Chrissy Teigen criticizes American Airlines for filling planes

Chrissy Teigen publicly criticized American Airlines on Friday, after Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) Uploaded a photo of his packed flight to Twitter.

“It’s not dramatic, but American Airlines only cares about money and doesn’t care if you get sick and die,” the 34-year-old model tweeted, who shared Merkley’s post with her 13.1 million followers.

American Airlines sparked controversy earlier this week by announcing that they would resume booking “flights to capacity starting July 1” amid reported spikes in COVID-19.

“How many Americans will die because you fill the middle seats, with your customers shoulder to shoulder, hour after hour,” Merkley began in his original tweet.

Although everyone in his self-portrait seemed to be wearing facial masks, Merkley criticized the lack of social distance and the existing lenities regarding the removal of masks.

‘This is incredibly irresponsible. People eat and drink on planes and must remove their masks to do so. In no way are you not facilitating the spread of COVID infections, ” he concluded.

During a Senate hearing this week, CDC virologist Dr. Robert Redfield declared the American Airlines decision as a “substantial disappointment” and “[not the] correct message ‘to send in the middle of the pandemic.

Dr. Anthony Fauci added that the actions of American Airlines are “somewhat troubling” and that he “would hope there was something to mitigate that.”

On Thursday, the United States recorded “more than 52,291 new cases” of coronaviruses, marking “a new all-time high for cases recorded in a single day,” according to the New York Daily News.

Despite the backlash and criticism, American Airlines insisted in a statement released earlier this week that they are ‘unwavering in [their] commitment to the safety and well-being of [their] customers and team members. ”

The airline claims to have ‘multiple layers of protection for those flying with [them], including required facial coatings, improved cleaning procedures, and a COVID-19 pre-flight symptom checklist.

American Airlines added: “And we also provide additional flexibility for customers to change their travel plans.”

“We know that our customers trust us to make every aspect of their trip safe, and we are committed to doing just that.”