Flying During The COVID-19 Pandemic

How are you? I was missing in action last week because I was too preoccupied. My apologies! A few days ago, I made the long trek back to the US, and realize that flying during the COVID-19 pandemic is actually a more relaxing endeavor than flying pre-pandemic.

As you know, I went back to Singapore in January. I couldn’t believe a virus turned pandemic and shut down entire countries in the 2.5 short months I was away. I wouldn’t go into details about what happened since you already know about it, but here’s my flight experience.

And please note that this isn’t an invitation to travel.

The Flights

My flight itinerary went like this – Singapore to Haneda in Japan, Haneda to Dallas/Fort Worth, then to Philadelphia. The first two flights were operated by Japan Airlines, while the last was by American Airlines.

The first flight I was on that took me from Singapore to Japan felt about a quarter full, the flight from Japan to the States, a third full, and the last domestic flight that took me home was perhaps half full.

For all three flights, I chose the window seats and had the seats beside me all to myself. Despite the COVID-19 threat, I have to admit that this is the most pleasant long-haul flight I’ve ever taken thanks to the space I got.

A little side note: Aside from the movie selection (No horror genre? Really?), I think Japan Airlines is wonderful. The service is stellar, the plane is clean, and my legs loved their seats. I swear they felt closer to the ground! Haha.

The customs

The lack of crowds worked in the travelers’ favor this time. Passing through airport security at all the airports was a breeze. There was an absence of the usual tension that came with keeping the crowd moving.

Before I boarded the US-bound flight, a Japanese lady working for TSA asked me if I’d been to Europe or China in the past 14 days. She was walking around the sitting area at the gates randomly asking questions. And that was it. There weren’t forms or declarations. I wonder if tourists would’ve been turned away at that point. In any case, I got on the plane without hassle.

Before reaching Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, I was really worried about getting caught in a crowd. A few weeks ago, travelers were stranded for hours in American airports when they were prompted to return home immediately. Thankfully, everything was clear in DFW.

I think everything went smoothly for me because I’m legally allowed to travel to the United States, I didn’t travel during my time in Singapore, and Singapore isn’t a high-risk country.

COVID-19 measures?

In all three airports, I didn’t come across a single temperature monitor or bottles providing hand sanitizers. The only temperature monitor I saw was at Jewel, the mall at the airport in Singapore. The irony!

I guess there’s no point restricting the movement of someone with a fever if they’re leaving your country. Then again, the ability of the virus to spread during incubation when no symptoms are showing makes temperature monitors a tad insufficient.

For the record, I didn’t have a fever. And still don’t.

In any case, there’s decent social distancing going on in the airports because it’s so quiet.

Precautions I took during the flight

I traveled with a mask most of the time during the trip and armed myself with hand sanitizers and antiseptic wipes.

I won’t encourage flying during COVID-19 unless you absolutely have to, but if you’re flying, here are some precautions I came across.

• With antiseptic wipes, wipe down all the surface you’ll touch when you get to your seat on the plane – the screen, the controller, the tray, the handles on the seat, and the buttons or latch for the window.
• Dispose all used wipes and used tissues in a bag and dispose of the bag responsibly. We have to protect our flight attendants too!
• Don’t have too many things lying around – assume surfaces are contaminated.
• Wash hands with soap for 20 seconds or sanitize hands before eating or touching your face.
• Don’t touch your face if you can. I find that traveling with glasses and a mask helped a lot with that.
• Definitely wear a mask if you have respiratory symptoms.
• Choose a sit far away from people if space is available. The flight attendants will assist with that.
• Choose a non-aisle seat.
• Sanitize hands when you’re back at your seat after using the restroom and washing your hands. When you open the door of the lavatory or make your way back to your seat, you may still come into contact with germs on the seats, which people use to stabilize themselves. Yup, that’s the reason to not choose an aisle seat.

What about the air?

Interestingly, airplane air is filtered by a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter that is capable of removing more than 99% of bacteria and viruses in the air even if they’re between 0.1 to 0.3 microns. The COVID-19 virus is 0.125 microns.

Airplane air is also completely refreshed 20 times per hour, from top to bottom (not front to back!) so if there are risks of contamination from the air, it only comes from the people in your vicinity.

The risks of contamination come mostly from touching surfaces, rather than from the air. Still, I find it better to wear a mask because, for me, it moistens the air I breathe in and reduces the irritation in my nose from the dry plane air. Also, it keeps my respiratory droplets to myself and prevents me from touching my nose and mouth.

Afterwords

Was I tensed? Yes, I was. I was tensed for two weeks leading up to the flights, the first being the week I pondered if I should return soon, the second being the wait for the flights. Now I’m still low-grade worrying if I caught the virus and what will happen next.

So why did I travel knowing the risk is high?

I’d have been in a more secure place in Singapore where I get subsidized health care, but the US permanent residency requirements dictate that I came home. So I came back even though it places everyone under financial and health risks. I’m uninsured, and I put Anth, his mom and brother at risk of infection coming back.

As I write in my little room where I’m currently self-isolating for 14 days, I can’t figure out if the change in climate, the anxiety or a bug is making my appetite non-existent. I can’t figure out if my shoulders are aching from my heavy computer backpack or a cold. But it was a 30-hour journey, and there has been a lot of tension. Thankfully, I don’t have a fever, but I also have 12 more days to go.

What would I do if I got sick? Right, I need to source for a good health insurance plan. And look for a job. In the current climate, where they foresee that 47 million jobs could be lost due to the COVID-19 outbreak, who am I to think that I could find something to do?

But there’s got to be something. I have to have hope. You should too.

A word of appreciation and a word of caution

Before I end this, I’d like to appreciate my immense gratitude to the flight attendants, customs officers, baggage handlers and cleaning crew (so important!) who made it possible for me to travel safely.

You guys put your life on the line by still working. I hope you’ll stay healthy!

Although I had a good experience, please don’t take it as a sign to travel. Refrain from doing non-essential traveling during this period of time, because we don’t always know if we’ve caught the virus, and traveling when sick could result in new clusters. We could put everyone we come into contact with at risk.

On the other hand, if we’re healthy, we could be coming into contact with someone with the virus when we travel.

So stay home, and stay safe!

Remember, I DO NOT encourage flying during the COVID-19 pandemic!