Safe Umrah 

Saudi Arabian Airlines places the safety of its guests and crew as its highest priority and applies world class standards and procedures to ensure flights are safe and comfortable.

With the emergence of the new coronavirus (COVID-19), the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has initiated several precautionary steps and implemented binding measures to prevent the virus from spreading.

Saudi Arabian Airlines – the national carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – has implemented several procedures in accordance with the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) to provide safe travel environment on all its domestic and international flights.

Since January 26, 2020, all aircraft have been undergoing full inspection when arriving from several international destinations. And upon their arrival, sterilization, careful disinfection and thorough deep cleaning has been conducted and is still ongoing. Screen of all frontline staff and cabin crew members for pre-flight, pre-arrival, during and post-arrival is also taking place as an added precaution.

Find out more details about Saudia travel updates and guidelines, please click here.

Scoot has become the first low-cost carrier in the world to be awarded the Diamond status by global safety audit, APEX Health Safety powered by SimpliFlying. This comes shortly after Scoot was given a 7/7 safety rating by AirlineRatings.

On 11 February 2021, Scoot became the first low-cost carrier in the world to operate a flight with a full complement of vaccinated cabin crew and pilots.

We are committed to safeguarding your health and have taken proactive steps to implement additional precautionary measures to make traveling with Scoot a safer experience. As we usher in a new era of traveling, let’s work together to make flying safe for everyone.

BEFORE BOOKING YOUR FLIGHT

What you need to do

1. Check your travel eligibility

Please ensure that you are eligible to travel before booking your flight. To manage the COVID-19 outbreak, many countries have imposed entry restrictions and border closures. Please refer to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Travel Centre website for more travel information related to the destinations. If you are travelling between Singapore and mainland China, please refer to this page for more details on the travel requirements.

2. Submit accurate passenger details

This is required for contact tracing purposes.

What you need to know

Temporary suspension of products/services

To adhere with new safety measures, we will be suspending the following products/services to minimise contact between crew and passengers:

• Extra Cabin Bag
• Inflight seat upgrade
• BoardMeFirst

Add on Scootsurance for greater protection

We have enhanced our Scootsurance coverage* to include Covid-19 cover at no extra charge to allow you to travel with greater peace of mind in this period of uncertainty. The enhanced Scootsurance coverage covers pandemic-related overseas medical expenses, quarantine and hospitalisation allowance, and other costs arising from Covid-19 infection.

*Scootsurance is currently available for flights departing Singapore, Indonesia, Mainland China and Malaysia.

PRE-FLIGHT

What you need to do

1. Bring your own mask

You are required to bring and wear a mask to board your flight.

2. Check-in online

To minimise surface and physical contact, you are highly encouraged to check-in online via Flyscoot.com or our mobile app.

3. Ensure that your cabin baggage does not exceed the permitted allowance

2 pieces of cabin baggage with combined weight not exceeding 10kg (Economy) and 15kg (ScootPlus) are allowed. The larger piece must not exceed 54cm x 38cm x 23cm (total linear dimensions cannot exceed 115cm) and must fit into the overhead compartment. The smaller piece must not exceed 40cm X 30cm X 10cm and must be able to fit under the seat in front of you.

4. Submit health declaration form prior to check-in

You may complete the form at the check-in kiosks or access the online form via an SMS notification to be received 24 hours prior to your flight.

What you need to know

Temperature screening will be done prior to boarding

• Passengers with a temperature of 37.5 degrees and above will not be allowed to board.

Implementation of safe distancing measures

• Safe distancing measures will be put in place at gate-hold rooms and queuing areas, including check-in kiosks and when boarding your flight.

Usage of self-service check-in kiosk

• To minimise physical interactions, we encourage passengers to use the self-service check-in kiosks and automated bag-drop facilities.

Early check-in

• We encourage all passengers to arrive for your flight earlier to give yourself more time for these additional safety procedures.

Digital verification process for COVID-19 pre-departure test

• We began the trial of two new digital initiatives to offer a one-stop solution for Covid-19 pre-departure tests (PDT) and a digital verification process during check-in to provide a more convenient and seamless travelling experience for you. This complimentary online portal will allow you to book PDT appointments with recognised and accredited partner clinics, make payment for the tests, and receive results in digital form within 36 hours. It is currently only available for flights departures from Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong SAR, China.

INFLIGHT

What you need to do

1. Always wear a mask

You are required to keep your mask on throughout the flight, except in specified circumstances (e.g. when eating).

2. Observe safe distancing measures

Observe safe distancing measures when not seated, including during embarkation and disembarkation, and when queueing to use a lavatory.

What you need to know

Removal of seatback literature

• We have removed our Scoot Cafe Menu, in-flight magazine and Scootalogue duty-free magazine from the seat pockets. The safety card and airsick bag will remain.

