I Flew During the Pandemic. Was It That Bad?

It’s no secret, COVID cases are surging and the CDC has advised people not to fly. So what did I do for Thanksgiving? I flew from California to Massachusetts. I knew the experience would be different than my prior air travel, and I knew I would need to take precautions prior to the trip. Clearly, I’ve survived the flight, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’d advise others to fly during the pandemic.

In the weeks leading to the trip, I was hyper aware of the news and COVID updates. As the trip approached, there were many changes and I had to adapt to new regulations. This certainly wasn’t a carefree experience, and there were many more details to consider before boarding the plane.

Keep in mind, I am not an expert. Before I flew, I knew nothing about air filtration systems on planes and I held no special knowledge on virus prevention. All I knew was the information that’s been repeated for month and I wanted to be cautious as I flew. I also had to accept a certain level of risk and place some trust in the airline. My entire analysis of the flight is based on my personal experience and emotions toward the flight.

Before the Flight

I booked my Thanksgiving flight in April, months before I actually boarded the plane. At that point in time, guidance was very unclear and people seemed certain that we would go back to “normal” by summer. Of course, they were wrong, and I purchased flight insurance in case I needed to cancel. Now anyone can change or…