Flying in the time of coronavirus

Cancelled flights, concerns about the safety of air travel, worries about the rise in the number of Covid-19 infections at destination and the eventuality of quarantine on return mean that flying in the time of coronavirus can be a nightmare. It is not surprising therefore that many people have decided not to go abroad this summer. Others, meanwhile, have opted to travel by car to avoid being in close contact with potentially infectious travellers.

 

Is it safe to fly?

If you don’t fancy the prospect of driving 2,500 Km or more to visit your family, flying is probably the fastest and safest option, albeit not the most environmentally friendly. According to experts, if you consider various forms of travel, such as bus and train, the risk of Covid transmission inside an aircraft cabin might actually be the lowest. This is because planes use a hepa (high-efficiency particulate air) filter that ensures air inside the cabin is either fresh or recirculated. However, the risk increases if the plane is full, especially if you are sitting next to someone who is infected.

Will my flight be cancelled?

Bearing all this in mind, my family and I set off for Berlin’s Tegel airport by taxi on a bright sunny morning at the end of June. We all wore face masks, including the taxi driver, and we had the car window open to let in a steady breeze. I carried a selection of spare masks in my hand luggage, as well as travel-size hand sanitiser and disinfectant – the essential items when travelling in the coronavirus era.  We had already had one set of flights cancelled by Lufthansa in June (only 12 days after booking – we are still waiting for a refund, as are thousands of others) and, right up until boarding, I had doubts about whether our Swiss flights actually existed and whether we would make our connecting flight in Zurich.

 

Will social distancing be possible?

When we arrived at the airport, Tegel was almost deserted and most of the shops were closed. The queue at the bag drop was much shorter than usual, and passengers generally observed the mask-wearing and physical distancing rules. Once we got to our gate, it became more difficult to keep a distance from others, as more people arrived, so we moved upstairs, where we found fewer people and more comfortable seats. When the announcement to board the plane was made, the airport staff made the usual distinction between business and economy passengers, but other than that we were all called to board at the same time. It was difficult to maintain a physical distance, especially when queuing in the jet-bridge, but at least everyone was wearing a mask.

 

What happens on board?

Once on board, we were greeted by the mask-wearing crew and we were given a disinfectant wipe. The idea is for passengers to disinfect all surfaces close to their seat. We were also given a questionnaire to fill out with our contact and travel details, including our seat number on the plane. According to the airline Swiss, “where possible, neighbouring seats will be kept vacant”, but both our planes were full and, as far as we could tell, there were very few free seats. Swiss has a “modified and partly reduced onboard service”, which “aims at reducing the number of physical interactions between crew and guests”. As both our flights were over 45 minutes, there was a reduced beverage service and on our second flight we were given a snack. There were no Duty-Free sales though. Zurich airport was busier than Tegel, as there were more flights departing. Most shops were closed, but we were able to buy sandwiches.

 

Are the regulations the same in other EU and Schengen countries?

I’ve already written about the confusion caused by the contradictory information regarding Covid. To add to the confusion, when you travel abroad, you discover that each country has different regulations about face masks and physical distance.  For instance, at Zurich airport wearing a face mask is not compulsory, but passengers are encouraged to wear one if a 1.5 m distance cannot be observed. As we were queuing to board our flight to Palermo, we heard an announcement about larger pieces of hand luggage to be placed in the hold.

 

What are the regulations when travelling to Italy?

The Italian National Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC) has prohibited the use of overhead lockers. Small handbags are still allowed, as long as they can be placed under the seat in front of you. The measure is intended to facilitate boarding and disembarking and avoid the formation of crowds. Once on board, we were advised to wear our protective masks. They are compulsory on all Edelweiss flights, “whenever social distancing is not possible”. After take-off, there was another announcement, presumably as we were now flying over Italian airspace: in Italy it is mandatory to wear a protective mask on airplanes at all times. We were also given a self-certification form to fill out declaring we were not suffering from Covid or subject to quarantine. When we landed in Palermo, we disembarked as usual and walked into the terminal, where our body temperature was scanned. After waiting an hour for our luggage, we discovered that 55 suitcases were missing, including ours. Apparently, there had been a problem at Zurich airport. Two days later, after having our body temperature scanned three times at different points in Palermo airport and after a security check, we were finally able to collect our luggage.

 

Do I need to quarantine?

If you travel to Italy from other EU and Schengen countries there is no requirement for quarantine, but it’s probably wise to keep an extra distance from others, just in case.