United Airlines will now notify passengers ahead of time if their flight is expected to be “closer to full capacity,” and allow them to re-book on a different flight or receive a travel credit.
The new policy will last through June 30 and will also be applied at the gate if more than 70 percent of passengers have checked in, according to a news report.
United said 85 percent of its flights are less than half full, but given a drastically reduced flying schedule in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, “there are a small number of flights where our customers are finding planes fuller than they expect,” the report says.
A United spokesperson told Fox News: "To make it easier for our customers to plan, we’ll do our best to contact them about 24 hours before their departure time so they can decide whether to adjust their plans before they arrive at the airport – and we’ll provide this option at the gate, if more than 70 percent of customers have checked in. As more cities and states begin to open up, we expect that more people will choose to travel. We’ve been focused on overhauling our onboard cleaning procedures, including the use of electrostatic sprayers and requiring customers and crew to wear masks on board so we can re-assure our customers that they can safely travel when they are ready to get back in the air."
