Flying During A Pandemic
We spend a lot of time talking about planning your Disney vacation here on 2 Foolish Mortals and what to do in order to make the best out of your time at Walt Disney World. However, the time you spend inside the magic is just part of the vacation experience. First, before passing through the main gates or discretely wiping that tear from your eye when you see the castle, you need to get there.
There are lots of different ways to get to Walt Disney World from wherever you happen to be coming from. We’ve even talked about some of them here on 2 Foolish Mortals! The transportation method of choice for many, however, seems to be flying. This means that for many people visiting Walt Disney World, myself included, the vacation experience starts by heading over to the local airport; my local airport being located in the Twin Cities.
Like most things in the United States [and the world] right now, visiting the airport too has become an experience that doesn’t quite look like it would have prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic. With health and safety protocols in place, flying can seen like a new experience. That’s why today I want to share my experience flying from the Twin Cities to Orlando and back again with you. We’ll talk about some of the things I noticed while traveling, some of what you might want to take into consideration and what you may encounter if you’re going to be flying in the near future.
🦇
My most recent trip from Minneapolis/Saint Paul had me departing the Twin Cities in late April 2021. At the time, most of the health and safety protocols that had been in place since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic had still been in place. However, I returned from my trip at the beginning of the 2nd week in May; at which time some of the rules and guidelines had been relaxed. That said, both before and after some of the guidelines being relaxed, my opinion remained the same. . . . . air travel hasn’t changed that much. For the most part, arriving at the airport and making your way through the maze that ultimately leads to your gate and finally destination, is somewhat similar to what you’d expect if you were traveling at any other time. There are some key exceptions, but for the most part. . . . it’s the same.
So what exactly are these exceptions? There are 2 that come to mind right away; face coverings and physical distancing.
Much like many of the places you’ve likely visited since the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic, face coverings [or masks] and physical distancing are part of what you’re likely to experience when arriving and moving throughout the airport. Though face coverings don’t do much to impact the overall experience you’re likely to have at the airport, the same can’t be said for physical distancing. Whether the distance between parties is 6 feet or 3 feet [as it was for my return flight] the general idea among people at the airport seemed to lean towards giving people room rather than breathing down their neck. This not only makes for a bit more of a comfortable experience, but it also makes queues seem longer than they actually are. This is something you’ll want to keep in mind when arriving at the airport and when you arrive at Walt Disney World. . . . . but that’s a different discussion altogether.
When arriving at the airport in Minneapolis/Saint Paul as well as in Orlando, looking at the long lines made me think that I should have arrived much earlier than I did. However, the lines ended up moving rather quickly and it turned out that arriving 2 hours before my flight [per the airline’s instructions] gave me plenty of time to check my bags, move through security and find my gate with time to spare. In fact, things moved so efficiently at Orlando International Airport that I was able to find my gate and ready a book for more than 1 hour before the flight started boarding.
🦇
Aside from the standard health and safety protocols that most of us are already familiar with, the next biggest difference I encountered flying during the Covid-19 Pandemic was how much of the airport was open and operational. At both MSP as well as MCO, there seemed to be a very limited number of shops and restaurants open for business. This meant that travelers had a limited number of options to choose from once they had passed through security. For some travelers, including those who bring their own snacks and don’t intend to eat or make purchases at the airport, this won’t be much of an issue. However, if you’re the type of person who arrives at the airport early so that you can get through security and grab some food or shop a bit, this might be something you want to be aware of.
Why exactly some of the restaurants and shops at both MCO and MSP were closed is unbeknownst to me. The same can be said regarding whether or not any of them will open back up and/or when that might be. What I can say is that while some shops and restaurants are closed, there are others that remain open giving you some options to choose from. In most cases this seemed to be counter service and/or fast food restaurants as well as small kiosk type shops that sell a small selection of necessities you might need for a flight. Personally, I recommend taking a look at the directory for the airport you’ll be traveling through prior to arriving so that you have an idea of what it is that’s available; especially if you’re planning a sit down meal at the airport.
Face coverings, physical distancing and limited options aside. . . . the experience of being at an airport and flying during a pandemic is very much similar to what it would have been like any other time. The process and the policies are mostly the same, with the exception of airlines requiring masks, as you’ve been experiencing if you’ve flown in years past. The biggest differences seems to be encouraging people to give others their space and take their time so as to not create jams of people. As is the case with anything else in life, there are those who follow the guidance and those who do not. Having said that, I did feel like people seemed to lean towards giving you the space you needed rather than crowding around and breathing down my neck.
Of course, with every passing day come more changes and adjustments. Even during the time that I departed and returned to Minnesota, changes had been made that slightly impacted my experience at the airport. What’s next to change, adjust or even return is anyone’s guess. As always, we recommend keeping an eye out on any of the changes and/or updates that may be made my your airline and local airport so that you have the most up to date information.