We recently traveled by plane for the first time since the pandemic began back in March. Six months have passed and BOY are things different now. We were traveling with two kids in tow and admit that there was plenty of anxiety present in the days leading up to the trip. Would other travels abide by the mask rule? Would our 2-year-old keep her mask on? Would we feel safe? All in all, it was a good experience. A trip home to see family was a great way to rip the band-aid off so to speak, with regards to traveling again and for the first time as a family of four. As people seem to be finally getting a little more comfortable with the idea of traveling again, we wanted to share what we learned while traveling during Covid-19.
Airport
We flew out of Minneapolis, connected in Atlanta, and ended up in Chattanooga, Tennessee. MSP was not busy at all and everyone wore masks (aside from a few people taking the ‘chin strap’ approach). Honestly, aside from the masks, not much else felt different. The Atlanta airport was much, much busier and very crowded. We didn’t take the air train, which was packed, and chose to walk between terminals instead. We then immediately went to the Delta Skyclub to escape the crowded halls and restaurants. In Chattanooga, the much smaller airport was essentially closed when we arrived in the evening, and we witnessed many folks take their masks off while waiting at baggage claim, even though the rule is that masks are required the entire time you’re inside. Luckily there weren’t many folks on our flight which made social distancing easy while we waited to collect our bags.
airline
For this trip, we flew Delta which we try to be pretty loyal to. We’ve read other travel articles stating that Delta is perhaps doing the best with its Covid-19 response, with regards to sanitation and informing guests about the new rules. While the itinerary was changed a few times due to canceled routes, the flight itself was great. Rather than boarding by zone, we boarded all flights by row, beginning with the back of the plane and each guest was giving an individually wrapped, single use Purel wipe. All guests were required to wear face coverings unless you are actively eating or drinking and we didn’t see anyone fight this rule. Our daughter did figure out that if she kept snacking, she didn’t have to wear her mask, but hey what can you do. Middle seats were left open in all cases – even with us, traveling as a family of 4 (two adults, a 2 year old, and a 4 month old) and it felt very safe. And to be honest, having the extra space was nice! For the snack and beverage service, flight attendants handed everyone ziplock bag containing a small bottle of water, bag of Cheez-itz, pack of Biscoff cookies, Purel wipe and single use Purel hand sanitizer. Alcohol was limited to wines and beer, as they were not providing sodas, juices, or mixers. This made the drink service go by quicker and we didn’t feel we lost anything from the change in experience.
car rental
We rented through AVIS and were given the keys quickly and safely, with a plexiglass window separating us from the employee at the counter. The car smelled and looked clean. We did wipe down the steering wheel and a few other things with wipes just to be safe, but this was just an added precaution.
traveling during Covid-19
traveling during Covid-19
traveling during Covid-19
