Delta Airlines Reveals Cleaning, Safety Measures To Bring Travelers Back

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Delta Airlines showed off its cleaning and safety measures Monday in an effort to get people back to flying.

Employees like Barb Lilland, a customer service agent, must wear masks.

"My smile, to have that hidden, is really hard," Lilland said.

All passengers are required to wear masks too, starting at check-in and continuing through the duration of the flight.

Delta will provide a mask if travelers don't have one. Employees get temperature checked every day, and will be tested for COVID-19 this week. They also have been trained to recognize the disease's symptoms.

If a traveler is visibly sick, airport EMT's will be called, and based on their recommendations, Delta can decide not to let the passenger on board.

During flight, planes are being filled to 60% capacity, and middle seats are off limits. Those measures will last through September, but may be extended.

After each trip, the planes are sprayed down with disinfectant chemicals in a process called electrostatic cleaning. The chemicals are charged in order to cling better to the surfaces.

"I really feel like with this new level of cleanliness there's no better time to fly," Lilland said.

Bill Lentsch, Delta's chief customer experience officer, says the airline's number of departures will double from May to August, but they're still very far away from pre-COVID levels.

According to the TSA, more people passed through TSA checkpoints nationwide Sunday than any day since March 21, but it was still a fifth of the amount compared to a year ago.

The low point in mid-April saw a 96% drop from 2019. With demand starting to rise again, Delta is bringing planes, and routes, out of storage.

"This is all driven by customer demand," Lentsch said. "We are not putting flights out hoping the customers will come. They're telling us where they want to fly."

Lentsch says it'll be two to three years before the airline industry recovers.

Delta's cleaning measures will continue indefinitely.