Candolim:
From giving beverages in single-use disposable cups to thoroughly cleaning cutlery, blankets and pillows, Vistara is taking adequate precautions to make flying completely safe amid the coronavirus pandemic. A spokesperson of the airline, in a statement, said Vistara will continue to use rotable trays, crockeries and cutleries which are thoroughly washed by automated machines and air-dried at high temperature.
“These rotables are subsequently inspected by the QA (quality assurance) team of Vistara’s caterer,” the spokesperson asserted. “Beverages are permitted to be served only in single-use disposable units by authorities in keeping with the current situation,” he said.
Scheduled international passenger flights have been suspended in India since March 23 due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, special passenger flights have been permitted to operate between India and around 20 countries under the bilateral air bubble arrangements. Under such air bubble arrangements, Vistara is also operating its international flights.
“Vistara’s single-use earphones are made available for the short-haul flights, while the headphones are made available for the medium and long-haul flights,” the spokesperson said. The headphones are cleaned and sanitised regularly, the spokesperson stated. All used blankets and pillows are being thoroughly washed using approved detergents with hot water, and dried at high temperatures, before they’re packed for use again, the spokesperson said.
During the last few months, aviation regulator DGCA has issued multiple guidelines to ensure safety on ground and onboard a flight amid the pandemic. “Reading materials have been discontinued as a preventive measure in view of any cross-contamination concerns,” the spokesperson said. In case a passenger has specific meal preferences, the airline is offering a fruit platter, according to the spokesperson.
The airline is offering bottled water to its passengers instead of giving water in cups. India resumed scheduled domestic passenger flights on May 25 after a gap of two months due to the pandemic. Vistara consumer survey, which concluded in June, revealed that fear of exposure during air travel is one of the key concerns among travellers.
“Hence, in a post-pandemic world, touchless is going to play a key role in ensuring safety throughout the passenger’s journey and will be a deciding factor for the customers to choose an airline,” the spokesperson said. “Initiative taken by Vistara like scan & fly, self-tagging, self-baggage drop, baggage tag on sms, self-boarding, e-gates, biometrics/face recognition and e-boarding passes are all touchless solutions which will go a long way to build confidence in flying,” the spokesperson added.
