The Strange Experience of Flying in a Pandemic

Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, more and more of us are getting back to flying. But air travel has changed significantly, even compared to a couple of months earlier.

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Since the beginning of our pandemic quarantine, I’ve wondered what flying looks like right now. Airlines have continued to fly planes during the pandemic, but far fewer of them. And U.S. air travel hit its low point on April 14th, when just 87,534 people were screened by TSA security. That compares to more than 2.2 million travelers screened in 2019, just a year earlier. There’s good reason not to fly, and many frequent travelers are having internal debates about when it’s safe to take to the skies once again.

A Non-Essential Trip to Visit Family

Thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic, I’d already canceled some air travel during April. But in May, there were already signs of a recovery, and I booked a trip from New Orleans (MSY) on Alaska Airlines, leaving May 18th. To be honest, this wasn’t an essential trip. Mobile, Alabama has been my home for 20 years, but I grew up in Seattle and visit frequently throughout the year. My mom and sister are still there, in the house that’s been in our family since 1974. I’m drawn to the city like gravity, and I was going to return as soon as it felt safe to do so.

It was easy to stop flying in the pandemic. As the scope of the coronavirus crisis became apparent, the public abandoned air travel in a matter of days. It will take much longer for the public’s confidence in air travel to recover — weeks, months, maybe years. There are new rules to follow, fewer onboard amenities, and plenty of anxiety. Will it be a full flight? Will the person next to me be sick? All of these issues weighed on me.

Why I Believe Flying During the Pandemic is Safe

After a lot of research, I concluded that it was safe to fly for these reasons:

• Nearly all airlines now require face coverings. There is plenty of evidence that wearing masks will make everyone safer. As of May 18th, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) also required face coverings
• Mainline jets have hospital-grade HEPA air filters, which according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “capture 99.9% of particles (bacteria, fungi, and larger viruses or virus clumps) 0.1–0.3 µm in diameter….the cabin air environment is not conducive to the spread of most infectious diseases.”
• Airlines are also limiting onboard service and interactions between crew and passengers. For flights on Alaska longer than 350 miles, the airline distributes a snack and water. First and Premium Class passengers can also have a beer. There’s no onboard food or beverage service for flights of 350 miles or less.
• UPDATE (6/12/2020): And now, some airlines require passengers to take a self-health assessment.

There are still risks, of course. A HEPA air filter isn’t going to stop the droplets from someone sitting right next to you, nor have airlines been enforcing the mask policy once airborne. So the decision to fly becomes a very personal decision, one in which we weigh the risks to ourselves and to those we come into contact with. I looked closely at the evidence and decided the odds were in my favor. For what it’s worth, my wife made a different decision. She decided it would be better to wait another month before getting on a plane once again. Neither of our decisions were wrong. Mine was right for me, and Debby’s was right for her.

The Quiet Airport at MSY

I had used the beautiful new terminal at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY) several times already, but this was the quietest I’d seen it. Security lines were mostly empty, and many restaurants were shuttered. Chick-fil-A was still open, though, and I got in the socially-distanced line for a breakfast sandwich. The restaurant had only one open register, and the line was slow. My chicken biscuit was not good, like it had been sitting around for some time.

Still, it was breakfast. With a lump of hard biscuit sitting in my stomach, I was full and ready to board the plane. To encourage social distancing, Alaska boarded its MVP and non-elite passengers from back to front. This is the most efficient way to board a plane, with or without a virus, but we don’t often see it being done. First Class and higher level elites still boarded first.

The First Class Flight to SEA

I’d been given a First Class upgrade and a row to myself. There are 12 First Class seats on an Alaska Airlines A320, and only five were in use.

Boarding was uneventful for the 50 or so passengers traveling to Seattle that day. I took my seat and a drink from the bottle of water that was waiting for me. The seat back pocket had only the requisite safety instructions and a barf bag. There was no magazine in the seat back pocket. Airlines have pulled them from flights, and some may never return.

Food service was exactly as promised, and it was delivered quickly. Really quickly! Within 15 minutes of departure, the flight attendant came around with a basket of snacks and a tray of Alaskan Amber beer. I opted for a bag of cheddar crackers and a beer and settled in for the flight.

About an hour later, the flight attendant came around with a Northwest Deli snack box and another beer. The snack box is normally part of Alaska’s onboard food menu, but now it’s a stand-in for First Class meal service. Thankfully, Alaska hasn’t been charging nearly as much for a First Class seat lately — at least to those who’ve actually purchased them. The lowest price between MSY and SEA had been $549/one way before the novel coronavirus disrupted air travel. Now a typical one way flight between these two points is $399.

