Yesterday saw Malaysia Airlines, in partnership with Heathrow Airport, host a tour for a select few –including TheDesignAir – to see first-hand and experience the health and safety procedures that have been introduced to ensure that passengers have a safer and comfortable journey from their arrival at the airport through to reaching their destination.
We had recently just stepped off a Virgin Atlantic flight in T2, and had experienced these measures first-hand as real travellers, and whilst we’d never go as far to say it’s 100% safe (who can?), the new measures both airports and airlines have taken seem more than adequate in stemming any significant viral transmission. For the foreseeable future, hygiene will be the number one focus for the aviation sector and these adaptations to the existing infrastructure have been done with as minimal impact to the passenger experience as possible.
During the walkabout, Malaysia Airlines’ cabin crew took the media through the disinfection and sanitisation processes of a flight which is meticulous, from the glamour of lavatory cleaning to the adapted boarding and disembarkation procedures. Malaysia Airlines has also mirrored the safety measures found on other carriers, such as individually wrapped blankets and headphones and the introduction of hygiene kits.
Both Heathrow and Malaysia Airlines have launched their “Fly Safe” and “Fly Confidently” campaigns and these campaigns are designed to inform passengers of the new normal passenger experience along with the measures the airline industry is taking to alleviate concerns about travelling.
While unfortunately, the latest lockdown in the UK means that virtually all travel has been banned (except for business travel) these latest measures will reassure passengers looking to travel for the all important Christmas period, one of the busiest periods historically for Europe to Australasia trips.
Daniel Bainbridge, Malaysia Airlines’ Regional Manager for UK & Europe, said: “The safety of our passengers is of utmost importance to Malaysia Airlines. We are glad to work with Heathrow to showcase the extensive measures that have been put in place from the moment they get to Heathrow, to taking their journey on-board and arriving at their destination. We are positive that this media visit will further reassure future passengers and educate them on all the measures and procedures that make flying with Malaysia Airlines a safe and comfortable experience. We look forward to welcoming everyone on-board in the future.”
From seeing the measures in place, from UV cleaning robots in Heathrow to temperature checks before boarding, the new normal might get some getting used to, but the efforts make what was already a fairly sanitised mode of transport even cleaner, and right now, communicating the invisible measures goes further in re-instilling passenger confidence. When the time is right to travel again, it seems Malaysia Airlines, like other carriers, are ready to welcome you aboard once again in comfort and security.
TheDesignAir 