Airport coronavirus precautions could mean arriving 4 hours before departure
Measures may include 'disinfectant tunnels' and 'bingo boarding'
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Travelers may need to arrive at airports up to four hours in advance of departure due to additional screening procedures put in place during the coronavirus pandemic.
These additional measures may include "disinfectant tunnels," structures that spray sanitizers onto passengers and their bags, and "bingo boarding," the process of calling individual passengers onto an airplane by seat number rather than by section to avoid lines and crowding.
That's according to airline marketing consulting firm Simpliflying.
The Transportation Security Administration has already implemented new airport rules, such as social distancing measures to keep people at least six feet apart while they wait in line to board planes, routine cleanings of frequently touched surfaces and mandatory employee personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves and masks, according to the TSA website.
TSA agents wear masks as they screen passengers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport April 15, 2020, in SeaTac, Wash. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
TSA is also providing "fresh" pairs of gloves to travelers upon request and is allowing 12-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer in carry-on bags. Additionally, passengers can use expired licenses until Oct. 1 if they have been unable to visit their Department of Motor Vehicles office during the pandemic.
MAJOR AIRLINE MAKES POLICY CHANGE AS MORE PHOTOS EMERGE OF PACKED PLANES
Since the start of the pandemic, U.S. airlines have been working on ways to ensure their passengers' safety and peace of mind while traveling. Last week, a number of major carriers included Frontier Airlines, Spirit and Southwest rolled out new safety measures such as required masks for passengers and staff for that reason. American, Delta, JetBlue, United and have all previously announced that passengers have to wear face covers on flights.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AAL | AMERICAN AIRLINES GROUP INC. | 14.20 | -0.26 | -1.80% |
| UAL | UNITED AIRLINES HOLDINGS INC. | 94.40 | -0.23 | -0.24% |
| LUV | SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO. | 31.79 | +0.03 | +0.08% |
| DAL | DELTA AIR LINES INC. | 63.34 | -0.28 | -0.45% |
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Passengers screened by the Transportation Security Administration has rebounded from April lows, but are still down around 90 percent.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBLU | JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP. | 6.15 | +0.11 | +1.82% |
| FRNT | NO DATA AVAILABLE | - | - | - |
| SAVE | NO DATA AVAILABLE | - | - | - |
U.S. airlines are spending more than $10 billion per month during COVID-19, even though most flights are averaging only a dozen customers and 50 percent of the active U.S. fleet has been grounded, industry trade group Airlines for America told Reuters.