What to expect when YOU’RE TRAVELLING
It’s been a very challenging year, but now that things are starting to get back to something we just about recognise, how exactly do you holiday safely? Travel editor David Wickers has all the advice and reassurance you need…
Although we are now able to visit many overseas destinations, you may still feel anxious about the business of getting there rather than being there. So we asked TUI, one of the UK’S biggest tour operators, how it is looking after customers on their journeys from ‘end to end’.
TUI has its own airline and employs its own people in the UK both on the planes and in its hotels and destinations, so it is able to take care of customers from check-in at the airport to arrival at the resort hotel, and throughout their stay, until it’s time to return home.
AIRPORT PROTOCOL
On arrival at the airport, passengers will find markers on the floor indicating social distancing and lots of hand-sanitising gel dispensers. TUI staff, in their distinctive blue uniforms, will be wearing face masks and will be at the check-in/bag drop desks, separated by plastic screens.
TUI is also encouraging online check-in, so personal contact will be kept to a minimum. Customers should also fill out the necessary health and passenger locator forms (which can vary according to the destination, but are based on the ‘track and trace’ system). The travel industry was already moving towards these more automated, digital procedures prior to lockdown; Covid-19 has merely speeded things up and made everything more comprehensive.
BOARDING AND DURING A FLIGHT
Gone is the familiar boarding scrum. Passengers are boarded in small groups so that those who have seats towards the rear will be settled before the next group is called. Everyone will be wearing face masks, including the crew, whose meet-and-greet smiles are now performed through the eyes! They are not allowed to help with storing hand luggage, so you now need to check in any extra heavy carry-ons.
The plane could well be full, but air ventilation and filtration systems on board are similar to those you would find in hospitals. A TUI spokesperson told us: ‘Absolutely everything we do will be in line with the very latest government and holiday industry expert advice.’
You will not see in-flight magazines or menus in the seat pocket, but trolley service will still be a familiar sight (albeit with a smaller selection on offer than before) and all payments are now contactless. Sachets of hand sanitiser are available, as are plastic sealable bags for when you dispose of a mask and don a fresh one. Regarding access to the loos, you will be asked not to queue in the aisle and crew will be on-hand to help.
BACK ON TERRA FIRMA
On arrival, it may take a while to get off the plane to avoid the usual crush prior to the door opening. After passport and temperature checks, TUI staff will be there to greet and escort those transferring to a hotel. They will also explain the latest local regulations, so you will know what to expect. Whether you are staying in a TUI hotel with reps on hand or not, all customers have 24/7 rep service via the TUI app, or by phone, SMS and email.
Of course, we all want to remove the worry around living with the virus, but if this is what it takes to be able to get you to where you really want to go, we welcome it. And with the enhanced customer care offered by operators such as TUI, it will be of enormous help in regaining our confidence to travel again.
For more information, visit tui.co.uk