I used to fly about every 3 months and since we moved across the country from our family, most of those have been cross country flights. In fact, after living in Seattle for a year, I no longer classified a 6 hour plane ride as a “long” flight – it started to seem normal and closer flights were “short” and only international flights were “long.” Brains are weird and fascinating.
Anyway, I haven’t been on a plane since January. My partner and I have been taking COVID extremely seriously. I don’t want to infect anyone or be the cause of anyone’s possible death, so we have stayed inside since basically February, but now the time has come for us to travel. We’re moving to the east coast and the WA State government deems moving as “essential travel” so we decided to go ahead with our plans. We flew from Seattle to Atlanta during a pandemic. Here’s what happened:
TRANSIT
As I mentioned, we’ve been taking the pandemic very seriously and part of that has been not using public transit options (our usual form of transportation). I haven’t been on a bus since February (despite Seattle requiring masks and blocking middle seats). Basically, if I couldn’t walk somewhere while properly distancing from people, I didn’t go. My world became the few blocks around our apartment.
The first time we got into an Uber was a month ago when we moved from our first monthly Airbnb to the second. We got an Uber XL after I had read up on the protocols Uber put in place for COVID. I felt comfortable enough to try it based on what they claimed, and had a good experience.
They require all drivers and passengers to wear masks, block the front seat, request that you keep the windows down if you can and ask that you use hand sanitizer before and after getting in the car. Also, many Ubers that I’ve seen also installed a plastic separator like those in a taxi. After trying Uber a few times, I felt comfortable enough to take one on a longer ride to the airport.
When our driver arrived, I noticed that his mask was under his nose – a first in my experience. I kindly asked if he would pull it up and he did. Crisis averted! We put our bags in the trunk and got to the airport without incident after watching the gorgeous greenery of Seattle pass us by for the last time.
SEA-TAC AIRPORT
Seattle has also been taking the pandemic quite seriously and I’ve been impressed with their response throughout all of this (compared to other US cities) and I was happy to see what protocols Sea-Tac had implemented as well. There were “masks required” signs everywhere, indicators of where 6’ apart were on the floor and an abundance of hand sanitizer.
Checking Bags
I mentioned in this countdown to retirement update that because of the pandemic, our “move around the world every 1-3 months” has been postponed. As a result, I changed from my original plan of only owning enough stuff to fit into this comfy and affordable 40L backpack to a micro-move to Georgia. This would allow us to bring more stuff to make our space comfier since we don’t know how long we’ll be in the area (our travel plans are “COVID-pending” as it were 😉 ).
So I checked a bag, took my 40L backpack as my carry on and also had my handy dandy Vanguard tote as my personal item. My partner checked a bag and a small rolly that we usually use as our carry on. I was worried we wouldn’t be able to get all the things we would like for an extended stay in these bags and stay under the 50 lb weight limit, but WE DID IT!
Thanks to my best nomad purchase so far: this travel scale, each of our big bags came out to 49/50 lb max limit. NAILED IT! Checking our bags was straightforward after my sleepy brain caught up (we got up at 6am after not really sleeping since I was afraid of missing my alarm). I thought the entrance line was an exit line and got confused, but luckily an airport employee set me straight and then we were off!
We stood in line for maybe a minute on the 6’ apart sticker in front of the check in counter and then were met with a masked Delta employee who let us put our bags on the scale, gave us our tickets and we were off!
Security
My partner headed to security and I took off to find the TSA pre-check line (they’re not at every security check point in Sea-Tac anymore so I had a nice little stroll). When traveling, I often do this little separation dance with my partner because I love TSA Pre-Check and have had it for almost 6 years.
Last year when I had to re-up, I decided to get Global Entry, which includes TSA Pre-Check in the US and also lets you breeze through security when returning from international locations. I used the Capital One Venture Card to get that perk for free and saved $100.
Security was pretty normal with the addition of distancing stickers, masks and plastic shields in front of TSA officers. One thing I wasn’t expecting was that to check my ID, the TSA officer asks you to remove your mask. I guess I got used to grocery store clerks just trusting my eyes when I bought wine (instead of asking to see my whole face), but security wise, I’m happy to see that the TSA is a little more discerning 😉 .
