SkyTeam Lounges have safety in mind 24/7
When customers return to the skies, SkyTeam lounges are ready to keep them safer
SkyTeam’s reopened lounges in Vancouver and Istanbul are once again welcoming customers around the clock after having been temporarily closed due to the pandemic. And as customers return to travel, they are discovering the same relaxing environment as before, but with some important differences to give them greater peace of mind in the age of COVID-19.
Here are some of the robust health and hygiene steps SkyTeam and its members have put in place to keep customers safer throughout their entire journey, in the air and on the ground:
Touchless Lounge Check-in
The welcome is as warm as ever, although the greeting comes from behind a clear protective screen.
Scanners are within easy reach, enabling customers to enter the lounge without handing their boarding pass over to the receptionist. If a frequent flyer number is required, customers can simply show their card through the plexi-glass shield.
Making Space
SkyTeam’s lounges never feel crowded, even at their busiest, but now there’s more space to relax in.
To make it easier to social distance, there are floor markings in place to remind customers to allow extra space. Throughout the lounge, selected seats have been blocked and furniture rearranged, giving customers more room to unwind in safely.
Full Service, and Safer Self-serve
There’s still an extensive buffet on offer, but food and beverage options have been adapted with pre-packaged items, to reduce shared contact with serving utensils. Meanwhile, cooked-to-order stations are once again dishing up fresh noodles in Vancouver and Turkish pide (and pizza!) in Istanbul.
At the bar, customers no longer need to help themselves to a drink. Staff is on hand to serve customers their favourite pre-flight beverage.
Deeper Clean
Extensive cleaning policies are in place to ensure SkyTeam’s lounges remain clean and sanitized, with all surfaces continually wiped down using high-grade disinfectant throughout the day. Tables and chairs are cleaned after every use, while high-touch areas including toilets and showers (if open) are thoroughly sanitized after every visit – including doors, handles, counters, soap, paper dispensers and taps.
For extra hygiene, customers are never more than a few meters away from a hand sanitizer station and anti-bacterial wipes are available on demand if they wish to further clean their space.
SkyCare&Protect Takes Safety Higher
SkyTeam’s stringent lounge cleanliness and hygiene measures complement the alliance’s SkyCare&Protect pledge to customer safety. Launched across all 19 SkyTeam members in June 2020, this is a multi-layered approach to keeping customers safe when they fly by ensuring enhanced cleanliness, sanitization and hygiene measures on board and at the airport.
The series of 15 health and hygiene practices includes, but is not limited to: more frequent sanitizing of aircraft, HEPA filters installed on aircraft, mandatory face coverings for passengers and employees, frequent access to hand sanitizer stations and wipes, distancing markers and more.
For more information on the SkyTeam lounges currently open, please visit our COVID-19 page.