In light of the growing numbers of Coronavirus cases across the country, the Centers for Disease Control recently recommended that people avoid travel during this holiday season. Despite the recommendation, millions of people traveled over Thanksgiving and others have already booked flights or planned road trips for the holidays ahead. For this reason, businesses in the travel industry, such as airports, airlines and hotels, need to be prepared to make holiday travel safer and protect their patrons from the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, there is not a single solution to address this – several solutions must be employed collectively to mitigate risk best.

While advanced air filtration systems and rigorous sanitization procedures make being onboard a plane less risky than many may fear, the process of getting to and from an airline flight – riding on a tram, standing in crowded security lines, waiting in line during the boarding process, congregating at baggage claim, etc., can all increase the odds of exposure.

Though some airports have begun to offer COVID testing onsite, a negative result from a rapid test is not a guarantee that a person is virus-free. For additional safety, many airports and airlines have adopted touchless check-in procedures, plexiglass shields at counters, temperature screenings, back-to-front plane boarding, empty middle seats and other protective measures. Again, these steps should accompany other best practices to avoid disease transmission, such as advanced cleaning and sanitization, mask requirements and social distancing guidelines.

Many hotels, resorts and other destinations have invested in contactless check-ins, keyless room entry and other innovations that help ensure their guests’ safety. Relatedly, businesses should make extra efforts to clearly communicate any changes in policies or measures they are taking to protect their patrons while still providing a positive customer experience.

DeCurtis has created a Health & Safety Security Model™ to provide a set of standards that businesses across multiple industries can leverage to maintain trust, mitigate risk, and create safer, healthier and more secure operations. Further, DeCurtis Shield™ is a robust product offering designed to help businesses meet these standards by providing automated temperature screenings in one second, thereby eliminating dangerous back-ups and protecting secure entry points for a range of indoor environments. Additionally, Shield’s screening kiosks can determine whether a user is wearing a mask and notify management or security of those who are not following policy.

All businesses, especially those in the travel industry, have a responsibility to do whatever they can to protect their patrons and make holiday travel safer. If they haven’t already, business owners and managers should assess their safety protocols and train employees to properly follow them to ensure the best results.

If your business is looking for innovative solutions to protect patrons over the holiday season and beyond, we would be pleased to help. Visit our website or contact us today to schedule a conversation.