If there’s been any question as to why airlines have cut back significantly on routes, this should be reason enough.
In a meeting last week, Delta Airlines CEO Ed Bastian revealed that 500 of the company’s employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic began. Of that 500, 10 have passed away from the virus.
“The vast majority have recovered, thankfully,” Bastian said. “Unfortunately, we have lost 10 employees to the disease. And every one of them breaks my heart.”
To help protect its staff, as well as passengers, the airline is rolling out a new set of safety measures. It will be implementing contactless in-flight services, mandated mask use, as well as a capped flight capacity initiative until at least October.
Additionally, Bastian revealed that the company will now work to test each of its 90,000 employees. As more testing is done, it is expected that the number of positive cases will rise for employees. Staff will be checked for the active presence of the virus as well as good antibodies.
“From getting a good baseline we’ll be able to provide better protection for our people and certainly our customers as we go forth,” he said.
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