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FORT LAUDERDALE-HOLLYWOOD INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) - Images and videos showing passengers on a packed planes amid the COVID-19 pandemic have gone viral, and now some major airlines are enforcing changes to require face masks.
One picture circulating shows what an American Airlines flight from Miami to New York looked like just last week.
Angie Wong left New York to quarantine in Florida and snapped pictures while on board the flight. She spoke to 7News over the phone about what it was like being on the plane.
“We all sat shoulder to shoulder, touching each other, just basically on top of each other,” she said.
In the picture, some of the passengers could be seen without face masks on.
“I immediately thought, ‘OK. Do I want to get off this plane?’ Because I don’t know if I want to subject myself to that,” Wong said.
Another viral picture showed a crowded plane traveling from New York to North Carolina.
American Airlines said they are now updating cleaning procedures and will be offering masks to travelers.
Starting on May 4, JetBlue will be requiring passengers to wear face masks.
“Sounds like a good idea,” said President Donald Trump in response to the new measure.
On Tuesday, Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis discussed the possibility of testing international travelers for COVID-19.
“Maybe some of these airliners, it should be on them to check before they’re getting on and coming to this country,” said DeSantis.
7News also had the chance to speak over the phone with a flight attendant from a major airline who wanted to remain anonymous and said she believes she was infected with the virus while on a plane.
“When you’ve flown for a while and you get the colds on the plane once in a while, you know what that’s like, and this was completely different,” she said.
She agrees with the measures to require face masks for passengers.
“I think at least that all passengers, from the time they get into the airport until the time they leave, should be wearing masks, face coverings,” she said.
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