American Airlines to Resume With Full Capacity Flights Despite Surge in COVID-19 Cases

American Airlines announced plans to resume with full flights, seating passengers at full capacity starting July 1.

On Friday, the commercial airline released a statement including new details about upcoming changes, safety protocols, and provisions that will be incorporating as early as Wednesday.

American Airlines has joined forces with Vanderbilt University Medical Center for the formation of a new Travel Health Advisory Panel. The Clean Commitment initiative is an additional measure to incorporate and maintain safe guidelines as the airline prepares to increase flight capacity.

Alison Taylor, American Airline’s Chief Customer Officer, also weighed in on the collaboration briefly explaining the roles of Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases, Dr. David Aronoff, and Chief Hospital Epidemiologist, Dr. Thomas Talbot.

“We’re pleased to have access to new guidance on infectious diseases and best practices from the experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center,” Taylor said. “Drs. Aronoff and Talbot will be an important part of our decision-making process on issues including cleaning, health screening, and best practices.”

The airline’s press release comes shortly after the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that mask requirements would be left up to individual airlines.

At the time, FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson noted that health-related safety regulations would be left in the hands of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as they focus on “aviation safety,” as previously reported on IJR.

American Airlines’ latest initiative with Vanderbilt appears to align with the FAA’s stance. The airline has also vowed to continue sending advance notices to passengers informing them of flight capacity.

When flights are full, passengers will have the flexibility to change their itineraries and book flights with fewer passengers at no additional cost. This courtesy will extend through September 30.

The decision to move to full capacity flights comes as the United States faces a nationwide surge in coronavirus cases.

As of Friday, 35 states are seeing rises in infection rates of at least 5%. There are more than 2.5 million confirmed coronavirus cases across the country as the death toll is over 126,000 in the U.S.