Order F&B, shop for duty-free items and more on ScootHub Inflight Portal

• We have made the transition from physical to digital inflight menus, duty-free catalogues and magazines to reduce surface contact and physical interactions between customers and crew. In December 2020, we launched a new inflight portal, ScootHub, where you can order food and beverages, shop for duty-free items*, browse inspirational travel content, play games and more, all from the convenience of your own device. For more information, click here.*Available from second quarter of 2021

HEPA Air Filtration Systems 

• Our aircraft’s cabin air filtration systems are equipped with High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, which are very effective at trapping microscopic particles as small as bacteria and viruses.These air filters have a similar performance to those used in hospital operating rooms. Air flows into and out of the cabin on a continuous basis, which means that the cabin air is changed every 2 to 3 minutes (or 20-30 times hourly). The HEPA filters are replaced at varying intervals in accordance with manufacturer’s stipulated requirements.

Precautionary measures taken by Cabin crew and pilots   

• All operating crew undergo pre-flight temperature taking, are required to monitor their health, and must wear the appropriate Personal Protection Equipment while on duty. Crew members reporting for duty must not have any symptoms or physical contact with confirmed or suspected cases. Our crew will be seated at a designated section of the aircraft, at least 2m away from passengers and will be using a separate lavatory.

Enhanced Cabin Cleaning Procedures 

• We have enhanced operating procedures in place for cleaning of our aircraft, which includes thorough cleaning of interior surfaces of the aircraft, deep cleaning of the aircraft’s lavatory systems with the appropriate disinfectants, and fogging of the aircraft to ensure disinfectant mist is evenly spread across all surfaces in the interior of the aircraft. Hand sanitisers will be made available on board our flights for use by customers and crew. Lavatories will also be regularly cleaned and disinfected, at least three times in an hour.

Infectious disease handling protocol

• Scoot has in place a set of standard operating procedures for crew to handle inflight medical emergencies, including managing and segregating customers who may develop symptoms of potentially infectious diseases during flights. This includes a designated seating area for passengers who become unwell.

Provision of passenger care kit

• Care kits consisting of items like anti-bacterial wipes, sanitizer and a surgical mask will be pre-placed on the seats for passengers’ personal use.

Find out more details about Scoot travel updates and guidelines, please click here.

Summary of our standards

All of us at Oberoi Hotels & Resorts are grateful for the immense trust placed in us by our guests to always do the right thing. We also understand that not all of our guests would want to peruse through the complete list of procedures. For their convenience, we have tabulated the most important ones below.

• All touch points in public areas like door handles, elevator buttons, counter tops, table tops, railings, etc. are cleaned continuously using a sanitiser/ disinfectant. These practices are also in place in guest rooms during the morning housekeeping service and at turndown in the evening.
  
• Masks and disposable gloves are being worn by all team members at all times and changed frequently. Housekeeping staff use fresh gloves for every room they service.
  
• Sprayer with professionally identified chemicals is being used to disinfect the hotel entrances, employee entrances, as well as various public areas.
• Restaurants and seating in the lobby have been reconfigured to ensure safe distances are maintained between guests.
• Protocols are in place for staff in the kitchens, restaurants, in-room dining, business centres and banquet halls to sanitise their hands every time they serve food or touch food related items.
• Temperature readings of non-resident guests are taken at the entrance of the hotel. Temperature readings of resident guests and team members are also taken once a day.
• Updated and detailed cleaning checklists, including the use of professionally identified chemicals and agents for all areas, including laundry, are being followed and monitored closely.
• A guest check-in self-declaration form is in place which covers COVID-19 symptoms. Any guest who indicates these symptoms is required to undergo a medical examination prior to check-in.
• All supplies and materials are sanitised before being admitted into the hotel premises.
• If any of the parameters for our guests or colleagues are not normal, a medical examination and medical assistance are provided immediately.
• Correctly formulated hand sanitisers are in place in all guest rooms and at all public spaces and include the entrances, lobbies, corridors, business centres, cloak rooms, etc.
• Professional agencies and doctors are on standby for sanitisation of all areas should there be anyone detected with a positive sign of COVID-19.
• Our cars are disinfected after each use, as is luggage, before entering the hotel.
• Detailed Standard Operating Procedures are in place in case of a positive COVID-19 diagnosis where a guest or a colleague needs to be quarantined.

To ensure all standards and protocols are adhered to, each hotel has a dedicated Hygiene and Safety Manager.

Our guests have been extremely appreciative of the measures we are taking for their safety. Equally, our colleagues have welcomed these initiatives, with none of our team members testing positive for COVID-19.

Please click here for more details.

For pilgrims wanting access to the Haram, there is an app called Eatmarna. Created by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah (the government’s ministry dedicated to pilgrim matters) the Eatmarna app allows pilgrims to book a specific time slot for access to the Grand Mosque, meaning numbers are capped. The app is also linked to the Tawakkalna app which means access is granted based on COVID-19 status. Click here to download the App.

A limited number of worshippers were allowed in at a time and there was clear demarcation to ensure physical distancing. Police and mosque orderlies monitored and directed the pilgrims. Harsh penalties were imposed on anyone not wearing a mask or trying to enter the Haram without a valid permit.