With the approach of holiday travel, the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport reports it continues to focus on the health safety of its passengers.
In partnership with Delta, and in following the guidelines of the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, seat spacing, mask requirements and additional health safety measures of the Delta CareStandard remain in effect.
“They have been highly effective in maintaining the health safety of our passengers, as well as of our staff, both on the ground and in the air,” Airport Director Steve Wright said of the Delta CareStandard measures in a news release.
To allow for socially distanced travel, temporary changes to seating have been extended through Jan. 6, 2021. When departing from Brainerd, select aisle seats may be blocked when there are two seats on each side of the aisle. In larger jets, middle seats will be blocked off, but parties traveling together may have the option to select the middle seat. When customer demand is high and more space on board is needed, there is the potential for adding larger aircraft or additional flights.
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Masks or cloth face coverings continue to be required across all touchpoints — lobby check-in, Sky Clubs, boarding gate areas, jet bridges and on board, except limited times while eating or drinking. Masks with an exhaust valve are not approved, and a plastic face shield may be worn, but not as a replacement for a mask. Children under the age of 2, children who can’t maintain a face covering and unaccompanied minors are exempt from the mask requirement.
For those with underlying conditions that prevent the wearing of a face mask, a “Clearance-to-Fly” process can be completed prior to departure at the airport during check-in at the airport. Those completing the process should arrive an hour earlier than normal to avoid missing their flight. These mask exemptions are only for travel on Brainerd, Delta and Delta Connection flights. Additional requirements may be in place at destinations or on other airlines.
“As holiday travelers plan to reconnect with families and friends, we want to do all we can to assist our passengers in arriving at their destinations safely, while enjoying the upcoming holidays,” Wright said. “Since Delta is selling a reduced number of seats throughout their network, we advise our local travelers to purchase tickets as early as possible once their travel plans are determined.”
Travelers are advised to check the specific travel requirements for each destination, which are updated weekly. To learn more about health safety protocols, as well as further information on seating, masks, air quality, cleaning and more when flying from Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport, visit brainerdairport.com , call 218-825-2166, or email info@BrainerdAirport.com . For local flight times and more, visit brainerdairport.com . To schedule a flight, click “Purchase Airline Tickets” on the website’s homepage and enter “BRD” in the departure field.
