Community Outlook 2021: Six Flags hopeful for successful season after disappointing 2020

Feb. 22, 2021 | Ryan Feyre
rfeyre@thewestfieldnewsgroup.com

AGAWAM – After a successful Holiday in the Park Drive-Thru Experience, Six Flags New England is officially preparing for a hopeful 2021 season.

The popular amusement park, which lost all of its 2020 season due to COVID-19, is formulating a plan to safely reopen sometime this year.

According to Jennifer McGrath, the communications manager for Six Flags New England, there is no exact date for when the park will be open. She encourages people to periodically check their website and social media for any updates on the official date.

“Bottom line is we will be opening safely, and of course in adherence to the state’s guidelines,” said McGrath.

Presumably, according to McGrath, guests will have to make reservations prior to visiting the park. Before making these reservations, they will have to familiarize themselves with the COVID-19 guidelines for Six Flags. These safety protocols are the same ones that Six Flag used for the Holiday in the Park event. Temperatures will have to be checked once again, and social distancing will be maintained throughout the park, according to McGrath.

“The reservation system has been phenomenal for us when it comes to communicating the information,” said McGrath. “When you come to our park and adhere to our guidelines, you’re going to have a great time. And we saw that through our Holiday in the Park Lights.”

Several Six Flags parks throughout the country were able to operate with attractions throughout 2020 with added restrictions, according to McGrath. These circumstances, however, were based on state, and Massachusetts was one of those states where amusement parks were-and technically still are unable to open officially.

In watching those other parks, Six Flags New England has begun to establish different techniques for operating rides in a prudent manner.

“We can do social distancing within our rides, whether it’s every other row, breaking up groups, or constant sanitization,” said McGrath. “We are actually able to use spray bags that use sanitization.”

McGrath adds that the two main goals of Six Flags New England are guest safety and adhering to the guidelines chartered by Gov. Baker. If rides and attractions are indeed able to open along with the park, then a comprehensive safety plan will be implemented for the season.

Even with these added variables, the park does plan on unveiling a new DC superhero attraction titled “Supergirl Sky Flyer.” The ride, which was supposed to be introduced in 2020, is described as an “adrenaline-charged flight” that soars nearly seven stories through the sky in open-air vehicles. According to McGrath, guests will spin and tilt while being inverted in the air at 80 degrees.

“It’s a beautiful ride,” said McGrath, who also told Reminder Publishing that the Supergirl thriller will be featured next to the Superman attraction. “We’re really excited to bring in a female superhero into the ring.”

Anyone who purchased a season pass for 2020 will be able to use that pass for the 2021 season, free of charge, according to McGrath. For those who have not purchased a 2021 season pass, there are two programs available that guests can use. The first one allows them to purchase the year-long pass with the entire season included, while the other program allows guests to break down their season pass fee to a monthly payment. The latter program grants guests the opportunity to budget more effectively as the year progresses.

Both of these programs are available on the Six Flags New England website, according to McGrath.

“Whatever the 2021 season looks like, we’re going to take care of our guests if or when they purchase that pass,” said McGrath.

The park will also be taking different approaches to hiring, according to McGrath. While there is no official information about job fairs quite yet, the park does plan on taking the virtual route for interviews. Contact-wise, everything will most likely be more electronic-based, according to McGrath.

“And that may be the future anyway for a lot of businesses,” said McGrath. “We’ve learned a lot through this pandemic.”

No matter what the 2021 season looks like, McGrath said that the park will continue to “serve and entertain” the people. “There are so many moments, and that’s what we want to get back – creating those memories, and doing what we do best.”

In the meantime, residents can find any updates for the 2021 season on the Six Flags New England website.

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