What It’s Really Like Flying Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, and The Travel Items To Keep You Safe
Strange. But normal. But strange. That’s how it felt to be back in the air after four months grounded. To say I was hesitant to board a flight right now is an understatement. I have been one of those overly cautious people since a world with COVID-19 became our reality. You know the ones. Rarely leaving home, wiping down everything that comes near the vicinity of the house, reluctant to be around people who haven’t been as cautious as me. It hasn’t been until the last few weeks that I’ve felt comfortable running errands and getting take-out, so the decision to board a plane with dozens of strangers was not taken lightly. But ultimately, the joy of being reunited with family in a safe environment after a mentally and emotionally taxing season outweighed my fear, so we boarded a flight and prayed. While we seriously considered driving, we found that there was a new nonstop flight available to get to Montana (the first time ever in my life!), which overall felt safer and posed fewer potential risks. And with a toddler, it seemed much more sensible, than a 60 hour round-trip road trip.
The fear for me lied in the uncertainty of what to expect during our travel day. We know that airlines are taking safety measures seriously including high-standard air filtration and deep-cleanings of aircrafts, but we’ve also seen the headlines of passengers boarding planes to find them at full capacity, with middle seats not blocked off like they were supposed to be. I know many of you are struggling with the same decision whether to fly or drive as you consider summer travel, so I want to share my experience on our first flight amid the pandemic, as well as the items I highly recommend you pack in your carry-on to safely get you to your destination. Remember each airport and airline is unique, and things will naturally change as air travel picks up in the coming months, but this was our experience.
Our Flight Experience
We flew out of our hometown of Nashville and found the rumors of a nearly dead airport to be true. From 7:30-8:30am when we were in the terminal I observed short check-in and TSA lines, masks on most people and close to 90% of gates closed. Aside from it being quiet, I was surprised by how normal the airport seemed to pre-pandemic days, meaning I didn’t see any signage encouraging guests to wear masks, no floor markers indicating proper social distancing and noticed only one hand sanitizing station, right outside security, which I believe has always been there. Coming from a better-to-err-on-the-side-of-caution person that I am, I was disappointed by the lack of noticeably different measures in place, but the airport was empty enough that it didn’t bother me too much. And nothing compared to how disappointed I was by the lack of safety precautions taken by Allegiant.
Our flight, unfortunately, was nearly full, resulting in few open seats. (I will note according to Allegiant’s website, “Customers with concerns about being on a flight that cannot accommodate social distancing can request to be notified if a booked flight exceeds 65% capacity. Notifications include a list of flexible options available.”). The airline was not enforcing a mandatory mask policy, and while most people respectfully did wear one, there were some passengers who did not. Even more disappointing, I thought, was the fact that only two of the four flight attendants wore masks! How that is even possible right now is beyond me. This was also true of Allegiant’s gate and ticket agents. In fact, the only safety measure I saw the airline take was boarding the plane by row from back to front, although I have to believe (and certainly hope) they are performing deep-cleanings and maintaining high air-quality standards as their website states.
We took our own safety measures including wiping everything down (more on that below), keeping our air vents open for increased circulation, removing our outer layer of clothing once we got off the plane and showering as soon as we got home before hugging family. I was pleased to find passengers’ temperatures were being checked upon arrival into Montana, although I’m not sure what measures would be taken if you did have a fever. At the end of the day I was happy we chose to fly over drive, and even with the lack of safety measures I don’t feel concerned about my family’s health from that trip. I am hopeful, however, that our Delta flight in July will be a better experience and hope all airlines step up their pandemic protocols!
In My Covid-19 Travel Bag…
The most important part of the journey, I feel, is being well prepared with the right items to keep you as healthy, and calm, as you get from Point A to Point B. The most important ones to have on you are, of course, a mask and hand sanitizer, but there are other items I consider must-haves during this pandemic time.
We routinely wipe everything down once onboard (something we started once traveling with a baby) and while Clorox wipes do the trick, these wipes are my preference as they are made of naturally derived, plant-based ingredients but are oh so powerful. In fact, I reach for multiple Thieves products daily and will not leave home without some form of it. The hand sanitizer version is what we used throughout our journey, but I also carried this moisturizing hand sanitizer to help keep my skin from drying out in the air. It comes in a lavender scent, as well, which I love for its calming properties.
Speaking of staying calm, my travel go-to’s to take the edge off are these gummies and this Peace & Calming roller, which I not only applied topically on my wrists, but also put a few drops on the inside of my mask so I could inhale this soothing blend of essential oils during flight. Highly recommend both!
As far as masks go, we’ve been using medical masks but I plan to purchase a cute reusable one. Though masks aren’t recommended for children under 2, I did buy a baby mask for Sophie strictly for the flight just in case I felt it was needed once on the plane (though she refused to put it on). I also love these Mom + Me masks. Might as well make mask wearing cute, plus they include a filter pocket!
A couple splurge items: Allbirds sneakers are great for travel since they are machine washable, and this Larq water bottle that’s the world's first self-cleaning bottle and water purification system. It uses UV-C LED light to eliminate up to 99.9% of bio-contaminants from your water and bottle. One item I didn’t pack but wish I would have is a straw so I didn’t have to fully remove my mask each time I took a drink.
Safe travels!