Then there were more distancing stickers, masks and a normal security line process. Because I have Global Entry, I didn’t have to remove my shoes and jacket from my person or my 2 laptops (I still had my work one at this time) and Kindle from my bag. After going through, I grabbed my stuff and headed to the gate. Easy peasy.
The Gate
The gate brought more masks required signs, sanitizer stations and the addition of every other chair being blocked out with a social distancing sticker. I saw everyone showing deference to the sticker, which was good 😉 .
As for masks, most people were being good, which is what I try to focus on (I can’t let 2% of the population being dicks ruin my life, right? 🙂 ) . One dude took off his mask when getting to the gate, sat around without it and then put it on right before boarding the plane. We steered clear of him – luckily there was ample room to do so. There were a few dumbasses with their masks intentionally under their nose, but overall, good mask etiquette was more prevalent than I expected (pessimism for the win?). Then it was time to board!
THE PLANE
One of the reasons I was comfortable flying at all is that Delta seems to be taking this shit seriously. They were very clear about the precautions they were taking on their airplanes. For example, they claim to use high-grade disinfectant in high-touch areas and to frequently wipe down surfaces.
The air on all their aircraft is also recirculated every 2-4 minutes with outside air or through industrial-grade HEPA filters similar to those used in hospital operating rooms. Delta has also blocked all middle seats on their planes through 2020 (at least). All this combined with the N-95 masks Angela from Tread Lightly kindly gave us, made me feel confident going on this adventure.
Fun fact: I learned the number after the “N” describes the percentage of particles it filters out when worn properly. Sweet! That’s a high percentage of particles 🙂 . The middle seat block helps with one axis of the three I was worried about (beside, behind and in front of me). Luckily, my partner and my weird tendency to sit behind each other on flights helps with one more.
Boarding
Boarding was a dream! To help distancing, they board from the back of the plane by rows and said that if people were loitering in front of the boarding door they would close it and stop boarding until people disperse (I LOVE the “I’ll turn this car around!” vibes – and no, I’m not joking). Luckily no one loitered, people only went up when their row was called and distancing was maintained.
Because of this new boarding protocol, there was no waiting on the jet bridge either, which I loved. Though I did notice that in case it happens, there are more stickers showing how far 6’ apart is (are the sticker companies raking it in right now? Good for them 😉 ).
When I boarded the plane, I was given a hand wipe by the flight attendant who was wearing a mask and gloves. As I was walking down the plane, I only saw one person with their mask intentionally under their nose – and he was wearing a Trump 2020 hat….way to be a stereotype (Note: I wrote this before Trump tested positive for COVID. With that new knowledge this memory feels a bit ironic).
Then I got to my seat, opened my air vent (a tip from Delta to help the air recirculation) and settled in with my partner in the window seat behind me. I then realized I had accidentally put the hand wipe I was given in my overhead bag and instead used an abundance of hand sanitizer…so much so that my partner texted from behind me “I can smell your hand sanitizer”…so maybe I overdid it a bit 🙂 . Oops!
Then a person sat in the aisle next to my partner and pulled his mask down after sitting. It turns out he was in the wrong seat and moved to be in the aisle of my row. However, luckily, I didn’t have to throw down. After moving seats he pulled up his mask and was a chill row mate after that. Phew!
The Flight
After that, the flight was totally chill. I watched a movie and then wrote this very post 😉 . During that time, gloved flight attendants came around with snacks, water bottles and hand sanitizer in individually pre-packaged plastic bags. I grabbed one for later and put it in my bag.
From a COVID researcher: Get an N-95 and don't remove it during the flight. If possible, avoid the bathroom. And see if you can travel with the middle seat empty (statistically lowers your chances of infection).
— Maggie Banks (@northernexpense) September 23, 2020
Before taking off, I had asked my personal finance friends on Twitter for any tips to get through this with my health and sanity intact and one of the tips was to wear an N-95 (check!) and to not take it off during the flight (in progress). So these snacks will come into play later in my life.
