More than a year since a new respiratory virus was discovered in Wuhan, China and nearly 12-months since the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the COVID-19 outbreak a global pandemic, British Airways has finally landed itself a big name cleaning brand to lend gravitas to its onboard hygiene measures.
On Tuesday, the Heathrow-based airline said it would replace no-brand hand sanitising stations and generic cleaning supplies with products from the Dettol brand. A trusted and well-known brand in the UK, Australia and the Middle East and owned by the same company that makes Lysol products in North America.
“At the start of the pandemic, we introduced a number of protective measures at each step of the customer journey,” explained Carolina Martinoli, the airline’s head of brand and customer experience. “We think our partnership with Dettol is a great addition,” she continued.
The partnership will mainly consist of Dettol branded hand sanitising stations and cleaning wipes.
The makers of the Dettol brand, Reckitt Benckiser have been partnering with Saudia Airlines since last June while Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines bagged the rights to use the Lysol brand last July. United partnered with main competitor Clorox in May 2020 as part of its self branded CleanPlus programme.
British Airways has also taken another tip from its U.S.-based rivals by partnering with a respected educational institution to review and vocally support its cleaning protocols.
In the case of British Airways, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine will be helping to guide the airline’s response to the pandemic. Initially, Professor James Logan has lent his support to the tie-up with Dettol.
The airline has been battered by a slew of new travel restrictions imposed by the British government in recent weeks. International travel remains illegal apart from a very limited number of exemptions, while travellers from 33 so-called ‘Red List’ countries must now quarantine in a hotel at a cost of £1,750 per person.
British Airways has urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to set out a roadmap for when international travel might be able to safely restart over fears that the crucial summer period might be lost. Further details are expected to be revealed by Johnson on February 22.
Photo Credit: British Airways
BA haven’t effectively cleaned their cabins for over a decade….
IF they implement this and actual real effective cabin cleansing it would be most welcome and only leave the appalling catering, poor densified seating, failing IFE, terrible customer service and profiteering fare levels as reasons to choose and honest and reliable carrier.
#BestAvoided because whilst the brand is iconic, what BA has actually delivered for the past 4-5years has been ~#BelowAverage and yet hugely overpriced.