Hotel and Travel Committee Update : 20200317

Hotel and Travel Committee Update

Your Hotel and Travel Committee volunteers are working day and night closely monitoring the worldwide COVID-19 outbreak. As always, the safety and security of our fellow crewmembers is our highest priority. Our entire committee is at work monitoring travel restrictions and recommending appropriate measures to the Company to make sure you can get rest, find food, and depart the area without disruption arising from immigration restrictions. It is critical that you notify us immediately if there are any safety concerns at any station or hotel.

As the virus spreads, we have seen numerous cities, regions, and countries announce full closures of all restaurants and bars. The Hotel and Travel Committee considers food availability just as vital as safe and secure lodgings when on a Company overnight.

We have approached the Company with the following criteria regarding food availability on overnights:    

1. If only the hotel restaurant and/or room service is available the Company will provide a $50 meal voucher to be charged to the Company credit card. This authorization only applies for the hotel restaurant and/or room service.
2. If no food options are available AND room service cannot be delivered, the Company will move the affected crewmembers out of that region and make that station a non-overnight location.

We have stressed to the Company the need for all of our hotels to take the necessary health precautions to ensure the safety of our crews. Through its third party hotel vendor, Atlas company representatives have stressed the need for daily sanitization of all rooms and public areas as well as health checks for hotel employees. Additionally, Atlas has assured us that ground transportation vehicles are sanitized daily along with health monitoring of drivers. If you find a station not following these protocols, file an FCR and notify us at hotels@iap2750.org immediately. Now more than ever, do not accept a non-compliant or sub-standard hotel.

The FAA recently published recommended procedures for crews on a layover in the United States or internationally. The full text is available here. When on a layover crewmembers should:

1. Minimize contact with ground personnel and time in public areas while moving between the aircraft and the private transport.
2. Do not use public transportation, including when traveling between the airport and hotel.
3. Stay in your hotel room to the extent possible.
4. Minimize going out into the general population and use social distancing (maintain a distance of approximately 6 feet, if possible) whenever out in public. Avoid crowds, stores, sporting or mass entertainment events, and other situations likely to attract large numbers of people.
5. Eat in your hotel room with either room service or delivery service. If in-room dining options are not available, eat at a restaurant located in the hotel. If not available at the hotel, eat at a restaurant located close to the hotel.
6. Avoid contact with sick people.
7. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use at least a 60% alcohol based hand sanitizer. Use soap and water when your hands are visibly soiled.
8. Avoid touching your face.

The situation on the ground is constantly changing as government authorities respond to this ongoing health emergency. If you find an overnight noncompliant because of food or health concerns, first notify the Company Hotel Desk and ask to be moved to a different property and/or city. Next, notify us at hotels@iap2750.org and file an FCR. Please continue to forward us all FCR’s.

Stay safe,

Travel and Hotel Committee