I jokingly say that I’m a “camel” while traveling – I usually don’t go to the bathroom on a flight and don’t eat or drink. I took that to the next level this time with the aim of not taking my N-95 off at all while on the plane and I’m happy to say I succeeded!
Wearing it for my 6 hour flight was a little uncomfortable, but obviously not as uncomfortable as getting COVID. And of course, because my life is a drama, the main reason it was uncomfortable was because I messed up my nose when I had a health scare a week before leaving Seattle (I fainted and landed on my nose when I fell), but whatever. I’m a trooper. Before the flight, I watched a few YouTube videos (AKA how millennials learn anything) about how to properly wear a N-95 and am hopeful I did it correctly.
Anyway, back to the show: My row mate was asleep for most of the flight. He woke up to take off his mask and eat and then put it back on and continued to be my favorite kind of plane buddy – silent and minding their own business 🙂 .
I listened to the “Wild World” album from Bastille, watched the clouds out the window, finally checked out the show Killing Eve (which is amaaaazing – I’m already HOOKED!) and then before I knew it we were landing.
Deplaning
The process to get off the plane was the same as usual, but it was interesting to see that people’s behavior was different. I heard an older gentleman in front of me say “Remember when everyone would just rush to get up and off the plane?” Indeed I do sir – a whole 7 months ago…or 372 years ago in COVID time 😉 .
Instead of the usual rush and crowding, people stayed in their seats (not even at the direction of the flight attendants). Everyone stayed in their seat until their row was free to go to the front and disembark the plane. There were very few people standing in the aisle in the meantime. This way of doing things actually aligns with how I usually leave planes and I was happy with the efficiency of it.
ATL AIRPORT
So, to preface: my home state includes a high percentage of idiots. It’s one of the reasons I left. Georgia is one of the laughing stocks of the nation because of their dumbass response (or rather lack thereof) to COVID, but here I am…about to live here again and stepping into the busiest airport in the world.
There were a few stickers on the floor to indicate 6′ apart, some random hand sanitizer stations and a shitton of people. While the Seattle airport looked more like a ghost town than a major airport on a Saturday, the Atlanta airport looked like it had the same volume of people as it did pre-pandemic.
And unfortunately, the level of mask wearing was on par with what I expected from my hometown, which not a lot. For the first time, I saw “chin mask wearing” and abundant under the nose situations as well as a few people with no mask at all.
I’d give this airport’s COVID implementation a solid C-, BUT that was actually a better grade than I expected to give (hello low expectations)! Needless to say, the abundance of people and lack of adherence to the rules while my older Mom was with me had my anxiety spiking, but we got out of there in one piece and without me punching anyone for pretending to cough on her or some other garbage…so…yay?
Baggage claim
I can’t remember the last time I checked a bag (carry on fo’ lyfe!) and there seem to have been some technology upgrades since that time. I use the Delta App to scan my ticket while going through airports and it alerted me to a fun new feature: a play-by-play of where your bags are!
Before we boarded the plane, I got a notification that our bags had been scanned on the aircraft. That was a load off my mind since the few times I have checked a bag usually involved some type of snafu (I don’t have the best travel luck…). So we knew that our bags were on the plane at least and I was hopeful they would make it to baggage claim in Atlanta as well.
Then I was surprised to see that they also scan the bag when it gets off the plane AND when it arrives at the baggage claim carousel. Fancy! The data nerd in me loves to see it. Our bags were actually on the carousel before we even reached baggage claim. Sweet! If this is what checking bags is like these days, I might reconsider it for the future…#LifestyleInflation 😉 .
Transit
We ended up taking an Uber to our accommodations and it felt totally fine. We and the driver were wearing masks and had the windows down. I do love adherence to the rules!
CONCLUSION
And that was my experience flying across the country during a pandemic! I survived with (most of) my sanity intact and my health intact as well (we tested negative for COVID this weekend!). In summary: WE DID IT!!! It’s time to officially be nomads and see what life is like on the east coast and then (one day) the world! Now I think I’m going to go full on hermit for a while. Peace out!
Have you flown during the pandemic? What was your experience?
