At a time when leisure travel is frowned upon, and more importantly, very risky, you may be wondering what it’s like to actually step foot on an airplane and leave your safe bubble. I have personally traveled three different trips via airplane since June 2020 (I have also canceled several trips.) Only you are able to make the choice for yourself if want to assume the risk of travel during this pandemic, but I hope this will give you a little insight as to what travel is like, specifically aboard an airplane.
First off, masks are going to be required. Every state has its own rules in regards to masks, and whether or not they enforce those rules, but each airline also has its own rules. And aboard an aircraft, it will be required and enforced, to wear a mask. You will also need to wear it correctly – over both the nose and mouth. I have personally seen flight attendants ask fliers to correct how they are wearing their mask.
Secondly, social distancing is expected in areas such as the airport or tourist attractions. Sure, that’s not really possible on an airplane (airlines are no longer blocking middle seats) but airlines have adjusted their boarding processes to prevent crowding. For instance, Southwest Airlines is now boarding people in groups of 10. Gone are the days of everyone in boarding group A standing in numerical order at their poles. Now they request you stay seated until your group of 10 is called. We will see how that changes after the pandemic.
Also on flights, they have reduced food and beverage service. I have only flown Southwest since the pandemic began so I can only attest to their service, but from my understanding, the other airlines are following the same protocol. Southwest is passing out 1 cup of ice water and one snack to all fliers. They do not bring their carts down the aisle and there are no choices. If you want something else, you will have to bring it on board.
Enhanced cleaning. You can be sure, airplanes are much cleaner now than in the past. The flight attendants, who don’t get paid for this, by the way, are already spraying and wiping down high touch areas (flight attendant buttons, light buttons, etc) before you even get off the plane. They also use HEPA air filtration systems. You can read more about this at any airline’s website. Here are a few: United, American, Delta,
For a brief time, there was reduced capacity on airplanes with the middle seats blocked. I was fortunate enough to fly twice when Southwest was doing this and I admit, it was nice to have the extra space. They are no longer doing this and I can only assume it’s to try to increase revenue.
As for the airports, in addition to signage everywhere encouraging the use of masks, social distancing, and hand washing, not every restaurant or shop is open. This is something to keep in mind if you plan to eat or shop once you get to the airport. Larger airports tend to have more open, but some of the smaller airports may have more closed.
It’s also wise to look into the state requirements of your destination. Some states have stricter rules than others and may have quarantine or testing requirements.
This has been my experience and yours may differ from mine, but I try to give you facts so that you can make an informed opinion. If you have any questions, please comment below!
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