News - Travel SOPs for the New Normal

Dear Patrons,

We are up & running after 2 months of lock down …

Being home-bound for so long is not easy. While all of us stayed isolated, safe and spent some quality time with the family, service providers from the industry esp. hotels & airlines, have been working hard behind the scenes preparing themselves when the world bounces back.

While many have pictured what their next holiday would be like !, here are a few SOPs [Standard Operating Procedures] in place until vaccine / medicine for covid-19 is discovered or a herd immunity is developed. Either of this will take anywhere from 9 to 18 months after which it is assumed world will be what it was before the Covid.

Until then the new normal for travellers, establishments and service providers will be directed by following SOPs … While the list of SOPs is long, it will be helpful to read it once …

SOPs for Tours & Hotels
Below is a list of standard SOPs … Not all hotels or establishments might follow stated measures

• Hotels are likely to have a hygiene manager to oversee the implementation of safety measures
• Thermal scanning at all entry points in hotels & sightseeing monuments
• Disinfect all vehicles entering the hotels 
• Touchless check in
• Room alloaton 24 hrs. after disinfection
• Sanitaizers all around the hotels & tourist places
• Disinfection of guest luggage
• Assistance in elevators
• Touchless dinning
• In-room breakfast at some hotel to avoid crowd
• Take out menus with double layered packing
• No staff or supplies from containment zones
• Self-drive holidays will be popular for time being
• Resorts located on the out-skits of city, away from the crowds and close to nature will be preferred 
• Establishments with small to medium room inventories will be preferred. Properties with private and individual cottages and Villas will get priority.
• No banquets, no crowded gatherings and no non-resident guests using the restaurant, public areas etc. at the hotels initially
• Resorts offering outdoor activities, wellness programs - meals, yoga & meditation which our mind & body are desperately seeking after being indoors for so long will be in demand
• To start with most hotels & resorts are likely to offer 20% to 40% price reduction 
• Rescheduling & Cancellation policies are likely to be flexible
• All hotels and public places will be required to raise cleanliness & hygiene standards to an all togather a new level
• At our end, we will be seeking extensive info. from the hotels about cleanliness & hygiene protocols adopted by them at the time of booking your selected hotel

Flights
Only domestic flights starting from 25th May … Announcement on International operations is awaited

• Social distancing & minimum touch
• Thermal scanners and sanitisers to be installed at all entry, exit points
• Use of open air ventilation wherever possible over central air conditioning
• Passangers may be asked fill up a questionnaire seeking info. on past history related to COVID-19
• Registration on Aarogya Setu App. Only those passengers who have Green status on Aarogya Setu will be allowed to travel
• Reporting time will be 2 hours before the flight
• Web check-in & carry boarding pass
• Travellers to wear mask at all times
• 1 check in baggage & 1 hand luggage will be permitted
• Vulnerable persons such as very aged, pregnant women, persons with ailments are advised to avoid air travel
• Boarding has been proposed to be in staggered manner in a batch of 10
• Temperature check has been proposed at the boarding gate
• Last three seats are proposed to be vacant in case there is a need for isolation of a passenger
• Airlines have been asked to roster, the same set of cabin and cockpit crew for as long as possible in order to prevent cross contamination
• All on-board sales and meal service are proposed to be suspended
• In most aircrafts the air doesn’t flow from front to back. The air circulates from the ceiling to floor and then gets absorbed for filtration. Such airflow rules out spread of any airborne diseases
• Isolation zone in terminal building for any suspected patients
• Bleach cleaning mats at the entry points to disinfect shoes
• Sanitise checked baggage by UV or other effective methods. Social distance markings and sufficient PPEs for security staff
• Implement ways to ensure minimum touch concept between security staff and passengers
• Rescheduling & cancellation policies of most airlines have been irrelevant to the pandemic & totally senseless. They will continue to follow these unreasonable policies. We will try to safe-guard  your interest within the framework laid out by them to the best of monetary value

We are all facing a historic battle and most days it is simply about rolling up our sleeves to fight that battle. There are countless moments of humanity and resilience – I see them in day to day life these days how brave individuals and as a team are responding to the crisis around us. And that fills me with tremendous hope for the future.

We really value your patronage and care about what you think; we want you to help us shape the future of travel. Please continue to reach out to me or any of our team members, if you need anything or have a suggestion or feedback, no matter how negligible … It will be highly appreciated !

Brighter days are ahead and we look forward to be of service exploring the paradise soon !