In times of a Covid-19 pandemic, flights landing at international airports have turned into a stressful experience. But fear of the unknown is definitely not an obstacle for many to pack their bags and head to their dream destination. And if this is the Bulgarian Black Sea coast – there is no reason to worry. Because at Bulgaria’s Varna or Burgas airports you will be greeted personally by special Covid assistants.

They are also called Safe Airport Journey Agents. These employees take care to minimize your sense of vulnerability and disorientation from ever-changing restrictions and anti-epidemic measures. In what way? By providing you with fast and safe passage through the counters and the common areas of the Terminal, in accordance with the distance markers and the safety regulations near the luggage lanes. But not only.

"Our Covid agents are easily recognizable. They wear special orange vests with the reflective inscription "Respect your health" and can speak English and Russian. Passengers are constantly turning to them for assistance," says Martin Dimitrov, head of the Terminal Management Department at Varna Airport.

"We used the experience from a successful experiment at Frankfurt Airport, where staff assigned to this position help travellers, whether in the direction of arrival or departure. These people play the role of the "good cop" who kindly but relentlessly directs attention to compliance with security rules and measures. In this case, the human contact "face to face" with the airport employee is important, this brings an additional dose of reassurance, especially in the Arrivals lounge. There are two such colleagues at Burgas Airport. So there, passengers can also be calm about their trip.

Covid agents are present not only as a "signal lamp" to remind us of the hygienic measures. They are there to monitor and maintain order among the less disciplined of travellers. But there have been no fines so far, Martin Dimitrov assures us.

"Not everyone is inclined to wear a mask all the time or run immediately to wash their hands in the toilet or at the disinfection station. So a reminder is quite appropriate. This is especially true in the areas of the Terminal, where there is a queue and the service itself involves the gathering of more than 3 or 4 people in one place. For the time being, our airport had two Covid agents who work in flexible shifts. Basically, we cover clusters of two or more flights within a time span of 60 minutes."

Since the beginning of the summer tourist season, Covid agents at Varna Airport have served passengers on over 350 flights. Very often people turn to them with all kinds of questions related to airport services, including their trip around Bulgaria. "These employees are a bit like information agents in the lounges," says Martin Dimitrov, adding:

"For the winter, Varna Airport remains with 16 regular routes. We anticipate an increase in traffic during the winter season. That's why we encourage people to fly. They can rest assured that there are good anti-epidemic measures at the airports in Varna and Burgas and that the big airlines observe high hygiene standards."

English Rossitsa Petcova

Photos: Facebook /Varna Airport and varna-airport.bg