Flying During a Pandemic
February 6, 2021
We just got back from a family vacation since the Pandemic began. We flew on Southwest out of John Glenn Columbus International Airport to Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport with connecting flights through Atlanta. Our flights out were on a Thursday morning and we flew back the following Friday afternoon. When we checked in for our flight on the app the day before, I saw that the boarding passes were available digitally on the app, but you do still have the option to print your boarding pass at the kiosk in the airport. At Columbus, only the Red Lot is open for long-term parking, versus both the Red and Blue Lots. We did not have to wait any longer than usual for a shuttle to take us to the terminal from the parking lot. There was a small line of people waiting at kiosks on our flight out to print boarding passes and to check luggage , but there was virtually no line at the security checkpoint with just a couple of people ahead of us going through. The first leg of our journey was mostly a full flight and there was not much room for passengers to spread out, but as a family of 3 we were in our own row. The next flight was only slightly less full, but the return flights were less full and passengers were encouraged to spread out. Our return trip was less busy at the airport overall with no line at the kiosk and at security in the Fort Lauderdale airport. At the security line they had me place my drivers license in a scanner and when I mentioned that I had never seen that before, she explained that they were trying to phase out paper boarding passes. The flight crew did enforce the mask rule in all flights we took on this vacation. They also served water and snacks on all flights and masks did not have to be worn while eating and drinking. For our connecting flights through Atlanta, that airport was busier, but that is to be expected with such a large airport. Overall, I felt pretty safe flying but we used hand sanitizer and washed our hands between flights. We had our own row too while flying due to our family size that was an added advantage. The only time I thought people could have spaced out more was getting to and from seats when boarding and leaving the flights.
[…] is an overview of our recent driving trip through the Florida Keys. As mentioned in my previous post, we flew in and out of Fort Lauderdale. Once in Fort Lauderdale we rented a car from Dollar. […]