If you follow my Instagram, you may have noticed that my family moved to Amsterdam recently. Because of this, I took the risk of flying from Bristol airport during the pandemic, to spend time with them on the 11thAugust.
With everything that is going on, I wanted to write a post on what you can expect if you are flying at this time. I have no idea what flying in the future is going to be like, and I donโt want to speculate and worry so I am focusing on what itโs like now.
Before arriving at Bristol airport
24 hours before your flight, you have to check in online. Most airlines I have an app and I always recommend downloading it (also check out my post on travel apps you must have).
Once I had checked in, I was given my boarding pass to download. I was able to add it to my Apple Wallet (since I have an iPhone) and download it to my photos.
When packing your hand luggage, be sure to have your electronics ready to take out, and your liquids bagged up so when you go through security, itโs quick and easy!
Keep your eyes peeled for a post on what I pack in my hand luggage! I talk about what entertainment I pack on Surviving a Long Haul flight.
Arriving at Bristol airport
The traffic to the airport was minimal, and I learned why as soon as I arrived. Thereโs no one here!
An important thing to note is that there is now a charge for airport drop off. For 10 minutes, itโs ยฃ3 and for 20 minutes, itโs ยฃ5.
Everything is a one-way system, and you have to enter a gazebo before being allowed into the airport. The sign on the gazebo stated it was a โTemperature Testingโ centre but they allowed me to walk right through.
You have to wear your masks the whole time, which really sucks when you also wear glasses! I have yet to find the magic method of not fogging up my glasses, but I endured.
Once I got into the main airport, I found the KLM baggage line (the airline I was flying with) and walked straight to the counter. The waiting lines were arranged so there was a gap between each one, and only 3 or 4 attendants were scanning baggage.
As I said previously, there was no one here, so it took me all of 5 minutes to drop my bag off and get my passport scanned. I was offered the opportunity to have my boarding pass printed, which I declined since it was on my phone.
Going through security
I have never been through security quicker than I did on the 11th. There were 5 security stations and you were directed to one. Once you weaved your way through the zig-zag lines, I was told that I didnโt have to unpack my bag!
I put my bag (full of electronics and liquids) straight through the security system and walked past the sensor without issue.
Departure Lounge
Since it took me about 20 minutes to get from the entrance to the departure lounge, I had a long wait ahead of me.
The gate to my flight opened 45 minutes before take-off, and boarding started 25 minutes before take-off.
I would say there was a total of 125 people milling around the departure lounge, which is practically nothing since the usual is thousands! Every sat a respectable distance away from each other and the shops were pretty much empty.
Boarding the flight
Once called to the gate, people were unable to socially distance properly. You scanned your own ticket on a barcode scanner, and the attendants checked your passport and carry-on luggage.
When boarding the plane, it was as if everything had gone back to normal, except the fact everyone was wearing masks. Almost all of the seats were full, and we took our masks off to eat and drink.
Overall things to note
If you are flying from any airport in England at this time, I would recommend taking these tips into consideration:
- Bring multiple facemasks as they should be changed every 3 to 4 hours, or whenever they start feeling wet.
- Pack everything so itโs all easy to access when you need to. This stops any holdups and unnecessary contact with other people.
- Bring entertainment! I was waiting around for a very long time.
- Pack your own hand sanitiser even though there are lots of sanitising stations, itโs easier to do it on your own terms.
I hope you have found this post useful, especially if you are flying any time soon!
I haven’t been on a flight trip since March. I had my tickets for Vietnam in March but it got cancelled. I am sure that my experience would have been similar if I had gone there or if lockdowns were announced a few weeks left.
Iโm sorry you missed out on your trip! I was meant to be in America but that also got cancelled, so I know your frustrations
Thanks for sharing what it is like. It all sooo strange with the airport being so empty! It’s like something from an apocalyptic movie!
We have only been on road trips within our province here in Canada. I was really surprised how different cities/areas seem to cope with it all. In some places everyone seems super careful, but in others no-one is wearing a mask. I wonder if it is like that, depending on who you fly with…
Yes everywhere handles it differently! Although Iโm surprised it varies across the same country. I think itโs very similar across all flights, but I wouldnโt quote myself on that!
