What to Know
- JetBlue has become the first airline in the country to use new cutting-edge UV light technology in its cleaning efforts as a means to fight the coronavirus.
- JFK Airport in New York, along with Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, have been selected to pilot the new UV system to treat surfaces in JetBlue aircraft interiors.
- JetBlue will be using the system while continuing with other cleaning methods. In clinical studies, ultraviolet light has been found to be capable of significantly reducing certain viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, when properly used at certain levels.
It’s a device that looks like a blend between a beverage cart and a robot, but it is meant to help continue the fight against coronavirus.
On Wednesday, JetBlue has become the first airline in the country to use new cutting-edge UV light technology in its cleaning efforts as a means to fight the coronavirus.
JFK Airport in New York, along with Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport in Florida, have been selected to pilot the new UV system to treat surfaces in JetBlue aircraft interiors.
Honeywell’s new UV Cabin System is being used as part of a pilot by JetBlue Airways marking the first time a U.S. airline has implemented the technology. The robotic system can traverse an aircraft cabin in less than 10 minutes.
The Honeywell UV Cabin System is roughly the size of an aircraft beverage cart and has UV-C light arms that extend over the top of seats and sweep the cabin to treat aircraft surfaces.
JetBlue will be using the system while continuing with other cleaning methods. In clinical studies, ultraviolet light has been found to be capable of significantly reducing certain viruses and bacteria, including SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, when properly used at certain levels.
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“With the safety of our crewmembers and customers our first priority, JetBlue’s Safety from the Ground Up initiative is maintaining a layered approach to safety by ensuring healthy crewmembers, providing flexibility, adding space, reducing touchpoints, and keeping surfaces clean and sanitized,” said Joanna Geraghty, JetBlue’s president and COO. “As we look to add additional layers of protection by utilizing cutting-edge technology, we have identified the Honeywell UV Cabin System as a potential game changer when it comes to efficiently assisting in our efforts to sanitize surfaces onboard.”
Honeywell has delivered eight of the devices to JetBlue at two of the airline’s focus cities, John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. These two locations kicked off a 90-day pilot program.
“JetBlue took an immediate interest in this new product when we demonstrated it for them just a few weeks ago, and now JetBlue is receiving our first systems,” said Mike Madsen, Honeywell Aerospace president and CEO. “We’ve ramped up production quickly on the UV Cabin System, and our company is working on a range of solutions to help make passengers more comfortable about flying.”
