‘New normal’ travel measures in place

NEW NORMAL. The compulsory use of face masks for all passengers and airport employees, mandatory body temperature checks and social distancing of three to six feet in queuing points and a one-seat-apart policy in waiting areas are some of the new measures that the Mactan-Cebu International Airport will strictly enforce as flights resume after May 15. (SunStar File Photo)
NEW NORMAL. The compulsory use of face masks for all passengers and airport employees, mandatory body temperature checks and social distancing of three to six feet in queuing points and a one-seat-apart policy in waiting areas are some of the new measures that the Mactan-Cebu International Airport will strictly enforce as flights resume after May 15. (SunStar File Photo)

THE Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) has ramped up preparations for the new normal once air travel resumes out of Cebu.

MCIA has put in place preventive health and safety measures for both passengers and the airport staff to adhere to the guidelines by the Department of Transportation.

These measures include the compulsory use of face masks for all passengers and airport employees, mandatory body temperature checks and social distancing of three to six feet in queuing points and a one-seat-apart policy in waiting areas.

MCIA will also require hand sanitizing and shoe disinfection for all passengers and employees before entering the terminal.

The airport will also undertake continuous disinfection of passenger areas and terminal facilities.

“With these ‘new normal’ measures in place, MCIA looks forward to welcoming travelers and passengers once they travel again to and from Cebu,” an airport advisory said.

Ravishankar Saravu, chief commercial advisor at the GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp., said that while the airlines are ready to restart flights anytime, passenger demand will largely dictate how soon air travel activity can go back to normal

The aviation industry’s recovery will also depend on the easing of government restrictions on travel, Saravu said.

Local carriers’ preparation

Local carriers have announced new sanitation protocols and intensified preventive measures as they eye to resume flights from May 15.

Cebu Pacific said all its pilots and cabin crew will undergo rapid antibody tests before they are sent to operate flights.

All its flight crew and ground staff are required to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

“We are implementing additional procedures to assure our passengers and give them the confidence to travel again. Rolling out ‘contactless flights’ will minimize face-to-face contact between our ground staff and our passengers and observe physical distancing,” Candice Iyog, vice president for marketing, said in a statement.

The carrier urges its passengers to check in for flights online. Queues and boarding procedures will be managed according to physical distancing guidelines.

For its part, flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) said the resumption of operations will be contingent on the duration of the enhanced community quarantine in specific areas, status of travel restrictions imposed by various governments, passenger travel demand and public health and safety situation in each of the countries that PAL serves.

In its ticketing offices, PAL said it will implement thermal scanning, social distancing, wearing of face masks, and the installation of transparent barriers at the counter. These will also be observed during check-in.

PAL also said it will undertake rigorous cabin cleaning and disinfection of planes after every flight. Galleys, lavatories, flooring, cargo hold and passenger luggage go through these disinfection processes.

PAL crew will also wear PPE and there will be social distancing in cabin seating options. The airline will also install filters to purify cabin air. The airline continues to operate all-cargo flights to carry essential medical supplies into the country and shipments to various domestic points within the Philippines.

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