Due to the pandemic, American Airlines has recently had to make changes to some of their flights.
On August 13, they announced that they are planning to drop flights that were heading to nearly 30 smaller U.S. cities, including Lake Charles and Springfield. August 24, an article by David Keonig, was released to the public stating that American Airlines will also be increasing its cleaning commitment.
An EPA approved product called SurfaceWise2 will be used to coat the seats of the aircraft and is said to help eliminate the spread of coronavirus. Students who travel frequently will be directly affected by the dropped flights.
“I do travel a lot because I used to live in Pennsylvania, [and] my family lives there. When I lived in Pennsylvania, I visited Arizona a lot to visit my pap,” said Laynee Smith, a senior.
Lots of students have family members who live outside of Arizona, and driving is not always an option. Flying in an airplane can also be a memorable experience for people. Many of the kids who travel frequently favor traveling for the different aspects it provides.
“The feeling that you have when you are going somewhere, you know when you haven’t even got there yet,” said Smith.
Many students travel with American Airlines, so they will have to look at other airlines when traveling to certain cities. This change of flight will be extremely costly for both American Airlines and the people purchasing the plane tickets.
“Whenever I travel with my family, we prefer American Airlines, and, so far, only good things have occurred,” said Katelyn Pinkham, a junior.
Some students think that cancelling the flights is an unnecessary action that does not benefit anyone.
“It makes no sense to travel during this epidemic and then blame airlines for the exposure as if they were forcing you to travel,” said Pinkham.
It’s not just affecting the students, but it is also affecting parents.
“People shouldn’t be traveling during this pandemic unless it is absolutely necessary, so it has less of an impact than if Covid-19 wasn’t a pandemic,” said Jim Silva, a parent.
As time goes on, the students will be looking out for the confirmed date that they will be ready to travel again.