What an interesting experience! I’m glad it basically went smoothly. I also liked how you documented it even though things could change at any moment. These experiences during this challenging time are certainly unique, and writing about them is one way to help deal with them. Plus, it will be interesting to come back later and re-read them. It is also interesting that the airport was empty even now! I think we in America (well, I’m actually in Brazil, but I’m from the US) have been led to believe that Europe is completely “back to normal,” and clearly that’s not exactly true at least in terms of number of people traveling.
Oh Europe is certainly no where near back to normal! The UK has enforced a quarantine on many countries, like the Netherlands, so when I fly back home, I have to isolate for 2 weeks. Also in England, we have to wear masks while inside and keep 2m from everyone. A lot of people are still very worried
I have also been traveling a bit although the idea of flying still freaks me out a bit. But good to know about your experience, it’s reassuring. I also wrote an article about href=”https://myrightsock.com/10-tips-for-traveling-during-covid-19/”>some tips to keep in mind while traveling in these times, and a lot of the stuff you’ve written about rings so true.
Your post is very helpful, thank you for sharing it!
Thanks for sharing your experience flying during the pandemic! I always find these stories fascinating. I have to say, it must be great to have so little traffic through the airport, but all the extras that you have to do now and wearing the mask must be a pain. Hopefully we will go back to normal one day!
I really hope so too, but for now, we all have to do our bit to keep safe. Iโm glad you enjoyed my post!
This gives a good idea of what to expect when flying in the new normal.
Yes for sure! Although I do hope flights will be more regular, as there was only one a day to Amsterdam
Well it seems the pandemic has given us the advantage of shorter lines at security.
Yes we have to look on the bright side!
It’s crazy flying right now. I braved a 20 hour international flight this month (Philippines to Turkey). Face masks AND face shields were required.
Wow thatโs a lot! Iโm thankfully we donโt have to wear face shields as they seem awfully uncomfortable
Thanks for sharing this reassuring post! I’m Dutch and live in the UK so would normally travel back to the Netherlands every 2 or 3 months to see family and friends again. My last visit to the Netherlands was the end of January which is now over half a year ago, the longest it’s been since I’ve seen my family! But since my parents are both at high risk, I felt nervous travelling and unconsiously infecting them. I was also hesitant towards travelling as I read horror stories about packed UK airports but your experience is so reassuring! I might go back after the school holidays but now the UK brought in a 14-day quarantaine for anyone returning from countries such as the Netherlands it makes things a bit more difficult again. I hope you had a nice time in the Netherlands and that the flight back was just as easy and relaxed!
Iโm glad this post has eased your mind a little bit. The quarantine is a pain, but we all have to do our bit to keep others safe and I knew there was a chance. Thank you for your kind thoughts! Iโll be flying back on the 6th September and I was going to write from about the Dutch airports too so maybe thatโll interest you as well
It is such a strange time to be travelling right now and it’s good to read about people’s experiences of it. We took three flights to get home at the end of March and then the flights were so full! It sounds like you’ll be having a great new adventure ๐
Wow that’s a lot of flying! I can only imagine the stress you had felt, but I’m glad you got back in the end
We currently have no plans to fly any time soon. Nevertheless, I like the idea about having multiple facemasks so that you can change to a dry one.
I’m glad you found that useful!
WOW! Thank for sharing your recent experiences. We flew home from India March 19th as the world was closing down and experienced a lot of the same things. We’re not ready to fly yet, but being in the US there aren’t a lot of options anyway. We both wear glasses and have found that fabric masks with a metal clip inside the nose bridge helps keep them from fogging.
Ooh thank you for the tip! I’m happy to try anything at this point. I can’t wait for the world to open back up again. I do hope you’re able to explore the US tho!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience. It’s so interesting to see how everyone’s airport visits have been different. I flew from Luton at the beginning of August and honestly every seemed as normal, I was quite shocked! I hoped that there would have been a little more social distancing and mask wearing, but it didn’t seem any different to any other time i’ve flown.
That’s super interesting, I wonder why there weren’t many precautions in place. Bristol airport seemed to be trying very hard, but once on the flight it was as if everything was normal again too
Thank you for sharing – I still can’t quite get my head around it’s ok to take the masks off to eat and drink on the plane when you’re so close to other people, I think it’s supposed to be counter-acted by the way that the air is filtered.
Mask tip – washing up liquid and peppermint oil drop inside.
Thank you for the tip! I’ll give it a try. I don’t know much about air filtration and what not, but I could tell that some passengers were not happy