No more refills: US airlines step up measures to guard against coronavirus

US airlines are stepping up measures to guard against the spread of coronavirus through person-to-person contamination on airplanes, from eliminating wine and water refills to keeping passengers from touching serving trays and food baskets. Rather than bringing wine or water bottles into the aisles for refills, flight attendants on United will now provide a new cup or glass. Facing a sharp drop in travel demand due to rising coronavirus outbreaks across the world, airlines are offering travellers free rebooking options while trying to calm jitters about cabin cleanliness and air-circulation systems. In a letter to customers Saturday, United CE Oscar Munoz said it is “important that we give you as much information as possible about the procedures we follow to clean our aircraft and maintain a sanitary environment once we’re in the air.” In addition to extra cabin-cleaning measures including washing ceilings and scrubbing overhead bins, United said its flight attendants may wear gloves during all food and beverage service and pickup. Delta and American Airlines have also introduced extra cabin protections, including eliminating self-serve snack and fruit baskets, and all of the carriers are working with airports to regularly disinfect common surfaces like kiosks and ticket counters.<br/>