FLYING POST COVID-19

With social distancing now de rigeur, parents of young children may be wondering if they will ever go abroad again. We look at the flying experience post Covid-19, from what to expect at the airport to the flight itself, as well as the likely procedure on arrival. We’re not in Kansas anymore, folks.

At the airport:

Passengers are being told to allow three hours for short-haul flights and four hours for long-haul, so make sure you leave enough time.

Face masks will be mandatory at airports for all passengers no matter the age, something that young children may find hard to tolerate. Thankfully, Disney has launched a series of character-themed face masks - from Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse to Frozen and Starwars - to help take the sting out of the new rule.

Self-printed baggage tags, like those introduced by United Airlines recently, are likely to become the norm, with passengers registering their suitcases, buggies, car seats, etc, with the airline before flying and then, at the airport, using a QR code to print a label that they then attach to their luggage before dropping it at a specific bag drop.

If you are taking carry on onboard, you will need to wait and have it sanitised before boarding. Many check-in desks and machines will also be closed, with passengers required to check-in at home.

Airports will be cleaned more deeply and frequently, with Pittsburgh airport actually launching floor-cleaning robots (pictured below) and Hong Kong airport introducing self-disinfection chambers which disinfect flyers within 40 seconds.

Hungry? Expect only packaged and wrapped food to be available from a counter at the airport rather than the usual crop of restaurants and bars. Cash will be a thing of the past, too, with more contactless payments used.

All passengers will be temperature checked by staff or asked to take a swab test before going through security. Those displaying symptoms, or testing positive, will be unable to fly.

On the plane:

Before entering the plane, the entire family will need to be sporting their masks – ensure everyone is ready before getting to the door.

Mobile boarding passes will become the new norm, too, with cabin crew scanning your passes on your phone as you enter.

For now, airlines are likely to keep the middle seat free – great news for leggy passengers and those fearing the dreaded middle seat – with many airlines capping occupancy at 50% and keeping the odd row completely free. In the future, seats could have easy-to-clean plastic dividers between seats or an opposite-facing middle seat (see below).

You will find a sanitising wipe on your seat which you should use to clean your arm rest and tray table.

The in-flight buffet cart will be at thing of the past with passengers likely to be asked to collect a “grab and seal” meal before boarding or handed a cold meal in a box during the flight. All packaging will be disposable. And, as airlines try and reap back profits, passengers are unlikely to be able to enjoy a free economy meal again with everything from drinks and snacks chargeable. In business class, welcome drinks will come in a bottle and are likely to be non-alcoholic, while meals will be served in a plastic tray with items placed in separate compartments.

Cabin crew could come around and ask you to apply hand sanitiser, that they will provide, every 30 minutes or so.

Don’t just get up and go to the toilet either… push the call button and wait for a crew member to point you to the nearest free toilet.

On landing:

Expect to wait a long time to disembark the plane as social distancing stays in place.

Your luggage will be sanitised before being released, meaning another wait.

You will also need to be temperature checked again to make sure you are well enough to enter the country; if your temperature is up, you may be asked to take a swab-based Covid-19 test (which you may have to pay for - Vienna has recently introduced tests for 190 euros). If the test proves to be positive, you will need to quarantine for 14 days.

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