Seven tips to make your travel safer
As the holidays approach, many travelers are looking to return to the skies for the first time in months to visit family or loved ones. At TPA, we've taken numerous steps to make your travel experience as safe as possible, including the addition of social distancing markers, several dozen hand sanitizing stations and much more. But we need your help in keeping everyone safe.
Here are the ways you can keep yourself safe and healthy while traveling:
1. Mask up
Masks continue to be required by all employees, passengers and visitors at the Airport. TPA is providing passengers with masks if necessary, which can be found at the Main Terminal Information Kiosk. If you're looking for something a little more specialized, check out any of our news stands throughout the Airport to purchase an N-95 mask. Remember to keep your mask on at all times - over your mouth and nose, except for when you're eating or drinking.
2. Keep your distance (whenever possible)
Tampa International Airport has placed social distancing stickers and markers throughout the Airport in order to keep passengers and employees at a safe distance from one another. Blocked seating exists at all gatehold areas as well as plexiglas shields where passengers may interact with employees. To keep yourself safe, try to keep a 6-foot distance from others whenever possible. Not sure what 6-feet measures up to? It's about the length of two rolling carryon bags!
3. Wash / sanitize your hands frequently
Throughout your journey at the Airport, you'll pass plenty of sinks, soap and strategically-placed hand sanitizing stations where you can keep your hands germ-free and squeaky clean. Wanna bring some sani on board your flight? Hand sanitizer and wipes are also available for purchase at any news stand and TSA is currently requiring passengers to carry up to 12 oz of hand sanitizer in carry-on luggage.
4. Go touchless
There are tons of ways to go touchless at the Airport including the use of mobile boarding passes, filling a reusable bottle at our water bottle filling stations and using touchless payment at shops and restaurants. All of TPA’s shops, restaurants and kiosks accept credits cards, and some allow you to swipe your card in front of sensors to pay without ever pressing a button. If you do have to exchange cards or cash with an employee, be sure to wash your or sanitize your hands immediately after.
5. Carry-on your luggage
While sometimes checking bags is unavoidable, passengers should pack their items in carry-on luggage if they can, which eliminates the number of hands touching their bags and also allows them to bypass baggage claim areas, where larger groups tend to congregate in close-knit spaces. You'll also streamline your journey from curbside to gate and back!
6. Arrive early
At TPA, we've been suggesting that passengers arrive early for their flights for as long as we've been landing planes. The golden rule: arrive at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international. This rule is even more important now in order to limit congestion at our TSA checkpoints.
7. Get tested!
Haven't you heard, TPA now has COVID-19 testing on-site for all passengers? If you're looking for an added layer of health and safety for yourself and whoever you're traveling to visit, get tested at TPA! Since the testing site launched at the Airport, BayCare Health Services has tested more than 3,000 passengers. The testing site will be open from now until the end of December. For more details, click here.
