Media Contact:
Rich Englehart - Acting Airport Director
970-618-7232
The Aspen/Pitkin County Airport is working closely with its United Airlines partner in Aspen to support the airlines’ new worldwide face-covering policy for its traveling customers. United Airlines announced its new worldwide face-covering policy today requiring all of its traveling customers to wear face coverings. The airport will work with the airline locally to assist and educate travelers.
“We are in constant communication with our airline partners here in Aspen and the staff at the airport will do everything we can to support this new airline policy,” said Acting Airport Director, Rich Englehart. “We see this policy as a plus since face coverings are already required in downtown Aspen and all restaurants and retail outlets. It’ll give our visitors a head start adapting to face-covering protocol which is becoming more and more standard in jurisdictions across the country.”
Aspen/Pitkin County Airport employees have been wearing face coverings for the protection of the public and themselves for some time in keeping with local Public Health protocol. The airport terminal has been reconfigured to enhance social distancing, plexiglass protective shields have been installed in restrooms, hand sanitizer and finger cots are available throughout the terminal and carpeting has been marked to assist travelers to maintain 6 feet of social distance. As travelers arrive they are greeted by an information table equipped with local COVID information, hand sanitizer, and free face masks. Arriving travelers are also greeted by a 30-second video on baggage claim area jumbotrons describing the local Public Health 5 Commitments of Containment strategy in the community.
"We hope our guests will pay attention to and embrace the local strategy to curb the spread of COVID-19 here," Englehart said. "We invite them to familiarize themselves with local information that is available on our website: www.covid19.pitkincounty.com
The full announcement from United Airlines regarding its face-covering policy:
United Airlines today announced that customers will be required to wear a face-covering in the more than 360 airports where the airline operates around the world. This includes United customer service counters and kiosks, United Club locations, United’s gates, and baggage claim areas. If customers refuse to comply, they may be refused travel and banned from flying United at least while the mask requirement is in place. This will be effective for all customers traveling on and after July 24 regardless of when their ticket was purchased. United also will strengthen its mask exemption policy by only excluding children under the age of two. If a passenger believes that there are extraordinary circumstances that warrant an exception, they should contact United or speak to a representative at the airport.
United will post signage throughout the airport to reinforce this new policy and employees will first give a customer a verbal reminder and offer a free mask to any customer who is not wearing one. If the customer refuses to comply, United employees will offer the customer a reminder card that outlines the company’s face covering policy. Continued non-compliance could result in a refusal to transport and the customer could also be banned from flying United at a minimum while the mask requirement is in place.
United will inform customers of its updated face-covering policy at numerous points in the travel journey including:
- Online and in the United app when a customer books a ticket.
- At check-in as part of United’s “Ready to Fly” checklist, which asks customers to certify that they have not been in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19, have not exhibited symptoms and are willing to comply with the company’s face covering policy. Customers who cannot or do not meet these requirements will be given the option to rebook their travel.
- New airport signage in terminal and gate areas.