The holiday travel season is expected to bring with it the busiest days of air travel seen since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the same time, airports and planes will be growing increasingly full as COVID-19 numbers are expected to be at a record high nationwide.
“We have put in some enhanced safety measures to ensure the airport is safe and clean, we are cleaning the high touch areas,” said Chris Perry with Dallas Love Field.
Perry said the airport has instituted a multitude of safety procedures that along with the efforts of the airlines have made air travel safe. Studies have shown both airports and airplanes are effective at cycling and filtering air and transmission is not as common as once feared.
At DFW, among the world’s busiest airports, efforts to make facilities touchless have accelerated during the pandemic.
“Water is automatic, towels are automatic, and so we are trying to go as much touchless as we possibly can,” said Ken Buchanan, Executive VP Customer Experience & Revenue Management at DFW.
But social distance is one area that will likely be a challenge. Airlines have drastically cut flights and the flights that remain are expected to fuller than they have ever been over the Thanksgiving Holiday.
“There will probably be about 40% as many people flying as a normal Thanksgiving but there are half as many flights as regular,” said Kyle Arnold, The Dallas Morning News’ Aviation Reporter. “The odds of getting a completely booked flight are a little less but they are still pretty high especially if people start booking last minute.”
