, except for the safety card, to limit the spread of germs.
Safety remains our top priority at Alaska Airlines – for you, and for our employees. We will continue to evaluate best practices to ensure the health and safety of our guests and employees.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and see you soon.