Senator Jeff Merkley criticizes American Airlines for filling the middle seats on his plane

07/04/2020 Health


Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley, Democrat, tweeted an image showing his crowded flight Thursday. Most of the passengers in the photo were blurred, but it is clear that some were wearing masks and many of them were in the middle seat.
“@AmericanAir: How many Americans will die before filling the middle seats, with their customers shoulder to shoulder, hour after hour. This is incredibly irresponsible,” he tweeted. “People eat and drink on airplanes and they must remove their masks to do so. There is no way that the spread of COVID infections is not being facilitated.”

On Friday he continued: “A lot of people reacted yesterday to my tweet about the irresponsible sale of middle seats on planes saying, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if someone in the Senate did something about it?’ They are right “.

“I will present a bill to ban the sale of intermediate seats through this pandemic. And I will work with colleagues to include it in a package of airline liability reforms that they are developing,” he tweeted.

American Airlines said in a statement Friday: “We are unwavering in our commitment to the safety and well-being of our customers and team members. We have multiple levels of protection for those who fly with us, including required face covers, improved cleaning and a preflight COVID-19 symptom checklist, and we also provide additional flexibility for customers to change their travel plans. “

He added: “We know that our customers trust us to make all aspects of their trip safe, and we are committed to doing just that.”

American did not respond directly to Merkley’s initial tweet, but did reply to a Twitter user who retweeted it and said, “The reason I didn’t take my family from Texas to Maine. @AmericanAir. It’s embarrassing. I’ve flown with you for years. I’ll never do it again. “
“We have implemented many layers of protection, including improved cleansing and requiring facial coatings,” said the airline, which was linked to a press release detailing its “clean commitment.”

Delta Air Lines, Jet Blue and Southwest Airlines, meanwhile, said they would continue to limit seats to allow for some social distancing.

United Airlines said Wednesday it does not believe that simply leaving the middle seats empty will protect passengers from the coronavirus.

“When it comes to blocking middle seats, that is a public relations strategy, it is not a security strategy,” Josh Earnest, the airline’s chief spokesman, told reporters.

But Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said this week that “there was great disappointment with American Airlines” when the airline announced that it would stop limiting the sale of seating.

In a hearing on Tuesday in the Senate committee related to Covid-19, Redfield said that aircraft and mass transit safety is a “critical area.”

“I can tell you that when they announced that the other day, there was obviously a big disappointment with American Airlines,” Redfield said. “I can say that this is under critical review right now by us at CDC. We don’t think it is the right message.”

The CDC has said that “although the disease may occur as a direct result of air travel, it is rare.” Most viruses do not spread easily on planes, according to the agency, because of how air circulates and filters. Modern commercial jets recirculate 10-50% of the air in the cabin, mixed with outside air.

CNN Health’s Amanda Watts, Pete Muntean, Holly Yan, Melissa Mahtani, Harmeet Kaur, and Scottie Andrew contributed to this report.

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