Flying During Covid: Has the Glamour All But Disappeared?

At Victoria Airport, boarding the short flight to Vancouver

In the pre-Covid era I used to fly so much that it was not uncommon for me to wake up on a long-haul flight and be unable to recall which route I was flying. There were even a few times when, extremely exhausted, I would awake and need a moment to recall I was on an airplane! I am sure many other road warriors felt the same sensation from time-to-time: the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Peter Mauer, told me last year that, after sleeping aloft, he has sometime needed to check the inflight map to confirm where he was flying to.

Well, last week I flew for the first time since the Covid-19 crisis grounded many of us in mid-March.

The decision to take to the skies was not an easy one. I had cancelled three previous flights because of concerns that the airlines and airports were not doing enough to protect the flying public from the virus.

“The train or a one-way rental car seem quite appealing at the moment. And this is coming from someone with a risk threshold far higher than that of most folks ”

The flights on Wednesday were both on Air Canada, from Victoria to Vancouver on a full Bombardier Q400 and a connecting Vancouver to Ottawa flight on an Airbus A321-200 in a 2x2 configuration in Business Class and a 3x3 in Economy. (To Air Canada’s credit, I was alerted a day before departure that the Victoria-Vancouver flight would likely be near capacity).

The check-in at the Air Canada desk in Victoria was fairly straight forward. I had my temperature checked and was asked a series of questions. However I was shocked to see the queue at security stretch to outside of the screening hall. Social distancing was observed, however the small confines had me worried despite separation of lines by plexiglass barriers. As more flights are added, the airport needs to urgently re-think the configuration - possibly allowing travellers to queue-up outside the relatively small screening room. As in all airports across Canada, masks are now mandatory however I seemed to be the only one wearing an industrial-grade N95 mask.

What is ironic at this airport on Vancouver Island is that it is spending huge amounts of money expanding the tarmac and terminal building for a forecasted surge in traffic but is not investing in providing more space for travellers to clear security in a safe and efficient manner. The peak-hour long queues were an issue well before Covid-19 struck.

Too close for comfort: the snaking security line at Victoria Airport

The boarding process raised no red flags, with the boarding agent asking all passengers to show their faces when presenting photo identification - this process requires everyone to touch their masks and needs to be re-thought.

Upon boarding we were offered an Air Canada kit comprising of: a face mask, gloves, earplugs, sanitizer, wipes, water, pretzels and a note from the airline’s chief medical officer. I noticed that passengers took their time disembarking so as to allow maximum social distancing in the aisle of the narrow propeller plane. Still - this is the phase of the journey when social distancing is very difficult to maintain and when the public health risk is very high.

Air Canada’s inflight care package for Economy Class passengers.

Another discovery: no newspapers offered for free or for sale on the ground and in the air. Also good bye - at least for now - to airline magazines. So, if you do elect to fly, bring your own reading materials.

The brief transit through Vancouver International Airport revealed that many food and beverage outlets remain closed. Passengers would be wise to bring their own food and re-fillable water bottles. The washrooms need to be kitted out with touchless controls for maximum safety - ditto for the airplane lavatories.

Another discovery is that social distancing in Vancouver Airport (in the airside domestic area at least) is almost impossible and will likely worsen as more flights are added and as more people take to the skies. (China Southern Airlines has resumed flights to YVR with the double decker A380).

Luckily, the economy class section of the Vancouver-Ottawa flight was only about three-quarters full and I was able to occupy an empty row. Had I been seated in an aisle with a passenger next to me I would have asked to be re-seated or booked on a less-full flight (an option both major Canadian airlines say they guarantee).

Following the advice of CNN’s chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, I took the window seat (added protection from aisle traffic) and kept the air vents on maximum. Wearing a mask for a four-hour plus flight is extremely uncomfortable. And, of course, drinking beverages or consuming food requires removing the covering. Add to that the tendency to touch the seat back screen, seat table and arm rests and one prays that the virus has not attached itself to any of these surfaces.

The Business Class section was full and I could not fathom why my fellow passengers would pay extra money or use upgrades for the privilege of sitting up front where social distancing is impossible. I concluded I was much safer near the back with no passengers next to me. Besides, the inflight service has been dumbed down significantly. And Covid-19 alerts from the Canadian government confirm that passengers with the virus had also been seated in Business Class on international flights arriving into Canada and on domestic flights.

Again, upon arrival in Ottawa and even after some four hours of flying, passengers were mindful to disembark so as to maintain maximum social distancing. This was also the practice at the baggage carousel where floor markings indicate the safe distance of separation.

Not a happy camper, but at least I had the aisle to myself.

In a few days I will have to make the decision of how to travel back to the western-most coast of Canada. The train or a one-way rental car seem quite appealing at the moment. And this is coming from someone with a risk threshold far higher than that of most folks.

But one thing I am sure of after my cross-country journey is - that what little glamour was left in commercial air travel has all but evaporated with the Covid-19 restrictions and practices in place.

As The Economist said: “ To the masked passengers on half-empty planes, boarded from ghost-town airports of shuttered shops, it may seem that the experience of flying will never be the same again.”

And I do think that, despite their assurances, airports and airlines - at least in Canada - need to further rethink their practices on the ground in the air.

For airlines - especially Air Canada and WestJet - that includes re-instatement of the blocking of the middle seats and banning large carry-on baggage. If there is one thing that indicates the industry’s tilt towards prioritizing profits over safety, it is the middle seat issue. (For more on this and other travel issues, have a listen to my Global impact podcast discussion with international travel expert Mary Jean Tully).

On Monday it emerged that Air Canada is actually encouraging Canadians to ignore travel advisories and take leisure or business trip to the United States - despite the terrifying case numbers there.

A final thought: should you need to travel long-haul internationally at the moment, Emirates Airlines seems a good bet - given the precautions they’ve taken as well as the industry-leading decision to cover the costs of any passengers succumbing to Covid-19 (medical costs, hotels and even funeral costs). Qatar Airways has also introduced some admirable measures - including free face shields and extremely generous flexibility for those needing to change plans.

But no matter how extensive or generous the measures are, governments - and the virus in particular - are unpredictable. An abrupt change in policy or an upsurge in infections could result in massive cancellations, the possibility of being stranded or the need to quarantine upon returning home.

With many airlines unable to accurately predict load factors at the moment and because of abrupt changes in conditions flight cancellations are common. One friend in Kyiv tells me her son had to cancel a trip to Nice after LOT Polish Airlines cancelled the Warsaw-Nice sector and “didn’t guarantee there would be a flight the next day.”

To end on a positive note, on this journey I did relish a few almost-forgotten joys: that rush when the engines throttle up to maximum power at takeoff. Gazing in awe at the clouds as we soared across this vast land. And that feeling of adventure and anticipation as, thanks to man’s ingenuity, one is almost magically transported from one location to another.