The Frontier Airlines plane on which Ebola patient Amber Joy Vinson flew aboard Oct.13 remains out of service in Denver.

The plane was flown without passengers to Denver International Airport on Oct. 15 and was taken to a hangar.

The plane, an Airbus A-320, is being decontaminated in a process that includes replacement of seat covers and carpet in the area around Vinson’s seat.

Frontier chose to do the work to put customers’ fears at ease, company president Barry Biffle said in a Friday e-mail to employees.

Frontier is sourcing replacement carpet, seat covers and other parts, all of which must be approved by the Federal Aviation Administration, Frontier spokesman Todd Lehmacher said.

The crew from Vinson’s flight is on paid leave for 21 days.

“It’s the right thing to do to put their minds at ease, not because they are at risk of infection,” Lehmacher said. “Again, this is above and beyond what the (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) or any other agency has asked. They are not under quarantine by the CDC.”

Biffle said in an Oct. 16 interview that he was still waiting for the CDC to answer several crucial questions, including how best to dispose of material removed from the plane during the precautionary decontamination process.

CDC public affairs director Barbara Reynolds has since told The Denver Post that the agency did not recommend Frontier rip out seats and carpeting, so it is not offering guidance on how to dispose of them.