First Flight Since Pandemic

By alantvuong on August 8, 2021

On a regular normal year, I fly and travel at least a few times a year to various destinations. When I went to Miami in January 2020 to visit a friend and to go on a cruise, I had no idea it will be my last trip for a while. It ended up being 18 months until I actually flew again. Canadians are not recommended to travel out of the country yet so I thought a trip within Canada would be the best way to get on a plane again.

With certain provinces having different rules for travellers from other provinces and different restrictions in place, I thought about visiting Toronto again for my third time in 12 years. I wanted to visit some friends and family and to get back into a big city. I wasn’t sure what covid restrictions would be in place but I didn’t care and booked a flight for 5 nights in Toronto right after the Calgary Stampede ended. This was the third week of July.

Pre Flight

I wasn’t sure how early to book an Access Calgary Transit bus to get my friend and I to the airport and thought around 2 hours prior to flight should be good. I was thinking the process of security and checking in will take longer because of extra safety precautions and protocols. The bus ride itself just require the both of us wear our masks along with the bus driver.

all masked up at Calgary airport ready to start our trip

Masks are also mandatory at the airport and there were hand sanitizer stations and social distance markers everywhere. Checking in, getting our boarding passes, and going through security hasn’t really changed much except they quickly take our temperature to make sure we don’t have a fever or are sick.

disabled guests boards first

Wheelchair guests are still boarded on the plane before any of the other passengers. I still had to use an aisle chair to get on the plane. There wasn’t really a delay in time as everything went at the proper pace. The only difference this time was that every staff wore a face mask and I see more cleaning staff walking around wiping and disinfecting high touch areas.

The Flight

As soon as we got on the plane, we were kindly reminded that masks must be worn for the entire duration of the flight, except when we were actively eating or drinking. There are no exceptions to this rule, as all staff and members are following and checking on people. We also get a small pack that has alcohol wipes, masks and a mini bottle of hand sanitizer so we can disinfect our seating area if we choose to.

we get a small bag with masks, alcohol wipes and hand sanitizer

Snack time was a bit different this time as they were offering full cans of soda, juice boxes or mini bottles of water. Before the pandemic, they were pouring soda from cans to cups, and juice or water from bigger bottles. I guess this limits the time and contact we have with the flight attendants.

flight was pretty full both ways

Post Flight

The whole flight was pretty smooth and there were no complaints from anyone in having to wear masks the entire flight. I think everyone was just happy to be able to start flying again as the flight to Toronto and the flight coming home was actually quite full. We had an empty seat beside us when flying to Toronto, but not when flying home.

aisle chair used to board and get off the plane

I don’t feel that a lot has changed traveling post pandemic since we were already used to wearing masks and social distancing guidelines by now. I felt quite comfortable on the plane and am already itching to book my next trip. This time, I hope to fly out of the country really soon. Keep an eye out on my page and follow along.