American Airlines will resume its full slate of flights starting Wednesday, July 1, and resume booking them to capacity, the airline announced in a statement Friday.
The airline will continue to notify passengers when their planes are full and allow them to switch to less crowded flights at no extra cost through Sept. 30. Passengers with flights booked through Sept. 30 can also change their flights, including adjusting origin and destination cities, without incurring a travel change fee but will have to pay for any difference in the fare.
American said it will begin asking customers during the flight check-in process whether they have been free of Covid-19 symptoms for the past 14 days. Travelers will be able to complete the coronavirus symptom checklist using self-service machines at airports or during online check-in. The airline is continuing to require passengers and employees to wear face masks on flights unless they have a medical reason not to.
American has also expanded the frequency of cleaning in airport areas under its control, including gate areas, ticket counters, passenger services counters, baggage service offices and team member rooms. Customers on many flights receive sanitizing wipes or gel, and American has limited food and beverage delivery to reduce interactions between flight attendants and customers.
American has become part of a growing collection of airlines to adopt a “wear mask or don’t fly” rule, going as far as prohibiting a traveler last week from flying after he refused to wear a mask onboard and was asked to leave a flight in New York.
