The New Airport Experience
Following up on our post COVID travel series, this week’s information concentrates on the airport experience.
Once past screening, travelers will return to a cleaner airport. In terms of cleanliness, this is the first time that the airports, the lounges, and everything are really clean. Masks remain federally mandated at all US airports.
There have been a lot of elements added to terminal passenger’s journey. Everything from several hundred hand sanitizers and hand wipe sanitizers throughout the facilities to glass guard to every gate counter, customer service counter, TSA inspection booth. Enhancing cleaning of the facility, enhanced airflow. Everything people expect because of the pandemic has been added.
Some airlines are reopening lounges. United, for example, has been reopening its airport hub lounges in monthly phases and hopes to have all domestic lounges open by the end of the year. Social distancing measures remain, and occupancy levels still are restricted.
Lounge food and beverage services, often grab-and-go when lounges first reopened, have advanced. More food and beverages are available, and the experience is by far better as they have become more comfortable opening up. Nevertheless, the variety of available food options is limited compared with before the pandemic, and warm food is less available.
“You are going to still see some of the prepackaged items we’ve had before but you are going to have a more robust offering than what was previously available,” said Dorow. He said United is following the guidelines of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Restaurants and concessionaires are relying on more self-service technologies due to the ongoing labor shortage and longer lines caused by increased demand.
In some cases, travelers will arrive or depart from newly renovated terminals providing touchless experiences. La Guardia’s Terminal B, for example, continued its renovation through the pandemic. A passenger can travel through the whole airport experience, through check-in to purchasing food and beverages, without touching anything, and that includes using the bathrooms. Salt Lake City and Pittsburgh are two other airports where major expansion and innovation plans continued through the pandemic.
To keep basic operations running, other airports, however, have had to cancel or suspend their construction projects, due to massive revenue losses during the pandemic.
To persevere through potential friction-heavy experiences, business travelers need to plan ahead. The most important element is for travelers to plan and prepare their travel, as travel still remains somewhat complex. Business travelers should scan airport webpages, which often include expected wait time and health protocols, to understand what to expect as they prepare for their trips.