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As COVID-19 rates began to lower we thought it was shaping up to a good time to visit our relatives in Florida who had been in isolation. As the departure day drew closer however, numbers in many states began to rise again. Unfortunately Florida was one of these states. We decided to go ahead with our visit, but I have to admit that I was a little unsure of what to expect.
We chose United Airlines as they have the most convenient flights for us. When we booked our flight (and up to the day before the flight) the middle seats were all blocked out. I found this reassuring and it definitely made me feel comfortable about how crowded the cabin would be. The day before the flight though, the middle seats were released and they started to fill up.
We arrived at the airport about two hours before departure. Even though I had tried to read about all the changes at the airport, I still missed some. The parking situation is radically different, and thankfully we were able to navigate it without to much trouble.
Overall, the airport was much less busy than usual. We planned on taking advantage of our access to the United Club Lounge while we waited for our flight. Our flight was set to board just after 5 PM, and as almost every food option in the airport was closed we needed a place to sit and eat the food we brought with us (the one open food place in this terminal was SUPER packed). I thought the lounge would be a cleaner and hopefully safer place to wait for our flight to board.
This airport (Dulles International) has four United Club Lounges, but has closed all except for one. I was mildly surprised at how crowded the club was after such reduced crowds in the rest of the airport, but it still provided us a clean restroom, a nice, quiet place to sit and eat, and some prepacked chips. Drinks were available from the bar as well, but we did not order any on this visit. Small bottles of water were available to grab and we opted for those.
The United Club had the tables spread apart to allow for social distancing, and only two chairs were placed at each table to help keep people spread out. We ended up at two tables, but were able to find two that were next to each other. Though not as relaxing as a usual visit, it was still more relaxing for me than if we had been waiting in the terminal.
When it was time to board, we walked to the gate. While boarding was okay, it was clear that the passengers did not know quite what was expected during the boarding procedure. United is currently boarding from the rear of the plane to the front. This worked well as it prevented the clogged up aisle that frequently occurs during boarding. It was interesting that first class was seated first though, as the other 100 passengers then have to walk past them on the way to their seats. It I was in first class I think I would wait for everyone to board before getting on the plane.
Upon boarding the plane, we were each handed an alcohol wipe. We were lucky that the middle seats had not been taken on our row, though most of the middle seats did end up filled on this flight. The plane was noticeably cleaner than before the pandemic. We always wipe down the the seats and tray tables when we fly (we started when our first child was born). In the past the wipe often came back with black or brown all over it. This time, nothing. I actually felt that they did a very good job cleaning the plane.
My Fly Cleaner Wipe
On our flight everyone was wearing a mask. There seemed to be less interaction between flyers and the flight attendants also were noticeably less interactive than normal. Our flight departed at 5:45 PM. No food was offered, but we did receive small water bottles.
Overall, the first leg of trip was fine. It was a little bit more stressful than normal, but the children did well and everyone in the airport and on the plane was giving space and appeared to be making an attempt to respect everyone else’s space. When we arrived in Tampa at 8 PM, the airport was deserted. All shops were shuttered and we appeared to be the only arrival.
On our return trip things felt very different. The Tampa airport requires masks and almost everyone was wearing them, but a handful of people weren’t. Though the majority of stores were closed, there were more open than I expected. The terminal was a little less busy than normal, but if I hadn’t known there was a pandemic I might not have noticed any difference. The chairs in the airport are marked to have people only sitting in every other seat and this made it easy to have space away from others. Our time in the terminal was fine, but it definitely did not feel as if the flyers were as concerned as they had been on our last flight.
The boarding procedure was the same as before. As we filed onto the plane, we spotted one of the people walking around without a mask in first class. As we passed him he had his mask pulled down. Other that that everyone appeared to be wearing a mask unless eating or drinking. The middle seats for this flights had all been sold. Thankfully we were able to be seated by our children, but we weren’t allowed to choose our seats when we checked in and the children were not seated next to either parent. It would be nice if United contacted the people on the flight to let you know when the middle seats are released so parties can be together.
The flight was very similar to before. We each received a wipe for our seat and everyone kept to themselves for the most part. The primary difference was food. Unlike our dinner time flight, our mid-afternoon flight gave us a snack. We each were offered a drink from the drink cart exactly like before the pandemic. A little while later we were offered a bag with a bottle of water, some pretzels, and a stroopwaffle. While I was happy for the snack (I was starving), I found it interesting to have the food on a flight that left at 2 PM and landed at 4 PM. The other main difference was de-boarding. On our first flight, most people waited for the row before them to leave before moving into the aisle. This flight everyone behaved as nothing was different, despite the staff trying to keep it orderly.
Overall, I felt that United Airlines did a good job. The planes were clean, all the staff were helpful and made things operate smoothly. I did find it more stressful than usual though. While I commend them for everything they have done, I hope that I don’t need to fly again soon. If you need to fly, I wouldn’t try to talk you out of it. I also would not recommend it to anyone who doesn’t have to fly.
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