Frontier Air Mandates Body-Temperature Checks for Passengers

(Bloomberg) -- Frontier Airlines will check passengers for fevers starting June 1, introducing a new health requirement a week after U.S. carriers said they would start mandating face coverings because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Flyers with a body temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or higher will be denied boarding, Frontier said in a statement Thursday. Employees will also be screened, the airline said.

Frontier’s temperature checks raise the ante for airlines trying to assure customers that it’s safe to fly in the age of Covid-19. Carriers have already stepped up cleaning procedures, adopted policies to ensure physical distance between passengers and announced requirements for masks or other face coverings.

“Temperature screenings add an additional layer of protection for everyone onboard,” said Frontier Chief Executive Officer Barry Biffle. “This new step during the boarding process, coupled with face coverings and elevated disinfection procedures, will serve to provide Frontier customers an assurance that their well-being is our foremost priority.”

Not Foolproof

Such a measure would be helpful in removing passengers who are contagious but isn’t foolproof, Hilary Godwin, dean of the University of Washington’s School of Public Health, told a Senate hearing this week. People who aren’t exhibiting symptoms of disease or a fever can still transmit the virus, Godwin said.

Frontier abandoned a plan late Wednesday to charge extra for passengers who want to guarantee a spot next to an unoccupied middle seat, backtracking after several members of Congress accused the discounter of seeking to profit from the coronavirus pandemic. The company said it wanted to provide customers with an option for more space.

Frontier said the government should screen passengers for fevers when they enter airports, “and the Transportation Security Administration and airport authorities may be working to lay that groundwork.” Meanwhile, the Denver-based company will perform its own checks using touchless thermometers.

The measure drew praise from the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, which represents 50,000 people from 19 airlines including Frontier.

“Increased safety measures like temperature checks are needed to keep passengers and crews safe and restore the public’s confidence in air travel,” Sara Nelson, the labor union’s president, said in an emailed statement. “These types of safety measures should be led by the federal government to ensure procedures are based on public health guidance and consistent across the industry.”

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