You might remember (Gen-X and older alert) or be surprised to learn that there was a time you could walk to the airport gate without security checks.  Saying goodbye at the airport gate isn’t just a movie trope or a funny scene in 90’s television, it was, at one point, reality before the security changes were made post 9/11.  I remember my friend meeting me at the gate after a long flight with a Pepsi and a chocolate bar (before purchase onboard).  Now we accept the security checks and deal with the dreadful (and invasive) searches as part of the airport and travel experience. I’m sure we will learn to adapt to the new ways of flying in the aftermath of this global pandemic event of Covid-19 coronavirus.

Right now you’re probably exhausted by stay at home orders and the sheer magnitude of changes in the world, your work and your life.  We boarded a roller coaster that seems never ending with twists, turns and scary freefalls. You are ready to escape to the beach, the mountains, to an island, take a cruise or go anywhere that is not your home (and has room service).  I understand – I want to be on a plane to Europe but for me (and Europe) that will be a while.

So what will the airport experience and flying look like now post lockdown from covid-19?  What can we expect and how will we navigate forward?   With the curves flattening, there could be a lull and sense that all is over so folks may go back to “what they’ve always done” but we just don’t know until there’s a vaccine and even then we won’t know effective rates.  I would love to be the optomist, but realistically it’s going to be a year or longer until we settle in. So many questions, and like others in the travel space, I can only opine on how I think the airport experience and flying will change amid and post covid-19 and plan accordingly.

Covid-19 Airline Changes

Changes are occurring daily as we take baby steps back into the world of travel.  An important liquid security change in the U.S. is allowing up to 12 oz. of hand santizer in carry on luggage which will be screened separately.

Here are a few airline updates links that list cancellation, refund, rebooking as well as other applicable policies and procedures.  Each airline is unique in how they are dealing with this – familarize yourself before you book or travel with their policies.

• American Airlines Covid-19 Update– 50% middle seats blocked out, limited capacity on planes, minimal food/drink service, clubs closed or consolidated
• Delta Airlines Covid-19 Update – all middle seats blocked, boarding by rows back to front
• Emirates Airlines Covid-19 Update – antibody fast testing at check-in and ban on carry-on luggage
• Southwest Airlines Covid-19 Update – elimination of snack/beverage service
• United Airlines Covid-19 Update – scan your own boarding pass, pre-packaged food, Polaris lounge closed
• British Airways Covid-19 Update – no special meals, limited food/beverage, no elite status extensions

Changes at Flight Check In

Check in online before you arrive at the airport (no one will want to touch screens or be within six feet of another person for a while).  However, you can’t print luggage bag tags from home.  There’s no easy way to solve this for “no touch” right now so you’ll still need to use the kiosk at the airport or have airline staff print for you.

• Biggest unknowns – crowd control, printing bag tags via kiosk and temperature or antibody checks

New Airport Security Screening

The lines at security already snake around and around the terminal – expect these to get longer as we social distance and people start to travel again. Right now only 10% of normal travel is occurring (crazy!).  Expect security to space out folks on the screening as well.  So basically expect longer waits and long lines– plan accordingly.

• Good Time to sign up for Global Entry and/or Pre-Check for shorter lines in some airports.
• TSA Covid-19 Update
• PHL (my hometown airport) – Philadelphia International Airport Covid 19 Update

Changes in the airport terminals

The airports, at least in the U.S., are not built with massive gate to wait at or large common areas to keep a good distance apart. Each airport will implement their own processes and procedures to comply with state, local and federal health & safety recommendations.

• Food Outlets – bars, food courts and restaurants will need to right size. This may mean waiting for a seat or table.  Bring some snacks with you as backup plan.
• Airport shops will resize to ensure spacing and limits inside. They may remove merchandise to provide space.
• Look to see if your airport has order and delivery by app so you can use your phone, pay online and have the food delivered to you at your gate/seat.

Airline Lounge Changes

The airline lounges have long held a capacity limit for visitors and this will most likely continue and be enforced with less space to use.  Some airlines have closed lounges right now, others have consolidated lounges – best to check before you arrival at the airport. Self service is over for the champagne, wine and other drinks.

• I suspect access by credit card lounge access and/or Priority Pass may get third class status based on capacity at many airline/airport lounges.
• Plan for prepacked food, easy to access items like fruit and an increase in disposable one use plastics.

In Philadelphia International Airport, the American Airlines lounge in PHL A-West and PHL AA Lounge B/C has the space to play with, however, the BA Lounge PHL, AMEX Centurion Lounge PHL and United Lounge PHL are small already so changes will be noticeable.

At The Gate – Prepare to Board the Plane

The gates are not large enough to adequately house all passengers even when packed inside and waiting in the hallway.  Space will be a premium and boarding will need to change.  Not sure how yet though as they don’t have space unless the airports space out planes and gates for a while so that gates across from each other are not boarding at the same time and people have space to move, wait, etc.

• Delta has begun loading planes the old fashioned way – from the back row to the front row to space out boarding and allow folks to access their seats and overhead space.

If you are old enough to remember walking to the gate with friends and family, you’ll remember the simpler time of boarding from back to front in an orderly manner.  Long before “gate lice, preference, status, credit card holders and pay for boarding early” became the norm.

Changes On the Plane

It will be hard to have a six feet distance from the next passenger, especially across aisles or even window to aisle and in front and behind you.  So for the near future, planes will fly at lower load capacity and you may be asked to move/change seats for spacing and passenger weight distribution.  Until the equipment can come online, supply/demand/pricing will look like a Jackson Pollack painting, meaning it will be all over the place. What about deplaning which is usually a free for all of folks crammed into the aisle waiting to leave? Will there finally be order to the plane process?  Time will tell.

Changes In the Air – Flying in a New World

Flight Attendants will likely wear gloves and masks and need to ensure they don’t have cross contamination during limited service periods.  There will be pre-packaged foods as well as limited or no special meals available so now is the time to bring your own snacks/foods with you.

If you need to use the bathroom just prepare to Purell the hell out of you and everything you touch (yeah new 12oz hand santizer allowance).  It’s hard to escape touching things in the bathroom. There’s various pulls, levers, handles, buttons, etc. to pull the door open and close as well as lock and unlock.  If you are lucky, you will get a new “wave your hand” to flush toilet and automatic sink.  If not, then you’ll need to press (and hold) buttons.

Airline Flying Unknowns

• Masks – Will people wear masks as they have been doing for years in Asia? Will it be mandatory or optional?
• Temperature Checks – tricky one – easier to implement on cruises than at airports or by individual airlines. So I don’t expect this to happen in U.S. airports (international may be different) right away.
• Antibody Testing – Quick results. Emirates Airlines has started using this but it’s a minefield of what happens if denied boarding?  How accurate? And a host of other things.

Business Trip and/or Vacation in New Normal

If you have made it happily through all the steps above and are feeling good at your destination upon arrival, you’ve completed Step 1 (of 5) so far.  Now you have the transportation (Step 2)  taxi, rental car, shuttle, bus, etc. to the lodging of choice (Step 3) hotel, Airbnb, corporate apartment to deal with and if you get hungry (Step 4) or want to go out for entertainment/sightseeing (Step 5) to overcome.

Final Thoughts – Travel during and after Covid-19

It’s not going to be like it was in 2019, it will likely take two years or longer to fully recover and we will lose some great travel vendors along the way. We are embarking to a new normal, one that will likely change day by day as we, the traveling public, and travel vendors and governments learn how all the moving people and pieces affect global population health. We will have growing pains but will get through this.  We will be back on the road exploring the world again and I can’t wait!