Flying Healthy in the Age of COVID-19

HAWAIIAN AIRLINE PILOT SHOWING THE TRADITIONAL WELCOME SIGN - AND WEARING HIS MASK. IMAGE: HAWAIIAN AIRLINES (FACEBOOK)

Updated July 03, 2021

ROBERTA KRAVETTE, EDITOR AND TRAVEL PROFESSIONAL

We are beginning to see the first steps in dealing with how to get back to living safely, not just existing – but living. How we travel is a big part of that.

Luckily, the industries we need to “get us there” are responding quickly. We will find ways to live – and travel - with COVID-19. Although I am not advocating that we jump on a plane for a leisure trip now, we are at the beginning steps of a return to travel.

So, what is travel going to look like in the COVID-19 era? Different. But, we’ve experienced bumps before, we know the drill, there will be changes in process and procedures. At least this time we can keep our shoes on.

For this article we looked at domestic travel in the United States.

Changes to Domestic Air travel

The first thing you will notice is fewer choices. To say the airline industry was “hard hit” is an understatement so huge it is almost a joke. American Airlines alone estimates it is losing 70 million dollars a day. Some carriers went into this with cash reserves but like every industry, that is not the case for all players. Those that are able to survive will likely be smaller and leaner, and certainly practice very different health and safety measures than they did a year ago.

UPDATE: July 03, 2021:

Major US carriers are requiring the wearing of face masks in the waiting areas, the check-in and on the plane during the entire flight. Non-compliance could mean loss of your ability to get on that flight.

Health tests or assessments: United Airlines is one the carriers now requesting that passengers fill out a health assessment prior to boarding. Lufthansa is offering COVID-19 testing at the airport in Munich and Frankfort.

Yes, planes are filling up again. Let’s face it, they have to fly at near capacity pretty soon, or they risk going away forever. Social distancing on a plane is not possible. Are you safe? Yes, say the medical experts at The Cleveland Clinic. If you are concerned before you board, request a seat change or a change of flight. Most airlines will accommodate - if possible. But understand, the planes are filling up again. If you chose not to fly on a particular flight, the next less-crowded option going your way may not be for awhile. No, travel insurance does not cover that.

PLANES ARE MOSTLY GROUNDED FOR NOW, BUT WITH KNOWLEDGE AND NEW PROCEDURES WE WILL TRAVEL AGAIN. IMAGE: AMERICAN AIRLINES (FACEBOOK)

Service Cuts

“Regularly Scheduled” May Not Be
Don’t expect that regularly scheduled flight you’ve depended on for years to still be available in the (near) future. All the airlines have applications into The DOT (Department of Transportation) for permission to cut service to certain cities. Some requests are for permanent cuts, some are (so far) temporary, some have been granted, some not, some are still awaiting decision.

Non-Hub Cities Hit Hard
As expected, non-hub cities are in the crosshairs, but even flights to destinations like New York City, San Francisco, Palm Springs, Colorado Springs, West Palm Beach, and Los Angeles are being affected. The best advice is DO NOT ASSUME that any flight to any city is still available. Check and double check. Work with an agent. They will have the best information.

A Final Note on Service Cuts
Some flights are subject to last minute - shall we say - adjustments. My friend Paul, The Travel Boomer wrote a great article on just this issue. Again, don’t buy tickets from on-line discounters. Speak to your agent. If you have an issue latter, an agent may be able to help, otherwise, you are on your own.

And Service Added

Not all flight changes are subtractions.
Frontier Airlines just announced service additions from Philadelphia to Boston Logan and Chicago O’Hare Airports starting immediately. In July look for a daily non-stop to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport.

Changes In the Airport

OVERNIGHT PLEXI-GLASS SHIELDS HAVE APPEARED EVERY WHERE HUMANS ARE SERVING HUMANS. IMAGE: DELTA AIRLINES (FACEBOOK)

Plexiglass Barriers
If every problem comes with a silver lining, the lining for the plexiglass fabrication industry is pure sterling. Like face masks, you are going to be seeing these protective barriers everywhere. Some of the airlines have euphemistically dubbed them “sneeze barriers.” Whatever they are called, expect to see plexi-shields where ever service by human is offered.

Shields Between Passengers
There are at least two different designs on the table for safety shields between passengers from the Italian aviation design firm Aviointeriors. One of the designs can be retro-fitted right onto the existing seats.

