Bradley airport adopts numerous new safety measures as traffic picks up

Photos | Bradley International Airport Bradley International ramped up cleaning and sanitation protocols at the Windsor Locks airfield.

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By Sean Teehan

Bradley International Airport this week launched a new safety and public information program dubbed "BDL Cares," as the airport sees some improvement in cratering passenger traffic.

BDL Cares is basically a slate of new hygiene and equipment requirements and updates like mandated mask wearing for everyone in the airport, increased plexiglass dividers between passengers and workers at ticket booths and additional cleaning at all high-traffic areas at Bradley.

"We simply want people to be informed before they come to the airport so they know what to expect," said Kevin Dillon, executive director of the Connecticut Airport Authority, which oversees Bradley.

Dillon also said passengers should check websites for the Transportation Security Administration and the airline on which they're flying, which may have additional rules and regulations.

The new program comes as Bradley slowly recovers passengers, after the COVID-19 pandemic led to a drastic decrease in passenger traffic. In the weeks following mid-March shut-downs of most Connecticut businesses, Bradley saw passenger traffic drop by 98%, when compared with traffic from the same weeks last year, Dillon said. Currently, Bradley is down about 75% from last year, Dillon said.

"It's still a significant decrease in terms of activity level, but the trend is going in the right direction," Dillon said.

Concessions and retail at Bradley have been scaled back to meet lowered passenger demand, Dillon said. It was not clear Wednesday whether sit-down restaurants at Bradley would open at 50% capacity, as restaurants are currently allowed to do as per an executive order by Gov. Ned Lamont.

Also unclear right now is the effect months of historically reduced passenger traffic will have on Bradley's revenues, Dillon said. The airport received about $28 million through the federal CARES Act, which is enough to make operating service and debt payments for about three months, Dillon said.

Despite the lower passenger travel, Bradley's cargo business has seen very little disruption, Dillon said. The airport's cargo business has grown significantly in recent years, especially with Pinnacle Logistics, which ships packages for Amazon, moving into the airport in 2018.

But the key indicator to Bradley's health will be passenger numbers, Dillon said.

"I think just monitoring where the passenger trends are going is the name of the game," Dillon said.

Measures and guidance in Bradley's BDL Cares program include:

Face coverings – All passengers, visitors and employees are required to wear face coverings while at Bradley International Airport in accordance with CDC age and medical guidelines.
Additional cleaning – The airport has increased the frequency of cleaning and sanitization efforts in all high-traffic and high-touchpoint areas.
Addition of hand sanitizer stations – Hand sanitizer stations have been placed throughout the terminal to make them readily accessible for passengers.
Introduction of “physical distancing” signage – To remind everyone to keep a safe physical distance from other individuals, the airport has installed floor markings and other graphics throughout the terminal.
Plexiglass shields – As a further precaution, plastic shields are being installed at high passenger interaction points throughout the terminal.
New measures at restaurants and shops – Sit-down restaurants are preparing to reopen gradually with modified seating and added cleaning protocols. Take-out options continue to be available with new physical distancing and protective measures in place.
New overhead announcements – A new message has been added to remind passengers to maintain a safe physical distance.
New airline procedures – Airlines are now requiring face coverings to be worn and have implemented added cleaning protocols at their ticket counters, gate areas and onboard the aircraft.
Updates to TSA procedures – The TSA is allowing a liquid hand sanitizer container up to 12 ounces per passenger in carry-on bags until further notice. Passengers can expect that these containers will need to be screened separately. The TSA is also allowing passengers to wear face coverings during the screening process, however, passengers are advised that they may need to briefly remove the face covering for identification purposes.