Internal memo says Southwest cutting down COVID-19 cleaning to speed turnaround of flights: report

Southwest Airlines has cut down on cleaning practices between trips as it moves to reduce the time it takes to make its planes ready for consecutive flights, according to an internal memo obtained by USA Today.

The memo states that crew members would focus on sanitizing tray table areas and lavatories, which are considered high-traffic areas of the planes, and would no longer wipe down seat belts and arm rests between trips. The memo reportedly went into effect Aug. 1.

“These are the most important areas to clean between each flight as they are prone to contamination from Customer use and food/beverage consumption,” the memo reportedly reads.

The company stressed to The Hill in a statement that those procedures eliminated from between-flight cleaning would still be done overnight, and added that the planes undergo electrostatic cleaning every 30 days.

“We’re also providing sanitizing wipes to Customers, upon request, to wipe down any on-board surface. Since flight schedules have increased, other areas of the aircraft will be disinfected during our overnight cleaning process, when Southwest Teams spend six to seven hours per aircraft cleaning all interior surfaces,” said a Southwest spokesperson.

The airline’s CEO said in July that he believes air travel to be no more dangerous in terms of the risk of contracting coronavirus than any other form of public activity. 

“[We’re] doing everything we can to make it as safe as humanly possible,” Gary Kelly told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“I don’t think the risk on an airplane is any greater risk than anywhere else,” he added.

The company added in the memo that it has no plans yet to end the blocking of middle seats, thereby ensuring that no passenger will be seated directly next to each other sharing an armrest. Southwest also requires passengers to wear face masks on board.

“If a customer is unable to wear a face covering or mask for any reason, Southwest regrets that we will be unable to transport the individual,” the airline has said. “In those cases, we hope the customer will allow us to welcome them onboard in the future, if public health guidance, or other safety-related circumstances, regarding face coverings changes.”