It has been 7 months since I have been on a plate and I was curious to see how different things would be during a pandemic. I flew from Burbank Airport to Oakland Airport on Southwest.
To my surprise, it was not as different as I had thought. (I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. lol) I checked in online, but as I walked by the check in area, I did see that the counters had Plexiglas. I also saw many people using the self-check in stations. It was a bit crowded so I was happy that I checked in online.
As I approached the security area, there was a sign with covid protocols and a hand sanitizing station. Their was no one in the security line, I got right through. They did ask me to take off my mask when checking my ID, I was surprised by that but it makes sense. They had social distancing markers on the floor but other than that it was the same process. I’m wondering if they sanitize the baskets that you put your stuff in and how clean the floor was.
As I arrived at my gate, about 45 minutes early, I was surprised that it was about 1/3 full. There were more people than I thought. People are defiantly staring to travel. All of the seats at the gate are in groups of 3 and there is a sign on the third seat that says leave open for social distancing. All of the restaurants and stores were open, it felt very normal. I was by far the most covered, everyone else had on a mask and that was it.
When I boarded the plane, they called everyone up in groups of 10. As I got on the plane, they let us know that all of the middle seats would remain open. Once everyone boarded, they let us know they have a cleaning crew that comes and cleans the plane between each flight and the other safety protocols that they put in place.
When I arrived at Oakland, the airport was packed and there was very little in the way of social distancing or protocols.
My consensus is that I felt comfortable. It felt way more normal than I had anticipated. Everyone seemed relaxed about the whole thing.
However, I also felt like the airports and airline did the bare minimum to meet protocols and nothing more.
I think what is most important is that you protect yourself. Wear your mask, wash your hands, stay away from other people and be smart about everything you do.
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