I have no doubt that the inevitable clashes between the uber-cautious and the not-as-cautious row-mates will encourage the use of these or other seat partitions sooner rather than later.

INTERIOR PASSENGER PARTITIONS ARE INEVITABLE. ITALIAN DESIGN FIRM, AVIOINTERIORS IS ON TOP OF THE CHALLENGE. IMAGE: AVIOINTERIORS.

Touch-less Check-in
Voice activation is being added to self-check-in kiosks, most of the airlines also have an app that can be downloaded for use with your phone.

At the Gate
Again, you will see far more touch-less technology for checking boarding passes. Security, too, is becoming even less physical and more technical.

The video below from Airlines 4 America gives a good overview of some of the new COVID-19 safety procedures.

The Waiting Game

Where to Lounge
As I write in early June, expect your favorite lounge may still be closed. I would expect that as quarantine restrictions are lifted, these spaces will begin to open again. But do not expect open help-yourself style snack or drink bars anytime soon.

Restaurants, Bars, other amenities
There will be far fewer food, drink, shopping and other amenities in the airport, at least for the foreseeable future. If you find some are open, consider it is a bonus. Plan to eat, drink, shop, etc. ahead. We may need that manicure or neck rub , (or a glass of wine) more now than ever, but it probably will not be offered at the airport. See below about in-flight service.

Sanitizer Stations
Wine, beer and coffee bars may be in short supply, but hand sanitizer won’t be. Sanitizer stations are popping up everywhere. You will also (in theory) be allowed to take 12oz. of personal hand sanitizer on board most of the carriers we looked into. On board, sanitizer will become as ubiquitous as the peanuts of yester-year.

Social Distancing at the airport
Airports are made to service tens of thousands of people at a time. None of us expect to see those numbers return anytime soon, so social distancing while waiting for your flight will likely be a non-issue. However, no matter how distanced you are in the waiting area, eventually you do get into that thin metal tube.

Let’s Fly

We looked into the policies of eight US airlines: Three legacy airlines: Delta, American and United plus five regional or newer carriers: Jet blue, Alaska, Hawaiian, Southwest, and Frontier. This is what we found:

FLIGHT CREW OF THE AIRLINES WE CHECKED ARE ALL REQUIRED TO WEAR PROTECTIVE FACE MASKS AS ARE PASSENGERS, HOWEVER THE RULES FOR PASSENGERS SEEM TO BE A BIT MORE FLUID. IMAGE: AMERICAN AIRLINES (FACEBOOK)

Passenger Congestion
Across the board every airline is saying that they are utilizing social distancing practices on the planes as possible. They talk about blocking middle seats. They talk about spacing. But like many great intentions, sometimes reality has other demands.

The hard truth is that when planes are flying nearly empty, social distancing on board is relatively easy. For now, when a plane has extra space, the airlines we looked into are willing accommodate you in a request to move to a less congested seating area. Some will allow you to change your flight to a less crowded one at no additional charge. Do not expect this to last indefinitely.

As demand for tickets rises, the airlines are going to put those people into seats – all the seats. Continuing to fly empty is not a sustainable business practice. If they want to survive, the airlines have no choice but to fill the planes. But, they do have a choice as to how to keep passengers safe. (See the sections above on plexigass barriers, and below)

MAINTAINING SOCIAL DISTANCING IN THE AIRPORT, ESPECIALLY NOW WHEN PASSENGER NUMBER ARE SO LOW, IS RELATIVELY EASY. MORE DIFFICULT IS MAINTAINING DISTANCE INSIDE THE PLANE. HAWAIIAN AIRLINES (FACEBOOK)

Eat Before you Fly
Every airline we studied for this summary is putting a total halt to or greatly limiting if, when, what, and how they serve meals or even snacks and drinks.

But, remember those unmasking, even to eat or drink something you brought with you, may be an issue in some instances (remember those uber-cautious and not-as-cautious row mates?) Plan ahead. Eat ahead.

Beverages: Forget that drink on board. I did not see a single airline that is still serving alcohol with the exception of certain long-haul flights in first or business class

EXPECT TO SEE THE FLOOR MARKED, ALASKA AIRLINES IS CALLING IT YOUR “WINGSPAN.” IMAGE: ALASKA AIRLINES (FACEBOOK)

Face Masks

Airline are developing mask guidelines for both crew and passengers.

As of May 01, 2020, the domestic airlines that we checked who are requiring masks for crews are: United, American, Delta, Jet Blue, Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian, Frontier, Spirit, and Southwest Airlines.

