TUS Cares – At the Airport / Fly Tucson

Updated May 13, 2021

If you are considering visiting Tucson, you will be welcomed with outstretched – but socially distanced – arms. Learn more, including the latest information on local health guidelines and restrictions from Visit Tucson. We hope to see you soon.

Learn more about changes at Tucson International Airport (TUS) and what you can expect going through the terminal.

Free COVID-19 Tests at TUS

Click here to schedule an appointment.

Free COVID-19 tests are available to passengers traveling through Tucson International Airport (TUS). Through a partnership with the Pima County Health Department, the Arizona Department of Health Services and Paradigm Laboratories, the test being given is the viral or PCR test described by public health officials as the gold standard for its reliability. Test results are available within 36-48 hours.

For efficiency and to avoid crowding, please register here (or click on the blue COVID-19 test graphic) or, if you’ve just arrived and are in the terminal, there are signs with a QR code allowing you to use your smartphone to instantly connect to the scheduler. Arriving passengers may also schedule a time before departing on their journey to Tucson.

The Testing Center is on the lower level in Baggage Claim, near baggage carousels 4 (Alaska Airlines) and 5 (Southwest Airlines). It is open 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. daily.

TUS Lands STAR Cleaning Accreditation

The Global Biorisk Advisory Council has awarded STAR™ accreditation to Tucson International Airport in recognition of its thorough approach to cleaning, disinfection, and infection prevention. The TAA sought the accreditation to demonstrate its commitment and dedication to protecting airport patrons and employees. TUS was among the first five airports in the world – and the first in the Western United States – to receive the accreditation. To see current status of other airports that have been accredited or are seeking accreditation, click here. Other venues, including sports stadiums, convention centers, hotels and commercial establishments are also being accredited.

Face Covering Requirement

Federal mandate requires everyone 2 years and older to wear a compliant face mask over their nose and mouth while on the property of all airports in the United States. Despite guidance by the Centers for Disease Control that says vaccinated individuals do not need to wear masks in most places and Governor Doug Ducey’s repeal of restrictions in Arizona, the federal mandate remains in effect at airports and on airline flights. Non-compliant face coverings include scarves, balaclavas, bandannas, turtlenecks or other collars pulled up over the nose and mouth, materials with large holes that let light shine through such as mesh or lace, and any mask with an exhalation valve or contains punctures. Face shields can be worn as an addition to a compliant face mask.

Safety Protocols

Tucson Airport Authority team members and our partners have been diligently working to help ensure your travel experience through Tucson International Airport (TUS) is as safe as possible. Our custodial crews take pride that their outstanding work in the terminal has long been recognized by passengers in our annual customer service surveys. The TAA is not wavering from those high standards and, in fact, has taken added measures.

TUS Cares enhanced measures and precautions include:

Elevators in the TUS terminal are now equipped with foot-operated buttons to make for a touchless experience.
Handrails on escalators and moving walkways are continuously sterilized by ultraviolet germicidal irradiation using UV-C light installed underneath the rails as they cycle.
Transparent acrylic shields are installed at airline check-in, gate podium and baggage claim counters as well as points of transactions counters for rental cars and shops and restaurants.
Signage and markers indicate safe physical distancing in queues for airline counters and security checkpoints, gate waiting areas, around baggage claim carousels and in the rental car center.
Face coverings are worn by all employees in the terminal.
Restrooms are monitored and cleaned multiple times throughout the day and disinfected overnight using specialized sanitation machines. (Fixtures – faucets, soap and paper towel dispensers, toilets – operate using touchless activation.)
“High-touch” areas (self-service kiosks, handrails, armrests, etc.) are cleaned multiple times throughout the day using EPA-approved disinfectants designed to kill bacteria/viruses within 5 minutes of application.
Gate waiting areas are cleaned multiple times throughout the day with disinfectants and sanitized overnight.
More instant hand sanitizer dispensers have been added throughout the terminal.
Extra soap, the preferred method for washing hands, is maintained in restrooms, especially near food service areas.
Traditional drinking fountains have been taken out of service and dispensers with disposable paper cups have been installed next to water bottle filling stations on the concourses.
Deep cleaning of surfaces has been done throughout the terminal.
Airport Parking Shuttles are using new boarding and exiting procedures and limiting capacity to reduce potential for contact.

TUS Operational Changes

Changes in the terminal as a result of COVID-19 emphasize limiting person-to-person contact and maintaining safe social distancing.

Passengers can now order food, pay for it and use contactless pick-up in the TUS terminal. The link to order is here.

Food concessions are reopening, though with limited hours in some cases. More information is here.

Retail shops are also reopening in the terminal. More information is here.

Curbside bag check is suspended by all airlines. (Wheelchair assistance remains available. For efficiency, please request the wheelchair as part of your reservation.)

The Military Lounge is closed. We hope to reopen it in June.

Passenger assistance provided by TUS Warm Welcome Volunteers is resuming, though not all shifts are covered.

The Airport Lost & Found office is closed to the public. Office personnel can be reached by phone at (520) 573-8156 during business hours. More information is here.

The Tucson Airport Authority Administration Offices are closed to visitors. Employees can be reached by email or phone during business hours, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mondays-Fridays, except for holidays. The main phone number is (520) 573-8100.

Rentals of meeting rooms in the terminal are temporarily suspended.

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