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Airports Council International – North America (ACI-NA), the trade association representing commercial service airports in the United States and Canada, launched its “Ready for Every Journey” campaign to help educate passengers and local communities about the steps airports are taking to protect health and safety as travel resumes following the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Last year, more than 1.9 billion passengers travelled through a North American airport,” said Kevin M. Burke, president and chief executive officer of ACI-NA. “The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was felt deeply as air travel around the world came to a virtual shutdown. As local communities begin to reopen and air travel starts to resume, North American airports are prepared to welcome back passengers in a healthy and safe way. The journey might look a little different than it did before, but it will be consistent with new and enhanced practices.”
The Ready for Every Journey campaign will help restore the travelling public’s confidence in air travel. The campaign, presented in English, French, and Spanish, will touch on the key actions airports are already taking and how the passenger experience may evolve in the future. As part of the campaign, airports will have access to a broad range of tools, assets, and materials to educate their local communities in a consistent and coordinated way.
“As state, regional, provincial, and local economies begin to re-open, airports are taking appropriate steps to protect passengers, limit the spread of COVID-19, and continue serving local communities as economic recovery begins,” said Daniel-Robert Gooch, president of the Canadian Airports Council, a division of ACI-NA. “The Ready for Every Journey campaign will be an important component to create awareness and increase confidence in the health and safety of air travel.”
In early 2020, the global spread of COVID-19 sparked an abrupt drop in air travel as governments took unprecedented steps to limit the spread of the virus through travel restrictions, community lockdowns, and other measures. From mid-March to today, air travel has declined more than 95 per cent in the United States and Canada, as well as at airports around the world.
“Passengers and local communities have always counted on their airports to take the necessary steps to ensure the safety and security of the travelling public,” Burke said. “As airports continue implementing best practices as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, passengers can continue to trust airports are prioritizing the health, safety, and security of the travelling public and airport workers.”
Airports responded by taking swift and proactive steps to help limit the spread of COVID-19. From the first notice of human-to-human transmission of this novel coronavirus, North American airports began to implement measures to prepare for the potential impacts from this disease. In addition, airports will continue to focus on maintaining the safest and cleanest environments for the public and workers as possible.
