A US senator has threatened that airlines could be held partly accountable for the ongoing and uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus throughout the country, in a series of tweets over the weekend.
A US senator has revealed an upcoming series of “airline accountability reforms”, which will hold US airlines to account for their policies throughout the pandemic period, which he hopes to include the official banning of all middle seats from sale.
Senator Jeff Merkley took to Twitter to announce that he intends to introduce a bill that would ban the sale of middle seats for all US airlines until the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, in a bid to increase distance between passengers, and limit the spread of COVID-19.
At the same time, he revealed that the bill would serve as one part in a “package of airline accountability reforms” currently being crafted by his colleagues within the Senate, amid the ongoing COVID-19 crisis within the US.
Details on what the full package may entail are as yet uncertain.
The announcement follows on from American Airlines’ public declaration to resume booking all flights at full passenger capacity from the start of July, a decision that has seen significant backlash.
The decision has also resulted in an ongoing debate within the US Senate about the responsibility of the airlines as COVID-19 continues to spread uncontrollably throughout the country.
Senator Merkley took his frustrations to Twitter, after personally experiencing a packed American Airlines flight, presumably commuting from his electorate of Oregon to Washington, DC.
I will introduce a bill to ban the sale of middle seats through this pandemic. And I’ll work with colleagues to include it in a package of airline accountability reforms they are crafting.
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) July 3, 2020
While American Airlines has not responded to the threats directly, the airline has continuously upheld its stance that it has “multiple layers” of other health and safety protocols in place, including the requirement for all passengers to wear a face mask while travelling.
Earlier this month, director of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention Dr Robert Redfield informed the Senate Health, Education, Labour and Pensions Committee that the CDC believes American Airlines’ decision to reopen middle seats for sale onboard all flights was a “substantial disappointment”.
Dr Redfield made the comment in response to a question from Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, who questioned why the government and its agencies have not done more to enforce social distancing measures on planes, as COVID-19 cases continue to skyrocket.
Dr Redfield stated that the CDC was reviewing the changes to American Airlines’ policy, and added: “We don’t think it’s the right message.
“It’s really important that individuals that are in, whether it’s a bus or a train or a plane, are social distancing to the degree that’s feasible.”
Dr Anthony Fauci, an infectious disease expert at the National Institutes of Health, told the Senate that the lack of social distancing on planes is “problematic”, particularly as the spread of the virus becomes less controlled.
“Obviously that is something that is of concern,” Dr Fauci said. “I would hope that there would be something to mitigate against that.”
