Coronavirus is causing more flight changes. What does that mean for Blue Grass Airport?
The spread of coronavirus in Kentucky has begun to affect travel at Blue Grass Airport, which has seen a drop in passengers on flights, spokesperson Amy Caudill confirmed.
“Over the last day or two, we have begun to notice that passengers are rescheduling their travel plans in accordance with their airlines,” Caudill said.
Airlines are being flexible with flight plans because of COVID-19 concerns, Caudill said. All four of the airlines (Allegiant Air, Delta, American Airlines and United Airlines) operating at Blue Grass Airport are allowing changes in flights and travel days without charging extra fees.
- Delta is waiving its change fee for customers who bought tickets from March 1 to March 31 and customers scheduled to travel from March 1 to April 30.
- American is waiving its change fee for customers who bought tickets before March 1 and planned to travel by April 30. Customers can rebook their flights up until Dec. 31.
- United’s change fee waiver stipulates that it will eliminate fees on tickets purchased between March 3 and March 31 or for customer travel between March 10 and April 30..
- Allegiant’s policy is not clear, but the airline’s website says customers can request a one-time change to their travel plans without a fee.
Even though customers are rescheduling flights, the coronavirus has not caused passenger numbers to be low enough to cancel any flights, Caudill said.
The airport isn’t planning for a major decrease in customers in the near future either, Caudill said.
“In the airport industry, it is difficult to predict what the future will hold since our business is dependent on the airlines and the number of passengers traveling,” Caudill said in an email. “Our primary focus at this point is to continue providing our passengers with a healthy and safe travel experience.”
The airport and its featured airlines are looking to alleviate customer fears by cleaning and sanitizing more.. The airport itself has hand sanitizer dispensers throughout the building, Caudill said, and it features touch-free sinks in addition to other features that are meant to emphasize cleanliness.
“We want our customers to know that we’re committed to providing a safe travel environment,” Caudill said. “. . . We certainly advise passengers take advantage of those efforts.”
The airport is also working with the Centers for Disease Control, the mayor’s office and other officials to assure the airport meets their cleaning standards, Caudill said.
Delta, American, United and Allegiant are making sure planes are clean. The airlines are using air circulation systems that extract viruses from the air. They are also making customers aware of their normal and ramped up cleaning efforts, such as wiping down all the surfaces touched by customers and employees, according to their websites.
Delta, American and United are also taking greater precautions and doing more rigorous cleaning in planes that have been on international flights. Allegiant only runs flights to U.S. cities.
Delta, American and United have also outlined their efforts to keep their terminals cleaner by providing hand sanitizer, sanitizing wipes and other cleaning supplies to customers and employees, according to their websites.
Even with these precautions being taken, Gov. Andy Beshear is still telling those at risk to avoid flying.
“We’ve further advised, especially our seniors, and those suffering from heart, lung or kidney disease, avoid crowds – I’m going to go ahead and say don’t fly,” Beshear said in a press conference Tuesday.
This story was originally published March 11, 2020 at 1:31 PM.