Dining and retail tenants at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) are gearing up for the gradual reopening of the airport, by implementing health and safety measures and new technology. The initiatives form part of FlyHealthy@SEA, a multi-phased strategy to ensure the health and wellbeing of passengers, visitors, and workers.
“With hundreds of businesses operating onsite, the airport economy provides a unique and powerful lift for the region’s recovery,” says Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho. “To get on the road to recovery we needed to re-imagine the airport experience with new health and safety measures, but we also needed healthy business partners to implement plans. We are on that road to recovery now.”
Each dining and retail tenant at SEA was required to develop plans detailing procedures for safe operations, such as physical distancing requirements, sanitation, and personal hygiene protocols, personal protective equipment, and how to provide services while limiting close interactions.
“The airport’s dining and retail tenants like Beecher’s are integral to the customer experience at SEA,” says Kurt Dammeier, Founder of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. “We are deeply committed to the health and wellbeing of our airport community and we’re all evolving our business practices to ensure the health of our customers and employees.”
Testing new technology
SEA is also pursuing long-term solutions such as new technologies for sanitisation and contactless ordering. Airport Dining and Retail is partnering with PathSpot to test a hand scanner that utilises detection technology to give real-time feedback on the quality of each handwash by employees. This software shares data on the frequency and effectiveness of handwashing to monitor and improve handwashing compliance.
SEA will offer contactless ordering with Grab, an airport-wide, mobile ordering service. Grab’s Order at Table and Virtual Kiosk products require no app to install and enable travellers to order and transact from the convenience and safety of their own device. From virtual menus to order and payment, travellers can how manage the entire dining experience with contactless options.
Launch of contact-free, pre-booked parking
SEA continues is innovation efforts with options for seamless, contact-free travel with the debut of Pre-Booked Parking. This enables travellers to book their parking prior to airport arrival as a convenient, cashless way to pay via credit/debit card or ApplePay. With physical distancing practices in place, travellers can drive their own vehicle and scan the booking QR code on their phone to enter and exit the garage. There’s no need to pull a ticket, no trip on a shuttle bus, or ride in a third-party vehicle. Pre-Booked Parking also provides flexibility to modify or cancel the booking up to the scheduled time of entry if travel plans change.
The circumstances surrounding COVID-19 are continuously evolving. Our friends at APEX have a dedicated COVID-19 page, which they’ll be updating regularly to help keep you up-to-date on how the novel coronavirus is impacting the aviation industry. Visit the page for the very latest news >>
