(JENNIFER STAHN / iNFOnews.ca)

Air Canada is implementing a series of new safety protocols aimed at clearing the way for air travel in a post-COVID-19 world.

The airline said that the new measures will provide “greater peace of mind during all stages of travel” and includes mandatory pre-flight customer temperature checks, more personal space in Economy Class at least until June 30, personal care kits containing disinfectant and safety items, electrostatic cabin spraying to reinforce aircraft grooming protocols, revised food product minimizing crew and passenger contact and customer face-coverings and employee Personal Protective Equipment is now mandatory.

"While we are eager to see the reopening of economies and the restart of commercial aviation, the safety of our customers and employees is Air Canada's core value and we aim to establish the highest standards of hygiene, cleanliness and attention to public health guidelines,” Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada, in a press release.

Rovinescu said Air Canada is the first airline in the Americas to administer pre-flight temperature checks system-wide.

“With Air Canada CleanCare+, we are introducing a comprehensive new program to give each customer added assurance for their well-being throughout all stages of their journey - and we intend to continue enhancing Air Canada CleanCare+ where we can with best practices from around the world, including increased use of screening tools, such as blood oxygen level testing, as they become available," he said.

Air Canada will introduce the following measures by May 15:

• Customers travelling on Air Canada flights will be subject to an infra-red temperature check at all airports, the first airline in the Americas to announce such measures system-wide. The non-invasive procedure will complement the existing government-mandated health questionnaire currently completed by all travellers to determine their fitness to fly. Customers who are deemed unfit to travel will be rebooked at no cost but be required to obtain medical clearance prior to travel.

• To promote more personal space in Economy Class aboard its aircraft, Air Canada will automatically block the sale of adjacent seats and cap the total number of seats sold for each flight. As a result, no customer in Economy Class will be required to sit immediately adjacent to another, unless they are required to do so to assist another customer with whom they are travelling. This policy will remain in effect until at least June 30, 2020.

• Air Canada will begin distributing care kits containing hand sanitizers and other health items to all customers.

For more information about Air Canada CleanCare+ go see the website here.

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