As the world continues its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic we are starting to see signs of travel recovery. Lounges will take on an increasingly important role in a traveller’s journey, becoming a refuge from the airport terminal itself. We understand that confidence in travel has been heavily impacted by the crisis, one way to resolve this is through impeccable lounge standards.
Through a number of different sources, including our own in-house Global Medical Director, Dr. Simon Worrell, himself an expert in virus management, we have created the following guidelines to help protect the safety and welfare of our members and the crucial staff operating within our network. We believe the application of these responsible measures will ensure airport lounges continue to provide that unique and personal experience.
Lounge Staff Health
Recommended steps
- Increase training for every staff member regarding the Health and Safety protocols within the lounge
- Closely monitor staff health. Any staff showing any symptoms of Coronavirus should not come to work and follow local government guidelines on when to return
- On arriving for a shift, staff can change clothes and/or thoroughly clean before commencing work
- Provide appropriate PPE to all staff, which they must always wear when performing their duties
- Ensure kitchen processes follow local food hygiene standards and staff wear appropriate equipment
Additional steps
- In airports where there are no airport-led health measures for employees, implement temperature or other health checks as per local authority guidance
Welcome area
Recommended steps
- Implement appropriate queue floor-markers to ensure safe distancing
- Provide alcohol-based hand sanitizer at the check-in desk for guests and staff
- Registration staff should regularly clean or sanitize their hands. If gloves are used, these should be regularly replaced and carefully disposed of. An alternative, in order to reduce wastage and environmental impact is for staff to wear gloves but frequently wash their hands with the gloves on
- Reinforce good hygiene practices to guests using signs/visual displays/ TVs as appropriate
- Highlight any specific COVID-19 related measures in place, along with any suspended services
Additional steps
- Install Perspex screens at welcome desks or introduce the use of clear face shields
Floorplan and seating
Recommended steps
- Look at high-density areas where people congregate - high-traffic corridors, areas in front of bar or serving areas – and identify measures to limit people congregating
- Look at furniture layout and identify ways to meet local government guidelines but also maximise use of space and allow groups of travellers who are travelling together to sit together
- Introduce a seat allocation service whereby the receptionist identifies space in the lounge for each new guest or group of guests. This may assist with capacity management by ensuring that guests are utilising spaces that are appropriate to the size of their group
Additional steps
- If you cannot implement a seat allocation service, operate a clear table policy, and place signs on tables which have been cleared, cleaned and sanitised, so guests can easily identify which tables have been cleaned
Moving inside the lounge
Recommended steps
- Use signs to reinforce the specific local social distancing guidance and COVID-19 related hygiene etiquette that should be followed in the lounge
- Place alcohol-based hand sanitizer and tissues for guests throughout the lounge
- Make waste bins readily available throughout for guests to use. Staff with the appropriate PPE should empty them regularly – never allow to overflow
- Place signs in all restrooms reminding guests to wash their hands for at least 20 seconds
Additional steps
- Reduce movement in the lounge as much as possible
Food and Beverage Service
Recommended steps
- Introduce a collection-point option for food and beverages, operate a queuing system for guests that adheres to the local social distancing guidance
- For bar service, attendants should be especially aware of which surfaces are clean and which are potentially contaminated. For example, it would be a bad idea to clear a used glass from a guest and then hand a full, clean bottle to a new customer
Additional steps
- Replace self-service food and beverage stations with a solution whereby staff with appropriate PPE serve guests food and drinks directly
- Operate a clear table policy, where tables are to be cleared and sanitized and left clear after each guest leaves
Lounge Amenities
Recommended steps
- Close children’s play areas where they exist. Can they be replaced with additional seating to make better use of capacity
- Review shower facilities where they exist and if they cannot be cleaned and sanitized appropriately, then close them
- Remove print-media
Additional steps
- Replace print media with digital media access on guest’s personal device
Lounge Cleaning and Environmental Standards
Recommended steps
- Increase the number of cleaning shifts and issue staff with appropriate PPE
- Use cleaning products recommended by local health authorities as being effective against COVID-19
- Clear and disinfect guest areas once empty before allowing new guests to occupy
- Disinfect all high-traffic areas daily, and thoroughly clean the entire lounge regularly
- Plan and implement a policy for managing guests who show signs of COVID-19 inside the lounge
- Keep air conditioning on throughout the day and set frequency of air recirculation to at least five times a day if possible
Additional steps
- Switch air filtration systems to 100% outside air
Contactless Journey
In addition to the guidelines we are recommending changes to the way in which partners can process visits through the devices. These changes will reduce the need to pass the device and plastic cards between the lounge staff and passenger.
How does this affect our Partners?
The end to end visit processing will be completed by the Lounge staff and the passenger will not touch the device. After the scan or manual entry:
- Lounge Staff will write the flight number from the passenger boarding card on the signature screen. The device will no longer be passed to the passenger to sign for the visit
- The Lounge staff must then show the passenger the device screen with the visit details
- The passenger must then verbally agree the visit details and the Lounge staff will “Accept” the visit on behalf of the passenger. Again, the device is not required to be passed to the passenger for acceptance
- A receipt will only be printed if required for lounge records