Japanese Airlines and their Procedures with COVID-19

Before COVID-19, global conversations about hygiene were already in the mix. If there were one thing that travelers wouldn’t want to touch in an airplane, it would be the bathroom door. Thus, the Japanese Airline ANA went out to test a new hands-free bathroom door wherein passengers could open them with their forearm or their elbows. One challenge that the airlines are facing is the lack of space. Regular lavatory doors have small or flat handles and open inward to lessen the aisle blockage. Despite being hygienic, ANA’s prototype also consumed a mass amount of space. At first, the Japanese Airline proposed that the passengers could open the doors with their feet. However, this idea was stopped because of multiple safety issues.

Safety Protocols

Nevertheless, the door comes with a spring attached handle, which allows you to press the handle instead of pulling it. Conceptualized by JAMCO, a Japanese company that is known for its products in the aviation industry. They are famous for their excellent inputs for galleys, airplane seats, and bathrooms.

The door was created to make the airplanes more hygienic. A study in 2018 found that the bathroom door handle is the third dirtiest area on an aircraft after the seat pocket and the headrest. 

It was then tested in ANA’s lounge at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport in between June and May. It was found that the door can be opened from the outside by only using a forearm or an elbow. Inside the bathroom, passengers can lock the door by sliding a large button with their elbow. 

Travelers currently flying onboard an ANA aircraft are advised to follow their strict protocol of wearing a facemask and other essential face coverings to prevent the virus’s spread. Aside from that, ANA also has a unique self-service to cater to travelers checking their bags. Most of the ANA’s crew members are also tasked to wear both masks and face shields to reduce the virus’s risk of spreading. 

Prevention is better than cure

Haneda Airport, Japan Airlines, also known as JAL, has been testing new check-in screens that don’t need to be touched. Travelers can access the screens by holding a finger about three centimeters above them. JAL has also encouraged passengers to check-in online before arriving at the airport.

According to ANA’s president and CEO, Yuji Hirako, in one of his statements during the announcement of the Airline’s new ANA Care Promise cleanliness program. He mentioned that when one begins to travel by air again, the airlines offer the same comfort and enjoyment before the novel coronavirus. 

The Airline claims to have hygiene measures such as onboard air filters in which the same quality are from hospital operating rooms. The Airline is also prepared with regular disinfection of every surface on the plane and lavatory doors. 

The company claims that it will first ask passengers’ opinions about the door before deciding what to do and how to use it soon.