New protocols set for Sea-Tac Airport

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) is preparing for the gradual reopening of the economy and a commitment to the health and well-being of passengers, visitors and workers as part of FlyHealthy@SEA.

Most passengers continue to follow state guidance to avoid non-essential travel, actions that helps the airport maintain the health and safety of those performing essential work, according to a Port of Seattle press release. Forecasts show passenger volume increasing with as many as 12,000 departing screened passengers on the busiest days next week.

The Port recently launched a public dashboard built to provide local governments and industries with key indicators to track the recovery at SEA. The airport economy provides jobs, sales, and tax revenue for the whole region, and key data on the weekly dashboard gives valuable, real-time activity indicators.

Immediate actions to support public health

* Installed 240 interim signs (completed)

* Deployed 600 permanent floor markings for physical distancing (completed)

* Installing 180 plastic protective barriers that buffer travelers and airport employees (58 percent completed)

* 5,720 hours spent cleaning and disinfecting the buses and terminal at SEA each week, 91,520 total hours since February

* 706 gallons of hand sanitizer

* Over 4,200 ounces of disinfecting spray

* 700 containers of sanitizer wipes in response to COVID-19

* Installed 258 hand sanitizer stations throughout the terminal

Preparing to travel – recovery ready

* Passengers, visitors, and workers are required to wear face coverings in the public areas of SEA

* Signage for reminders and spacing to honor physical distancing

* Plastic protective barriers that buffer interactions between travelers and airport employees

* Frequent disinfection with medical-grade cleaning products

* Added 258 hand sanitizer stations throughout the terminal for your use

* 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 Port is developing a plan to implement temperature checks for departing domestic and arriving international passengers.

Dining, retail changes

Dining and retail tenants at the airport are taking action now as part of FlyHealthy@SEA.

“With hundreds of businesses operating onsite, the airport economy provides a unique and powerful lift for the region’s recovery,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Sam Cho said in a news release. “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.”

The next time travelers visit SEA the experience will look and feel different throughout the terminal, including in how you dine, imbibe and shop.

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,” said Kurt Dammeier, founder of Beecher’s Handmade Cheese. “We are deeply committed to the health and well-being of our airport community and we’re all evolving our business practices to ensure the health of our customers and employees.”

Best practices from those operational plans align with guidance from Safe Start Washington. Immediate actions include:

* Face coverings are required for front and back of house staff

* Plastic protective barriers at transaction points to buffer interactions between travelers and employees

* Maintain 6-foot physical distancing requirements for employees and patrons as much as possible

* Frequent cleaning and disinfection, particularly of high touch surfaces

* Temperature checks to screen employees for illness

* Transition from common use items such as condiments, menus, cutlery, and serveware to single-use products

* Dine-in restaurants will reconfigure spaces to reduce capacity by 50 percent and table sizes are limited to parties no larger than five

* Staff will regulate occupancy to honor physical distancing inside of dine-in and retail spaces

SEA is working on the appropriate permissions so travelers may take alcoholic beverages to-go in support of physical distancing. The Port requested an exemption for the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board that would allow the sale of to-go alcohol from airport restaurant locations.

Testing new technology

SEA is also pursuing long-term solutions such as new technologies for sanitization and contactless ordering. Airport Dining and Retail is partnering with PathSpot to test a hand scanner that utilizes 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 travelers to order and transact from the convenience and safety of their own device. From virtual menus to order and payment, travelers can how manage the entire dining experience with contactless options.

Launch of contact-free, pre-booked parking

SEA Airport continues to innovate with options for seamless, contact-free travel with the debut of Pre-Booked Parking. This enables travelers 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, travelers 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. SEA Airport’s lowest parking rates are available online with Pre-Booked Parking for up to 25 percent on current drive-up parking rates.

Open for business

During the height of the global pandemic, 66 percent of airport dining and retail tenants at SEA temporarily closed due to the decline in air travel. Signaling that the airport economy is on the road to recovery, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, Hachi-Ko, La Pisa Café and Made in Washington recently reopened as passenger volumes incrementally increase.

Those currently open for grab-and-go purchases and food orders to-go, include:

6th Ave. Noodle House, S Gates

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, C Gates

Camden Food Co., D Gates

Capitol Hill Food Hall, A Gates

Dilettante Chocolates & Espresso, Central Terminal

Evergreens, Central Terminal

Greedy Cow Burger, S Gates

Hachi-Ko, C Gates

Hudson, select locations

La Pisa Café, A Gates

Made in Washington, Central Terminal