A Refreshed A320 Cabin

Side note: This was my first experience with the new first class seating on planes that Alaska had inherited in its purchase of Virgin America. While Virgin’s first class product was beloved by its customers, I think Alaska’s changes are top notch. The comfortable seating feels fresh and modern, with footrests and easy access to in-seat power.

Another Empty Airport: SEA

We touched down early in Seattle, and I was soon on my way through another quiet airport. Baggage claim was eerily silent, but things got even weirder outside. Sea-Tac is always a traffic jam. Not today! I walked outside on the departure level, and there were virtually no vehicles. I could never have imagined this if I hadn’t seen it myself.

I Booked A Hotel, Instead of Staying with Family

My mom is 86-years-old. Whenever my wife and I return to the Northwest, we stay at the house in which I grew up. Not this time. As important as it is to protect our own health during this pandemic, it’s at least as important to take care of the most vulnerable people we come into contact with. So I booked a nearby hotel.

I have plenty of World of Hyatt points and could have used them for a free stay. But at 12,000 points a night for the Hyatt House/Seattle-Bellevue, I opted to pay cash. One rule of loyalty travel is to always treat your points like cash, and value them accordingly. A nightly rate of 12,000 points has a value of $204 (based on a valuation of 1.7 cents per point), so it’s a much better deal to pay $89/night and earn points, rather than spend.

The hotel was a nice break, allowing me to go “home” each night and take off my face mask. I got a room on the second floor and went out the back entrance each day. There was no breakfast service due to the pandemic, and after a brief check-in experience, I never again saw a member of the hotel staff.

A Socially Distanced Visit

My mom and sister were happy to see me, but there were no hugs. Except for the occasional trip to buy groceries, they’d been staying at home and weren’t likely to give me the virus. But I’d been traveling, so there was always a chance that I was an asymptomatic carrier of Covid-19. For their safety, I wore a mask at all times, except when eating (my mom loves to feed people!), and kept my distance as much as possible. It was as safe as I could make it, visiting family at a distance and staying out of their bubble.

Flying in Premium Class

I didn’t get a First Class upgrade on the return flight. There were about 75 people on the flight, and I was at the bottom of a much bigger upgrade list. Still, I was able to book a seat in Premium Class. These seats have more legroom and include free alcoholic beverages. During the pandemic, in lieu of paid food service, all main cabin passengers received a small snack bag. But the 60-calorie snack wasn’t going to take care of anyone’s hunger. Fortunately, I’d bought a bacon turkey wrap in the airport concourse and made that my onboard lunch.

Once again, the flight attendant offered me an Alaskan Amber beer by the can. This is the only alcoholic beverage the airline appear to offer right now, and only to First Class and Premium Class passengers.

Mask Enforcement

Most travelers had the courtesy to wear face coverings, as required by Alaska Airlines and Sea-Tac Airport policy. But not everyone obeyed the directive. We’ve seen news reports that airlines aren’t going to enforce the policy, and that was clearly the case. A guy across the aisle from me didnt wear a mask the entire flight, and not a word was said to him. Nor was it limited to passengers. At one point, a flight attendant and pilot were having a conversation without their masks. But overall, the unmasked person was rare and usually maintained distance from others (at least in the airport).

Final Thoughts

Everyone who travels will eventually have that first time getting back on a plane in this “new normal” (I hate that phrase so much!). That decision to fly is one each of us will have to make on our own, hopefully based on the science and your own comfort level with risk.

All travel has some risk. My wife and I go to New Orleans regularly, and it’s one of our favorite cities. It also has one of the world’s highest murder rates. For that reason, we exercise care and stay in the safest neighborhoods. The same logic applies to flying during this pandemic. Exercise care and limit your risk, and the risk to others.

I felt a little anxious once I finally decided to get back on a plane. In the days leading up to my trip, I kept reconsidering my choice. But despite the masks and the eerie silence of the airports, the trip to Seattle was a lot like any other. There just wasn’t a lot to do once there (another consideration if you plan to start traveling again; seriously, what will you do once you arrive?). But travel anxiety is often a fear of the unknown. Now that I’ve gone through the experience without issues, I’ll be a lot more comfortable getting on a plane again, and again. Good thing, we’re planning a trip to Ireland planned at the end of summer. We’re still hopeful that international travel will have rebounded enough for us to take it.