Qatar Airways has increased its health and safety measures for passengers and cabin crew

Qatar Airways has increased its health and safety measures onboard by introducing new personal protective equipment (PPE) for customers and cabin crew.

The airline’s additional robust measures include offering face shields and protective kits to all passengers, in addition to a new protective gown for cabin crew.

The disposable face shield will be available in two standard sizes: one for adults and the other for children.

The children’s face shields feature the airline’s Oryx Kids Club mascots as part of their design. Passengers traveling from Hamad International Airport (HIA) will receive their face shields at the check-in counters, whereas, at other destinations, the face shields will be distributed at the boarding gates.

Onboard, all Qatar Airways passengers will be provided with a complimentary protective kit. Inside a ziplock pouch, they will find a single-use surgical face mask, large disposable powder-free gloves, and an alcohol-based hand sanitizer gel. Business Class customers will also be offered an additional 75ml sanitizer gel tube.

Qatar Airways has also introduced new disposable protective gowns for cabin crew that is fitted over their uniforms, in addition to safety glasses, gloves, and a mask. The new branded gowns are personalized with Qatar Airways’ logo imprinted on the top left corner.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, the safety of our passengers has been our highest priority. By introducing these additional onboard safety and hygiene measures, our customers can rely on us and our unparalleled expertise to fly them safely to their destination. As the largest international airline flying consistently throughout the pandemic, we have become one of the most experienced in safety and hygiene. We will continue to lead the industry in terms of the services offered to our passengers, so that they can travel with confidence.”

To ensure the highest levels of hygiene onboard, Economy Class passengers are required to wear their face shield visor in addition to their face mask or covering throughout the flight, except when they are served their meals or drinks. Business Class customers are asked to wear their face shield and mask onboard at their own discretion, as they enjoy more space and privacy. In addition, for aircraft equipped with Qsuite, Qatar Airways’ award-winning business seat, Business Class customers are offered even greater privacy with sliding partitions and fully closing doors, and an option to display a ‘Do Not Disturb (DND)’ indicator if they wish to limit their interactions with cabin crew.

Parents flying with children should advise them to keep wearing their PPE throughout the journey, although children under two years of age are not advised to wear face shields and face masks or coverings. During boarding and disembarkation, all passengers will be required to wear their face mask or covering as well as the face shield.

Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the airline has also applied other additional health and safety measures onboard its flights. Business Class meals are served covered on a tray instead of a table set up, and a cutlery wrap is offered to passengers as an alternative to individual cutlery service, to minimize contact between crew and passengers. Qatar Airways has also introduced single-use menu cards and sealed refreshing wipes. Economy Class meals and cutlery are served sealed as usual, and menu cards have been temporarily discontinued. All social areas onboard the aircraft have been closed adhering to the social distancing measures.

Qatar Airways’ aircraft are regularly disinfected using cleaning products recommended by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Its aircraft feature the most advanced air filtration systems, equipped with industrial-size HEPA filters that remove 99.97% of viral and bacterial contaminants from re-circulated air, providing the most effective protection against infection.

All the airline’s onboard linen and blankets are washed, dried, and pressed at microbial lethal temperatures, while its headsets are rigorously sanitized after each flight. These items are then sealed into individual packaging by staff wearing hygienic disposable gloves.

Cabin crew has received training on how to minimize their chances of contracting or spreading the infection, are thermally screened before the departure of flights and after their arrival, and are quarantined and tested if any colleagues or passengers on a flight shows any symptoms of infection or test positive for the virus.

Qatar Airways continues to work closely with governments around the world to resume commercial flights in line with entry restrictions. The airline is hopeful further commercial flight restrictions will be eased throughout July, with the carrier planning to resume almost two-thirds of its pre-covid19 network by the end of the month.

The airline expects its number of flights to almost double in July with close to 3,500 flights scheduled, compared to just under 2,100 in June.

By maintaining a global network that never fell below 30 destinations, Qatar Airways has remained up to date with the latest in international airport procedures and implemented the most advanced safety and hygiene measures onboard its aircraft and in Hamad International Airport (HIA), recently voted the Best Airport in the Middle East for the sixth year in a row.

To ensure travelers can plan their travel with peace of mind, the airline has also extended its booking policies to offer even more choice to its passengers. The airline will allow unlimited date changes, and passengers can change their destination as often as they need if it is within 5,000 miles of the original destination. The airline will not charge any fare differences for travel completed before December 31, 2020, after which fare rules will apply. All tickets booked for travel up to December 31, 2020, will be valid for two years from the date of issuance.