American, United Airlines end social distancing, will book flights to full capacity

[TexasTowelie]

American Airlines will start booking flights to full capacity in the coming week, ending any effort to promote social distancing on its planes even as the United States sets records for new reported cases of the coronavirus.

American’s move matches the policy of United Airlines but contrasts sharply with rivals that are limiting bookings to create space between passengers to minimize the risk of contagion.

Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst with Atmosphere Research Group, said American “is clearly putting its profitability ahead” of the health of passengers and its own employees.

“Packing an airplane 100% full without health testing in place is a risky business decision,” Harteveldt said. “If someone contracts the COVID-19 virus on a 100% full plane, they’re going to sue American Airlines. Just because another airline is doing it doesn’t mean it’s the right business decision.”

Read more: https://chicago.suntimes.com/2020/6/26/21305022/american-united-airlines-end-social-distancing

[greyl]

1. That won't fly. nt

[Budi]

2. 🍻👍

And neither will I.
I'm driving eveywhere I want to go, no matter how long it takes to get there.

[Sherman A1]

3. Good for them

Just one more reason to not get on an airplane.

[JI7]

4. are they going to require masks ? and no food service ?

[RockRaven]

5. If you want to die or kill your family members then go right ahead and fly...

Otherwise do everything in your power to avoid it. No matter what the seating arrangements.

[uponit7771]

11. +1

[stopbush]

6. "To help take passengers' minds off the potential of catching the virus on a packed

plane, the airlines said they will fill each plane with only half the estimated fuel needed for each flight...”

[uponit7771]

12. ..👍🏼

[DFW]

7. Great, and I have to be in Dallas in a month.

Better dig out Southwest's number again.........

[dem4decades]

8. imagine a packed flight out of Houston, such a potential spreader.

[torius]

9. Hope the flight attendants find safer jobs. Pilots too.

They are being sacrificed.

[KY_EnviroGuy]

10. Flights will be packed with Republican non-believers but I feel sorry for.....

business travelers whose companies force them to fly (service people, sales people, etc.) and for regular folks who need to take care of family emergencies.

Deplorables going on vacation will spread the virus to good people who have little or no choice.....

Perhaps it's time for pilots to step up to the plate and take a moral stand.

[Books_Tea_Alone]

13. Do the pilots or flight attendants still have a union?

Now would be a good time for them to step up

[ProfessorGAC]

14. To Be Fair...

...their original plans weren't really social distancing.
The only really way to do that would have the plane loaded 25%, at best.
Likely more like 1/6th. Window or middle seat, on on each side of the aisle, every other row. That'd be close to 6 feet between each person.
If they were loading at half capacity, they already had people too close together.
And, we've been hearing about packed flights, here & there for weeks.
So, this announcement seems more an admission that they're no longer even trying.
They were offering lip service to distancing before.
Now, they've dropped the pretense.