CS 316346-D 04/23/2020

What Airline Workers Need to Know about COVID-19

As an airline customer service representative or 

gate agent, how can I protect myself?

As a customer service representative or gate agent, 

potential sources of exposure could include assisting a 

person with COVID-19 in close contact or by touching 

your mouth, nose, or eyes; or handling passenger 

items, such as baggage, boarding passes, identification 

documents, credit cards, and mobile devices.

• Limit close contact with others by maintaining a

distance of at least 6 feet, when possible.

• Provide a facemask to any visibly sick person you are

assisting if one is available and they can tolerate it.

Ask them to cover their mouth and nose with tissues

when coughing or sneezing. Follow employer’s

guidelines for additional steps as required.

• Avoid handling of passenger and airline crew

boarding passes, luggage, identification documents,

credit cards and mobile devices, where possible.

• Allow passengers to hold their own documents and

scan their own boarding pass or mobile device.

• Practice routine cleaning and disinfection of

frequently touched surfaces such as workstations,

keyboards, touchscreens, printers, and computers,

following the directions on the cleaning

product’s label.

• Follow your employer’s normal guidance for

handling service/support animals.

• Proper hand hygiene (https://www.cdc.gov/

handwashing/index.html) is an important infection

control measure. Wash your hands regularly with

soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and

water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based

hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.

• Key times to clean hands in general include:

» Before, during, and after preparing food

» Before eating food

» After using the toilet

» After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing

cdc.gov/coronavirus

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES AND GATE AGENTS 

Accessible version: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/airport-customer-factsheet.html

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a 

respiratory illness caused by a virus called 

SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms often include a 

fever, cough, or shortness of breath. Our 

understanding of how the virus spreads 

is evolving as we learn more about it, so 

check the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/howcovid-spreads.html) for the latest information.

The virus is thought to spread mainly from

person-to-person:

Between people who are in close contact

with one another (within about 6 feet).

Through respiratory droplets produced

when an infected person coughs, sneezes,

or talks.

Recent studies indicate that the virus can be spread by 

people before they develop symptoms (pre-symptomatic) 

or who never develop symptoms (asymptomatic). It 

also may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by 

touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and 

then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their 

eyes. However, this is not thought to be the main way the 

virus spreads. Older adults and people of any age who have 

serious underlying medical conditions may be at higher 

risk for more serious complications (https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-athigher-risk.html) from COVID-19.

CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings (https://

www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-gettingsick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html) in public settings where 

other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain, 

especially in areas of significant community-based 

transmission. Cloth face coverings may prevent people 

who don’t know they have the virus from transmitting it 

to others. These face coverings are not surgical masks or 

respirators and are not appropriate substitutes for them in 

workplaces where masks or respirators are recommended 

or required.

6 ft
cdc.gov/coronavirus

As an airline customer service representative or 

gate agent, how can I protect myself? (continued)

• Additional times to clean hands on the job include:

» Before and after work shifts

» Before and after work breaks

» After touching frequently touched surfaces

» After interacting with a customer who is

visibly ill

» After putting on, touching, or removing cloth

face coverings

• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with

unwashed hands.

What steps should my employer take?

Your employer should develop a COVID-19 health and 

safety plan to protect employees. This plan should be 

shared with you and your coworkers. Your

employer should:

• Take steps to help prevent the spread of COVID-19

if an employee is sick (https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/steps-whensick.html). Actively encourage sick employees to

stay home. Sick employees should not return to

work until the criteria to discontinue home isolation

are met (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-

ncov/hcp/disposition-in-home-patients.html), in

consultation with healthcare providers and state

and local health departments.

• Provide information on who to contact if

employees become sick.

• Implement flexible sick leave and supportive

policies and practices. Consider drafting nonpunitive emergency sick leave policies if sick leave

is not offered to some or all employees.

• Develop policies for responding to the

identification of sick passengers, crew,

or coworkers.

• Designate someone to be responsible for

responding to COVID-19 concerns. Employees

should know who this person is and how to

contact them.

• Provide employees with accurate information

about COVID-19, how it spreads, and risk

of exposure.

• Provide training on proper handwashing (https://

www.cdc.gov/handwashing/index.html) practices

and other routine infection control precautions.

This will help prevent the spread of many diseases,

including COVID-19.

• Provide employees with access to soap, clean

running water, and drying materials or alcoholbased hand sanitizers containing at least 60% 

alcohol at their worksite. 

• Provide disposable disinfectant wipes so that

commonly touched surfaces (such as workstations,

keyboards, touchscreens, printers, and computers)

can be wiped down by employees. For disinfection,

use products that meet EPA’s criteria for use against

SARS-CoV-2 (https://www.epa.gov/pesticideregistration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sarscov-2), diluted household bleach solutions, or

alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and are

appropriate for the surface. Follow manufacturer’s

directions for use.

• Provide tissues and no-touch disposal receptacles

for use by employees.

• Conduct frequent cleaning of employee break

rooms, rest areas, and other common areas.

• Place posters that encourage staying home when

sick (https://www.cdc.gov/nonpharmaceuticalinterventions/tools-resources/educationalmaterials.html), covering coughs and sneezes

(https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/hygiene/

etiquette/coughing_sneezing.html) and washing

hands often (https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/

materials.html) at the entrance to the workplace

and in other workplace areas where they are likely

to be seen.

• Follow all applicable federal regulations and public

health agency guidelines.

Where can I get more information?

Stay informed. Talk to your employer, supervisor, 

union representative, or airport personnel who are 

responsible for responding to COVID-19 concerns. 

See these sources for more information on reducing 

the risk of worker exposures to COVID-19:

CDC Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers 

to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 

2019 (COVID-19) website: https://www.cdc.gov/

coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidancebusiness-response.html

NIOSH Workplace Safety and Health Topic website:

www.cdc.gov/niosh/emres/2019_ncov.html

CDC COVID-19 website:

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/

OSHA COVID-19 website: www.osha.gov/SLTC/

covid-19/controlprevention.html

CDCINFO: 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) |

TTY: 1-888-232-6348 | website: https://wwwn.cdc.

gov/dcs/ContactUs/Form