For passengers, mask requirements vary and are constantly changing so when you plan to fly, check on-line or with your travel agent for the latest information. Most airlines are requiring masks from gate check-in through disembarkation. Most airlines say they will have masks available at the gate for passengers if they need them, however all recommend that you bring your own.

Temperature Monitoring
Airlines for America, the industry trade group, is advocating passenger temperature monitoring for passengers and crew to be done by TSA officers as part of their passenger security check procedure. Frontier Airlines was the first to take on the task.

Watch Frontier’s video below to see how Frontier will be checking their passenger’s temperature.

As of June 01,2020, Frontier began screening passengers and those with a temperature exceeding 100.4 will be denied boarding. Delta and Jet Blue are doing temperature monitoring for crew.

Interior Disinfection and Cleaning
All of the airlines we looked into site using electrostatic or fogging techniques to clean their planes. The cleanings have been stepped up, but be aware that none of the airlines say they are used between every flight.

DELTA RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT THEY WILL DO ELECTROSTATIC CLEANING ALL AIRPLANES BETWEEN FLIGHTS. IMAGE: DELTA AIRLINES (FACEBOOK)

So, what is electrostatic cleaning? It is the most efficient, and cost efficient, way to disinfect an area. Hospitals have been using it for years. In essence, a mist solution of disinfectant and water is sprayed through-out the entire interior – every surface. The secret is in the spray nozzle. Particles of disinfectant are positively charged to aggressively adhere to surfaces, wrapping themselves around and evenly coating areas that would be impossible to reach by hand. Most of the airlines clearly state the use of hospital rated disinfectant.

Tip: Try to take the first flight out. Most electrostatic cleaning is done at night.

Watch the Southwest’s video below for a brief explanation of how electrostatic cleaning works.

Every airline we looked into also stressed that they were hand-cleaning the planes more frequently, too. Although on their websites images of happy crews diligently hand-sanitizing the planes interiors were not wearing masks. Am I the only one who sees something strange in that picture? In fairness, those same images were likely being used prior to February of this year – but still.

Air Quality
Air quality is often sited as the thing people worry about most, and this did not begin with COVID-19. The truth is that every airline we looked into uses HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Arrestors) filters to insure air quality.

How do HEPA filters work? Air is recycled through the filter at which time 99.97% of dust and particulate matter, including bacteria and viruses are filtered. The air is flushed through the filter every 2 to 3 minutes on average.

What You Will Not See (or See Less) on Your Flight

A Snack, A Bite and A Drink
Forgive the repetition, but if a cup of coffee is as important to you as it is to me- this bears repeating. Grab a drink and bite before you get to the gate. There may not be any opportunity at the gate - or on the plane.

In-Flight Magazines
Aside from the food and beverage service, your in-flight magazines and newspapers are probably missing too. All the airlines, except Delta, mentioned that unnecessary items are being removed from the seat pockets. That would include menus, which certainly are not needed now, and reading materials. I will miss that inflight magazine, but more I will miss the in-flight shopping. Where else can you find a helmet that grows hair?

Pillows, Blankets and Warm Face Cloths
Sadly, some of the nicest perks and simplest perks are now gone. Do not expect a warm face cloth to refresh before getting off the plane, or a pillow for you nap. There will be no blankets either. Wear a sweater.

Disembark Stampede
The free-for-all, jump up and crush into the aisle that usual marked the disembarking process will also be missing. Plan to sit in your seat and leave the plane in an orderly fashion row-by-row, likely out the back. (Maybe this shoud have been listed in “Great News” below)

Great (Temporary) News

Flexibility
The airlines are, for now, more flexible about last minute changes. They want us to take a chance on them. Again, the realities of survival will not allow the type of flexibility we are seeing to go on forever. If you can and you feel safe, this is the time to take advantage of the offers.

Tip: Speak with your travel agent. The airlines are continuously revising policies and procedures to meet the evolving situation. Travel professionals tend to be at the top of the information chain. When you are going to travel, keep in touch with your agent.

One Last Note:
How the Airlines Are Helping the Community

From the beginning, many of the airlines have gone to extraordinary lengths to help fight COVID-19. That is another story for different time. But if you are interested click on the airlines below for one example pf what each are doing (there are many for each airline!) of how they have been working behind the scenes. Alaska, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Jet Blue, Frontier, and Southwest, and United