You ask, “What’s it like to fly now?” I recently escaped the wildfire-smoke-filled air of Seattle to fly cross country to find out. Since travel is one of my practice areas, I wanted to experience air travel during the pandemic firsthand. I used airline miles, stayed with good friends and brought my laptop so I could work from there.
For a variety of important reasons, mainly the pandemic, I debated if I should go at all. I asked many friends and family for opinions and about 60% were scared for me while the other 40% encouraged me. I was headed from Seattle to Philadelphia for a stay at Barnegat Light on the Jersey shore. The flight was supposed to be about five hours each way.
The airport, busier than expected
I pre-scheduled an Uber to take me to the airport at 5:00am and that was seamless. I loaded my own bag on and off and the driver had a thick clear film barrier set up between the front and back seats. (The taxi driver on the way home had this as well.)
The airport felt about 60% full. I had heard from a friend it would only be 10% full so I was a bit disappointed. Self-check-in kiosks were open, which made me happy. Security lines were very short at 5:30am on a Wednesday. It was mandatory in both the airport and on the Alaska Airlines flight to wear your mask the entire time unless you were actively eating. In my case, I had worn the mask since leaving home via the Uber car.
People who carry personal water bottles, like I do, will be pleased to hear the water-container-filling machines at the airport are still open and working near the gates. Airport food/coffee lines were marked to encourage social distancing and signs all over the airport did the same. A woman was cleaning the women’s bathroom what appeared to be full-time.
Greeted by a sparkling clean airplane
The interior of the airplane (any airplane, and I have been on many) never looked so clean. These more sanitary inflight conditions are a welcome and desperately needed change if you ask me. I still took a minute to wipe my seat area down with a disinfectant cloth I brought with me.
Alaska Airlines is blocking middle seats (no passenger there) until the end of November, so you have that space in your favor. On my flight out, I had a row to myself, and the row across from me, behind me and in front of me were all empty. A definite treat on any flight.
Speaking of treats, we received one personal-size bag of Chex Mix and one beverage from the airlines the entire five-hour trip. In a follow-on survey sent to me by Alaska Airlines, I expressed that the Chex Mix was an interesting choice. We had to touch it with our hands to eat it, then our hands would likely touch our mouths and then our hands (now with our mouth germs) would likely touch stuff around us on the plane. Not the best way to cut down on germ transmission.
I must have used hand sanitizer 10-15 times on each flight.
Our flight was delayed out of Seattle by an hour due to issues with the pilot’s oxygen mask. We were all already loaded on the plane. Yes, his/hers is the most important and worth waiting for, but in this pandemic world no one wants to be stuck in the confines of the plane longer than you have to be. Would hope that their tech maintenance crew would have caught this sooner.
(As a side note, I am a huge fan of Alaska Airlines and know all airlines are adapting to the new normal. The service was friendly and professional as ever and I appreciated the opportunity to share my feedback via a survey proactively sent to me after the trip.)
The Philly airport when we arrived was fine but didn’t feel nearly as clean as Sea-Tac airport.
Busier return flight and the “falling mask man” beside me
On my Sunday night return flight from Philly, the plane was close to full other than the empty middle seats. Despite the empty seats, it felt crowded in this pandemic world.
The middle-aged man at the window seat in my row had a mask that slipped below his nose when he slept. I pointed this out to the flight attendant, but she didn’t do anything about it. I know it is not nice to wake someone, but it seems the flight attendant should have gently woken him and asked him to put it back over his nose. This is a health safety issue for all of us on the plane.
In the pre-pandemic world, you would also often hear coughing and sneezing on planes. Not many were heard on my two flights. And when anyone did cough or sneeze, they were quickly glared at by people nearby. As we all know, now is not the time to travel even if you have a tiny cough or sneeze. It is too risky for everyone around you. The irony is that planes may be safer now because (wise) people who are sick are self-selecting not to fly.
Back on land again
When I landed back in Seattle, I searched for an Uber, but got the disappointing “no cars available.” There were plenty of regular taxis, and no lines, so I hopped in one of those (about $20 more each trip). The kind driver said he had been waiting at the airport for more than four hours hoping someone would need his services. Wow. Maybe it was a tip-getting ploy, but he seemed sincere.
So “What’s it like to fly now?” The shortest answer is interesting and a little unnerving. Would I fly again? I would probably wait another three to six months or so and see what the pandemic is doing then. It was a calculated risk and the CDC clearly states: “Travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19.”
Best to stay at, or near home, if you can. In addition, having a mask on your face the entire day is not something most of us are used to nor is it something we enjoy. I am a world traveler who has been to more than 40 countries, but to say we are in usual times right now is a massive understatement. Be safe out there!
Thanks to Unsplash for providing the free image for this blog post and many of my other blog posts. Check out their website if you haven’t already.