While I don’t think I will be flying anywhere soon, I do really appreciate getting the inside scoop on how it’s been for others. Glad it was mostly smooth flying and traveling!
Fair! We seriously debated if we should do this and had all kinds of alt plans – my Mom even suggested she drive across the country to pick us up and drive us back (wow), but after I did more research the plane seemed like a fairly safe option. Thank you!
Oh my, I got on an international flight in May and it was one hell of a ride. Even got to sleep 10 hours on the floor while waiting for my connecting flight. I think I’ll stick to driving if this continues into 2021 🙂
Woah international – you’re hardcore! But why were you sleeping on the airport floor?!? Sounds good on driving – that’s our plan for the foreseeable future. I even signed up for a rental car loyalty program this morning haha!
Thanks for being so thorough on reporting your flight experience! I already get a little rage-y when I see other grocery store shoppers ignoring the one-way stickers, so your Georgia airport experience validates my choice to go nowhere NEAR an airport. I’m so glad it was an uneventful jaunt and that you’re now settled in (minus the spiders…)
Of course! And yeah I get rag-y at any tomfoolery in a grocery store so yes – definitely avoid the sillier states and their airports if you don’t want to hyperventilate lol. And haha the banana spiders and I are now friends so that’s good!
Hi! Long-time lurker here.
When you announced your revised FI/RE date, I felt like I had gained a twin 🙂
I FI/REd Sept 30 as well. I took the last 5 business days off to use up my allotment and clear out my office — I was OCD enough to collect and sort all the surplus office supplies that had been gifted/orphaned to me over the years, including testing all the pens to make sure they still worked, finally putting it all in the supplies closet.
I’ve been re-reading LivingAFI so so much lately to bolster myself — I mostly enjoyed my job though I never saw the point in spending all the daylight in the office; people were really wrecked that I was “leaving” and I kept having to downplay things, look calm and put together +/- make it not about me, while on the inside I was basically screaming constantly for a variety of the usual reasons.
I negotiated casual non-urgent contract work from home/on the road, works out to about 1.5 days a week.
We are doing a very basic van conversion for camping to head south while being COVID-distanced.
Not sure yet if I will have to do the rare flight back for work, so definitely appreciate your write-up!
Hi lurker! So happy you decided to comment 🙂 . Congratulations on FIREing!!! And ooh using the last few days as PTO is badass – my silly company has a policy against that. Super cool on your contract work gig and oooh a van conversion sounds so interesting! Glad it was helpful in the event you have to fly back, though I really hope you won’t need to 🙂 . Thanks so much for stopping by!
I’m so glad that until you got into Atlanta, things were managed well.
I don’t see us traveling anywhere anytime soon, and definitely not by plane. There’s no way we could tell a five year old to sit on a more than 2 hour flight without eating or drinking. Maybe without going to the bathroom but that’s only if we had gone to the bathroom at the airport and I couldn’t say I’d be feeling so hot about that part either! But I’m also the higher risk family member, so I can’t see being willing to make a trip anytime soon myself. I can hardly wrap my head around more than a half hour drive right now so I’m happy to live vicariously through other people who can! 😁
Yeah it went better than expected overall 🙂 . And totally fair all around. Happy to go out in the field for others to live vicariously through my freak outs haha 🙂 .
I used to fly all the time and wouldn’t even think about it. I once got extremely ill with a bad fever on a multi leg international flight and it was like whatever. Just reading this made me realize it’s going to be be a long time before I fly again. I got anxiety just reading about it ugh. Glad you made it through safely.
Fair – it was a serious discussion we had for a while before buying our tickets. And oh no – you’re a badass! I’ve felt bad on flights, but never like that or on an international one. I’m sorry the post gave you anxiety, but am happy to provide my experience in case it helps other people’s decisions. And thank you!
Welcome to ATL! I moved here from LA about 10 years ago and have made a small fortune. This city is where dreams come true…and where any dream is affordable. Sans the rednecks in the sticks, I couldn’t be happier. But even they are becoming more and more rare to find in the metro region.
Thank you! And that’s an interesting perspective 🙂 .