Ryanair resumed flights on July 1, gradually ramping up its European offering in the wake of the pandemic induced travel ban. However, with hygiene and social distancing now a top priority, there are a number of rules passengers must follow if they want to fly.

While many of the requirements take place onboard, holidaymakers also must take some crucial steps before they even set off for the airport.

Failure to do so can result in some travellers being turned away at the airport, and facing huge holiday losses.

As Ryanair explains on its website: “Remember to check your temperature before travelling.

“It may be checked again at the airport.

“If you do not pass this, you will be asked to return home.”

With a high temperature one of the most common symptoms of COVID-19, temperature checks are becoming commonplace at many public spaces to try and reduce transmission rates.

Passengers are encouraged to take the step themselves before travelling to the airport, to reduce contact with others should they be beginning to show symptoms.

However, some experts have warned against the use of temperature screening methods, suggesting they could mean travel losses for passengers who are not infected too.

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Though individual temperature checks are carried out at some airports, due to traffic levels other flight hubs are making use of thermal screening equipment as passengers pass through the area.

“Attempting to capture an accurate temperature reading on moving passengers, and on multiple passengers simultaneously (as some claim to be able to do) will almost certainly result in misreads and ‘missed’ infected passengers,” warns Caicraft, a partner for global health and medical resilience.

Instead, experts state that accurate testing is the only way to be certain passengers are able to fly.

Dr. Jonathan Sackier senior physician and Caircraft Advisory Board member said: If used at all, it should be as the first step in a testing process, with those filtered out by the screen tested specifically for COVID.

“Better yet, airports could implement rapid result PCR testing for every departing passenger that provides near 100 percent accuracy in detecting infection and eliminates the need for arrivals testing and/or quarantine at the ‘other side.’”

Of course, temperature checks are not the only new safety measure being encouraged by Ryanair.

“Check-in online, download your boarding pass and where possible choose Priority & 2 Cabin Bags to keep your luggage with you,” recommends the airline.

It adds: “If you are checking a bag, use our automated kiosk and deposit your bag at the bag drop desk.”

The Irish-carrier is also asking all passengers and crew to wear a face mask when in airports and onboard flights.

To further emphasise the importance of wearing a mask, the budget airline released a video explaining the new regulations with the help of leading medical expert Professor Like O’Neill from The School of Biochemistry & Immunology, Trinity College Dublin.

He said: “It’s not about you really, it’s stopping you from spreading it to someone else.

“So there’s a wonderful community aspect to this.

“And studies have shown 95 percent of the viral load will be trapped in the mask, isn’t that fantastic?

“So if there’s two people wearing masks there will be virtually no exchange of virus between those two people is what the evidence suggests.”

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