Travel Industry Giants Lend a Hand Amid COVID-19 Outbreak

The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact the travel industry, prompting countries around the world to adopt unprecedented measures to help curb the outbreak.

To aid in this effort, travel companies across different segments of the industry are doing what they can to help combat the outbreak.

Air Canada
Air Canada and the Air Canada Foundation are working with Canadian food rescue organization Second Harvest’s FoodRescue.ca to redistribute fresh food items from Air Canada’s in-flight kitchens as the airline begins suspending the majority of its international and U.S. trans-border flights as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.

“While so many of us are staying home during these extraordinary times, we also remain united in taking care of each other. These difficult moments remind us of the importance of continuing to support our communities and help Canadian families in need,” said Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources and Communications Officer at Air Canada.

“Since we work with catering facilities across Canada, the network that Second Harvest offers through their national FoodRescue.ca platform enables us collectively to get these ready-to-eat food items to those who need it most as quickly as possible. To date, we have redistributed 2,330 kg of fresh veggies, salads, sandwich wraps, muffins and milk, and there will be more to distribute in the coming days.”

Air Transat
The Canadian carrier announced it would donate 44,000 masks and 30,000 gloves to the Quebec Ministry of Health, despite halting all sales until April 30.

“Now that our repatriation operations are over, it seemed only natural to donate our unused protective equipment to those who need it most, namely those in the health services,” says Jean-François Lemay, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Transat. “It’s thanks to everyone’s contributions that we will overcome this terrible crisis.”

American Airlines
American Airlines is partnering with long-standing national partner American Red Cross to raise funds for the nonprofit’s efforts to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. American is proud to be a $1 million member of the American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program.

“American Airlines has been a steadfast and committed partner with the Red Cross for more than a decade,” said David Staszak, Divisional Vice President with American Red Cross. “When the Red Cross has a critical need to fulfill, American Airlines has always provided that requested support. The lifesaving mission of the Red Cross could not be delivered to thousands every year without key partners like American Airlines.”

Additionally, American will allow AAdvantage members to earn 10 miles for every dollar donated to the Red Cross with a minimum $25 donation, through April 30.

Delta Air Lines
Delta Flight Products, the airline’s wholly owned subsidiary, is collaborating with Global Center for Medical Innovation (GCMI), a non-profit affiliate of the Georgia Institute of Technology, to manufacture face shields to protect hospital workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Using materials and designs provided by GCMI, Delta Flight Products is leveraging its best-in-class manufacturing facilities to quickly deliver an initial order of 2,000 shields to aid workers in New York by Friday, and an additional 4,000 for Atlanta-area hospitals in the following days.

“Our entire team is rallying around this effort – it’s a meaningful way we can show our support for the health care workers working around the clock to protect us,” said Rick Salanitri, President of Delta Flight Products. “Georgia Tech and GCMI have been an incredible partner and we are proud to help carry out the vision of so many leading medical innovators to supply desperately needed personal protective equipment.”

Lufthansa
Lufthansa, at the beginning of April, helped repatriate 60,000 citizens back from the airline carriers’ home countries. The passengers were unable to return because of shutdown due to the COVID-19 outbreak. 

The flights, which were spread over Lufthansa and its partner airlines including Austrian, Brussels Airlines, and Swiss International, were conducted from Sydney and Auckland to Santiago, Chile, with more scheduled over the coming weeks. 

Carnival Cruise Line
As cruise lines worldwide halted operations to prevent the further spread of the outbreak, Carnival announced that select cruise ships will be made available to communities for use as temporary hospitals to help address the escalating impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare systems around the world.

“Carnival Corporation and its brands are calling on governments and health authorities to consider using cruise ships as temporary healthcare facilities to treat non-covid-19 patients, freeing up additional space and expanding capacity in land-based hospitals to treat cases of COVID-19,” said Carnival in a statement.

The company is offering use of ships from across its global cruise line brands, including Carnival Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Princess Cruises and P&O Cruises Australia, with Crew members handling all maritime operations, food service and cleaning, while officials or medical staff would handle the medical services.
“Interested parties will be asked to cover only the essential costs of the ship’s operations while in port,” the company said.

Hurtigruten Cruises
Hurtigruten is leading an initiative to aid communities affected by the coronavirus outbreak by donating food and supplies. Among the food Hurtigruten distributed were several pallets of vegetables and large quantities of eggs, milk, yogurt and other dairy products and food items.

“The fact that this is an employee initiative makes me exceptionally proud,” said Hurtigruten Chief Commercial Officer Asta Lassesen. “To me, this is true proof of how Hurtigruten is more than just a visitor at the destinations we sail to; we are a guest that gives back to all communities we visit.”

MSC Cruises
MSC’s Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV), part of MSC Group, has converted the ferry ship Splendid into a floating hospital equipped for the assistance of patients with COVID- 19.

The ship is docked in Genoa, Italy, and has been working with the Liguria Health System and Civil Protection in northwest Italy to supplement the region’s hospital capacity.

“The project has a high level of flexibility and scalability and can be quickly adapted to meet future needs of the Liguria Region as the Covid-19 emergency evolves,” MSC Group said in a statement.
The ship can provide 25 beds in single cabins, but the company said it can increase the capacity to 400 beds if needed. It also has a helipad.

Windstar Cruises
Windstar Cruises also donated seven pallets of fresh produce and dairy to Feeding South Florida, a non-profit organization part of the Feeding America network, one of the largest hunger-relief organization supporting food banks, pantries and meal programs throughout the United States.

American Hotel & Lodging Association
The American Hotel & Lodging Association announced the launch of “Hospitality for Hope”, an initiative which identifies hotel properties that have offered to provide temporary housing for emergency and healthcare workers as the COVID-19 public health crisis grows. While the program will primarily focus on housing for the healthcare community, some hotels could potentially be used as “Alternative Care Sites” such as an emergency hospital or place for those quarantined to stay if needed.
To date, more than 15,000 properties have already agreed to take part in the campaign, which has identified a combined total of 2.3 million rooms located in close proximity to established healthcare facilities.

“It has been so impressive to see hotel after hotel join this important initiative as a way of giving back to the communities in which they operate,” said Chip Rogers, AHLA president and CEO. “As an industry of people taking care of people, the hotel industry is uniquely positioned to support our communities by caring for the first responders who are on the frontlines of this public health crisis. Hotels have always been an active member of our local communities, and this time is no different. We are proud to work to facilitate partnerships with federal, state and local governments to support the health community during this critical time.”

AHLA and its state association partners are working to create a national “Hospitality for Hope” database to assist the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, local emergency management and public health agencies.

“‘Hospitality for Hope’ is just one of the many ways that our hotels are helping those in need in our communities during this time of crisis,” said Kim Sabow, President and CEO of the Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association. “We look forward to working with all interested parties, including local and state officials, and the federal government to find innovative solutions to make it through this critical time together.”