Coronavirus Updates

COVID-19

With the World Health Organisation declaring COVID-19 a pandemic, we have created this page for our passengers and colleagues who may have concerns about COVID-19 and their travel plans. The information has been prepared based on, and following, the advice of Heath Protection Scotland, Public Health England and the UK Government who we are in contact with on a regular basis.

We would urge passengers traveling through Southampton Airport to make themselves aware of the most recent government guidance, which can be found here. The latest travel advice can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth office website.

Simple steps to avoid catching or spreading COVID-19 include:

• Washing hands with soap and water often and for at least 20 seconds
• Always wash your hands when you get home or into work
• Use hand sanitiser gel if soap and water are not available
• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or your sleeve (not your hands) when you cough or sneeze
• Put used tissues in the bin straight away and wash your hands afterwards
• Try to avoid close contact with people who are unwell

COVID-19 FAQs

What precautionary measures are in place at Southampton Airport?

We are continuing to follow the medical, clinically driven, advice from the relevant health authorities on what measures are required and effective to deal with COVID-19. This includes:

• Promoting all of the latest advice on COVID-19 which has been supplied by Health Protection Scotland and Public Health England.
• Installing hand sanitisers throughout the airport.
• Enhancing our already thorough cleaning procedures with a specific focus on the regular cleaning of hard surfaces.

What's the risk of coronavirus for travellers?

There are some countries and areas where there's a higher chance of coming into contact with someone with COVID-19. The NHS has prepared the following advice for travelers

What should I do if I’ve arrived from a country with confirmed cases?

Any passenger arriving from an affected country should follow the advice of the UK Government which is available on their website. If you are at the airport and experiencing the symptoms of a cough, fever or shortness of breath please make yourself known to the nearest colleague who will be able to support you. If you are not at the airport, please call NHS on 111.

Will my flight be affected?

If you’re concerned about the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on your existing travel plans, please contact your airline for the latest flight information.

Should I wear a face mask?

The UK Government, via Public Health England (PHE), has advised that the wearing of face masks is not required at this time and is unlikely to be an effective prevention measure in many circumstances. There is no evidence of benefit to support the use of facemasks outside healthcare environments. Face masks may be advised for those diagnosed with or suspected to have COVID-19 to reduce the spread of infection.

Good hand and personal hygiene practices are seen as the most effective response to the virus with the Government advising that people should wash their hands often and for at least 20 seconds with soap, using warm water if available.

How can I prepare ahead of my trip?

If you are traveling soon and worried about how COVID-19 might affect your plans, please check ABTA’s latest advice here. You can also find more information for passengers and holidaymakers on the CAA website.

If you do not wish to travel due to a pre-existing condition, please contact your airline or if your doctor has recommended you not to travel please contact your travel insurance company.

What do I do if I've booked parking and my airline cancels my flight?

With increasing news coverage around the spread of Coronavirus, we’ve been working with our parking booking partner APCOA to provide you with information around refunds and cancellation terms for any existing parking bookings.

From 13th March 2020, the following terms apply to existing bookings regardless of whether your travel has been cancelled by your airline, tour operator or as a result of you wishing to change your travel plans.

Our contact centre is currently experiencing high volumes of calls. Please avoid calling or emailing unless you are due to travel in the next 72 hours. We recommend that you follow the advice below as the team are having to prioritise customers whose immediate travel plans are now impacted.

Flexible product booking

If you’ve pre-booked parking on a flexible product, you can cancel and get a refund, or amend your booking online as part of the terms of the product you’ve booked. This can be completed online up to 2 hours before your arrival date into the car park. Please visit the manage my booking section on the Southampton Airport website or, visit the website you booked through and cancel or amend once you’ve logged into your booking.

Non-flexible product booking

We have amended our booking policy meaning you can cancel and get a refund, or amend your booking that you made directly with Southampton Airport.

Please visit the manage my booking section on the Southampton Airport website or email us with your booking reference number and contact details and we’ll respond to you as soon as possible.

Contacting Us

Please avoid calling or emailing to follow up on your refund. The team is dealing with every customer enquiry as quickly as possible but are experiencing unprecedented levels of contact at the moment which is impacting our response time. They will get back to all customers in due course and ask you to bear with and thank you for your patience and understanding at this time.