Will social distance come onboard AC flights?
 

New Zealand will be introducing social distancing aboard Air NZ's remaining flights starting next week. That appears to mean that nobody will be seated next to anybody else on flights. There is a thread on this, which I started, in the Air NZ forum, for more info.

Since Canadians and Kiwis are about equal (in my experience) for being both sensible and community minded, I wonder whether we will be following suit? What do AC sages think about the chances of our flag carrier following Air New Zealand's lead, with or without prompting, from Ottawa?

In my day this was called business class

If they don't also seat people every other row (or further), this is close to a useless exercise.

In the weeks ahead, I think that we will get increasingly determined/desperate to reduce covid19 transmission. So if there is any use to seat blocking, then it should be favoured over doing nothing.

I'm no medical expert, but isn't it easier just to provide everybody masks and hand sanitizers for the flight?

That'll put a dent in 10-across.

Soap is far better than hand sanitizer. Masks help prevent people from spreading, but they don't help prevent people from getting anything - if fact there is research that says people with masks are more likely to get sick because they tend to touch their faces more often.

True.

Beat me to it. My wife the ER nurse would be proud of you :)

Free European business class.
Nice

Well, it won't be free. If airlines go ahead with this kind of approach (irrespective of whether it is more or less effective than soap, sanitizer, masks, or shamanic health amulets) the extra seats blocked on each flight will not be free. This is why I anticipate there will be few seat sales during the pandemic. Once they can pack us in again like sardines, that might change.

Which is why whenever I see someone with a mask I feel like telling him/her that if he/she is sick, should not be around other people...

Yeah but a little inefficient to give a bottle of soap to everyone in every seat!

Perhaps antiseptic wet wipes?

If they could even find them in sufficient quantity.

US hospitals running short on things already, can’t see airlines with people voluntarily traveling these days being prioritized for resupply.

At some level if you are in a place doing better than we are, stay put ;).

My flight yesterday was maybe 25 pax on an A320. Normally this flight which I take often is completely full. If this continues the airlines won’t need to worry about seat blocking or anything similar. Those who do fly will have plenty of room.

Apparently not.