TUS Takes on Improvement Projects Amid the Pandemic
Airports remained open as essential infrastructure throughout the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Before domestic and international restrictions stretched on for months, leadership at Tucson Airport Authority already knew it would take serious investment to regain the confidence of the traveling public.
The TUS Cares initiative has poured more than $250,000 of investments in to Tucson International Airport with a goal of keeping everyone safe and passengers comfortable. It began similar to most organizations around the world, with acrylic shields at common points of face-to-face interaction, social distance dots where people tend to line up or gather in groups and seatback stickers wherever seating is provided to remind individuals to give each other some space.
You can find these common upgrades at baggage carousels, security lines, ticket counters, boarding areas and restaurant/retail cashiers. In fact, the two restaurants that remained opened at TUS are now “Ready for You” certified by the Pima County Health Department. The recognition lets staff and customers know that these establishments have met every local guideline to safely operate during the pandemic. Customers can safely browse menus on their smartphone with the snap of a QR code available throughout the restaurants six-feet apart. Reducing a traveler’s need to make any sort of contact has been a focus for TUS Cares. Anyone needing to park their car can make a touchless reservation ahead of time and scan themselves in and out, without any signing or swiping.
Brief rides to the terminal on the economy parking shuttle are different as well. Riders are encouraged to leave spaces open, a la seatback stickers. They are also dropped off at the terminal in reverse order of how they boarded, in an effort to reduce unnecessary contact among travelers. Once their ride is over, drivers sanitize the shuttle before making another trip.
Besides the free-standing TUS Cares signs with information about the mandate for face coverings and other CDC guidelines, passengers will notice water fountains have been covered. Disposable cup dispensers have been installed next to water-filling stations.
Some improvements took longer than others, because of the shipping process. In fact, maintenance crews at TUS crafted the framework for two dozen additional hand sanitizer dispensers in order to have the high-demand hygiene product available to travelers even sooner. Other immediate changes around TUS included increased frequency of cleaning bathrooms and refilling soap dispensers, at least once every hour.
UV-C sanitizing systems for the handrails of escalators and moving walkways are just the latest TUS Cares improvements. More of them, like toe-kick buttons for the elevators, are on the way. Regardless of how long COVID-19 restrictions are in place, Tucson Airport Authority is committed to updating the travel experience in ways that will last long after this pandemic has passed.