Layover Safety Reminders

With hundreds of new Flight Attendants joining us every week it is a good time to review the importance of layover safety. With summer travel on the rise the tourism industry is booming.

As world travelers we frequently exposed to new areas and are potentially at a higher risk of being targeted as tourists or Crew. Personal safety at layover locations should be at the forefront of safety in our work environment.  

As part of this, we recommend you review the following hotel safety guidelines:

·       Do not “check-in” or post layover hotel locations on any social media network.

• Insist that the crew sign-in sheet be kept in a secure place.
• Try to have rooms assigned close to other crewmembers, when possible.
• Do not mention room numbers in the presence of other hotel guests and request hotel staff not announce your room number.
• Prior to closing the room door, check your room with a fellow crewmember and use your suitcase to prop the door open.
• When you are alone on the layover, you might consider requesting hotel security or other staff to escort you to your room and wait while you inspect the entire room.
• Check closets, under beds, behind drapes and the bath. Ensure the phone is working and you can directly dial 911 or another emergency number, if needed and ensure that it’s locally available.
• Take note of the number of fire exits, where they are located and if re-entry is possible from floor to floor.
• Once inside the room and the door is closed, use all available door and window locks.
• While at the layover hotel, keep personal luggage in your possession or secured at all times. Leave valuables at home or place them in the hotel safe including your LINK.
• Place your room key and your flashlight at your bedside and keep in mind that we stay in some areas subject to earthquakes and tornadoes. Always review available hotel emergency procedures.
• Verify with the front desk the identity of anyone at your room door, including room service, before allowing them inside. 

We strongly recommend the following additional considerations for your safety and security while on layover at points outside of the United States: 

• While at the airport, stay together. Do not let anyone get separated from the group.
• Do not leave your bags unattended for any reason – at the airport or in the hotel. 
• When leaving the airport to the hotel and returning, at least one crew member should ensure all bags are stowed for transport and the storage compartment on the vehicle is secured. 
• Once arriving at the layover hotel, you should practice our standard hotel safety and security tips as identified in the article above. 

Addressing our layover safety and security is the number one priority for our United MEC Hotel and Transportation Committee. If you experience an incident that compromises your safety, be sure to document the event by visiting the Reports & Forms page located on our website.