“The world is in such a state, we’re in such a state,” said Rick Elieson, the airline’s president overseeing cargo and vice president for international operations. When customers make reservations, middle seats are being blocked to promote social distancing. In first class, there are no more hot towels or hot nuts. “Sixty-eight days ago it was about being present and visible in the aisle and having a high number of customer touch points,” said Brady Byrnes, managing director of flight service. “Now we’re faced with social distancing and limiting customer touch points.”Executives at American had been monitoring the coronavirus since January, when it began to disrupt travel in China and then other parts of Asia.

Source: International New York Times March 25, 2020 09:00 UTC