My First Flight During The Pandemic!
Hiya! I travelled from Minneapolis to Toronto this Saturday, August 1st 2020 and wanted to document my experience in hope that it might help someone out there ♥️
First things first, I booked a direct, 2 hour long flight (10:45 AM departure) with Delta as I knew they’re keeping middle seats unoccupied until September 😎But they changed the itinerary about a month prior to the travel day. From direct it now became a one-stop itinerary (6:45 AM departure) via Detroit, Michigan [2 hours + 1 hour layover + 1 hour]. I panicked, tried to contact them every possible way but was never able to get in touch! 😔
Try to book the shortest route possible (less time in-air)
Woke up at 2:30 AM so I could be at the airport 3 hours early to avoid rushing. Although the airport was sparsely filled and I was done with my checkin in 30 mins tops, I don’t regret going early. You never wanna rush, it gets super hot under that mask 🤪
Reach airport early enough to avoid sweating under that mask!
Everybody at the airport was wearing a mask which was such a relief. The only place I had to slide my mask down was at the security checkin for identity confirmation. Also, social distancing went down the drain at security checkin. It was business as usual. People were right next to each other, loading their stuff on trays
Don’t panic if you don’t have a personal hand sanitizer
There were hand sanitizer stands available all over the airport so don’t worry if you don’t have one personally or forget yours at home 😊Things were not really that different to be fair. Just the overall feeling was new.
Air dryers in restrooms had been sealed off to avoid spread of the virus via air. Instead there were paper towel touch-less dispensers. Everything else was the same.
There were recorded announcements being made consistently about the safety guidelines. There was no temperature scan at Minneapolis but it was done at the gate in Detroit. May be because it was the international leg?
Bring your own food if possible. If not, don’t worry you’d find something to eat
Most restaurants were closed. Some were open for takeouts only. Also, Delta gave out care packages instead of the regular refreshments. They were sealed in a see-through plastic bag - some kind-bars, m&ms, a small water, hand wipes, and paper napkin. Interestingly, you’re still allowed to bring your own food and beverages on board!
If the plane is a 3x3 seater per row, middle seats were kept empty. I felt great as I was the only one in my row 😈 If the plane is a 2x2 seater per row, only window seats were occupied. Who knows whether its effective against the virus but it sure acts as a pacifier!
Time Saver Tip - Use ArriveCAN and eDeclaration apps to speed through immigration and customs! - https://www.canada.ca/en/mobile.html
I installed these apps, filled them up while I was still in Minneapolis. Didn’t have to fill out any paperwork at all after disembarking. Breezed through all checkpoint by showing the confirmation code the apps give at the end of filling travel details.
Something I LOVED - Luggage trolleys at Toronto airport are FREE!
Unlike in Minneapolis and many other US airports where you have to shell out 5 bucks to use a luggage trolley, Toronto airport provides them at no charge. This was such a godsend for me as I had zero cash (I was careless, learn from me lol).
BTW, I loaded ALL this by myself! So proud 💪🏼
Another VERY important detail - Let your banks know of your travel so they can whitelist transactions posted in Canada on your cards
This comes especially handy if you plan to use your overseas debit/credit cards for booking Uber or such app to go home from the airport. Not doing so will render all your transactions declined! My stupid ass forgot this but I was promptly able to add my Canadian card as a payment method.
I almost threw these out thats why they’re crumpled but here are the quarantine guidelines pamphlets that were given out at the Toronto airport
Don’t hesitate to call people out if they take off their masks at the airport or especially in the aircraft
Some people were being careless but I noticed they were being called out either by airline staff or co-passengers. This is not a light matter so if you feel threatened, do speak up!
It’s my quarantine day 3 today and I’m alright so far 💃🏻
