Travellers flying to Faro Airport can take advantage of a new package of premium and sustainability “enhancements” offered by British Airways.
According to the airline, which offers regular services between the Algarve and London Gatwick and Heathrow Airports, the objective is two-fold: to improve its customer experience and reinforce its commitment to placing sustainability at the heart of the customer journey – both on the ground and in the air.
To that end, the company says it is introducing new plant-based menus across its lounges, removing single-use plastic bottles (and replacing them with glass), installing new water stations, offering colleagues training in sustainability, and “reimagining” the Skyflyers program for children.
Customers in lounges can continue to order food using their mobile device directly to their table, an initiative introduced by British Airways during the COVID pandemic and which it has decided to maintain.
Customers in lounges can continue to order food using their mobile device directly to their table, an initiative introduced by British Airways during the COVID pandemic and which it has decided to maintain.
In addition, a premium pre-COVID meal service will be re-introduced in Club Europe with new menus and more variety from March, there will be new check-in zones exclusively for World Traveller Plus clients, and customers will benefit from ongoing investment in technology, including a new bag tracing system.
The latter will allow customers to track bags via their phone throughout their journey. “From automated lounge entry to new digital signage across the airport,” says the company, “British Airways is focused on making the customer journey even more seamless and stress-free.”
Announcing the initiatives, Tom Stevens, director of brand and customer experience, said, “We’re committed to ensuring we deliver a premium proposition for our customers throughout their journey with us and, when we do so, we need to ensure that sustainability is at the heart of it.
“We want to create an even better British Airways and know that we need to keep making changes to the customer experience with things like alternative menus, reducing plastics and introducing new technology to get us to where we want to be. In addition to these improvements, we are also moving ahead at speed with some of the larger initiatives that we promised to our customers, such as the roll out of our award-winning business class seat, Club Suite.”
Travel and Social Restrictions Eased
Fully vaccinated passengers arriving at Faro Airport (and other Portuguese destinations) are no longer required to present a negative COVID test result.
To qualify, travellers must have an EU Digital COVID Certificate or “other duly recognised proof of vaccination”.
Those not fully vaccinated must present a negative rapid antigen result carried out within the previous 24 hours, or PCR test no longer than 72 hours before.
Full details about the current entry requirements for Portugal are updated regularly on the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office travel advice website. Additional advice is available at the ANA Portuguese airport authority’s passenger guide and the Visit Portugal website.
Tourists in the Algarve (and the rest of Portugal) will also be able to enjoy an easing of COVID restrictions “in the coming days”, according to minister for state Mariana Vieira da Silva following a health briefing meeting last week.
These are expected to include an end to tests for entering bars and clubs, and no requirement for a digital certificate or negative test to enter restaurants and major sporting events. In addition, anyone who has had contact with a positive COVID-19 case (at either high or low risk) will not have to isolate unless they have symptoms.
Updated EU Certification Regulations
Portugal’s proposed changes follow the EU’s decision to formally amend its certification regulation, and establish an acceptance period of 270 days for vaccination certificates.
In a news release explaining the decision, the EU said, “This recommendation is in response to the significant increase in vaccine uptake and the rapid roll-out of the EU Digital COVID Certificate.
“Under the new recommendation, COVID-19 measures should be applied taking into account the person’s health status rather than the epidemiological situation at regional level, with the exception of areas where the virus is circulating at very high levels. This means that a traveller’s EU Digital COVID Certificate should be the key determinant. A person-based approach will substantially simplify the applicable rules and will provide additional clarity and predictability to travellers.”