DENVER (WJW) —Frontier Airlines will now conduct temperature screenings for all passengers and crew members before boarding flights.

According to the airline, this decision was made in effort to prevent further spread of the coronavirus, which was declared a global pandemic in March.

The virus, COVID-19, is known to cause mild to severe respiratory illness and spreads via person-to-person transmission, primarily from respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can be deposited in the mouth, nose, or eyes of nearby people or be inhaled into the lungs. Asymptomatic persons can transmit the virus.

Frontier says that beginning Monday anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or higher will not be permitted to travel. The airline also requires face coverings for all passengers and crew, which must be worn throughout the entire flight.

“Temperature screenings are the latest addition to our comprehensive, multi-layered approach to supporting the health and well-being of everyone onboard our aircraft,” Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle said in a press release. “Combined with face coverings, hospital-grade HEPA air filtration and enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures, we believe our aircraft are safer than any other mode of transportation.”

Customers will be screened via touchless thermometers prior to boarding.

If a customer’s temperature reading is 100.4 degrees or higher, and time allows, they will be given the opportunity to rest before receiving a second check. If the second temperature screening is 100.4 degrees or higher, a Frontier gate agent will explain to the customer that they will not be flying that day for the health and safety of others.

The airline says they will work with that customer to rebook travel on a later date or otherwise accommodate the traveler’s preferences with respect to their reservation.

All crew members will undergo this process as well and be held to the same standards as customers.

In April, Frontier also updated its boarding procedures to board most passengers from the rear of the aircraft to the front.

Frontier also announced at that time that passengers will take a health acknowledgment prior to completing check-in via the company’s website or mobile app. Passengers are required to confirm that:

  • They nor anyone in their household has exhibited COVID-19 related symptoms in the last 14 days
  • They will check their temperature before heading to the airport and not travel if they have a fever
  • They will wash their hands/sanitize before boarding the flight
  • They understand and acknowledge the airline’s face covering and temperature screening policies

The airline, like numerous other air carriers, is also increased its “already stringent” aircraft cleaning and sanitation protocols.