After rebooking three times due to the pandemic, my sister finalized her wedding dress shopping trip and as her Maid of Honor, I had to be there! But, the question remained, how to travel from Pennsylvania to California safely?
After consulting with our families, M and I decided to fly to California and then drive the whole way home to Pennsylvania (road trip post here!) so we hopefully wouldn’t have to quarantine when we got back. The few weeks before the trip, I was stressed out about flying. We stocked up on masks, gloves, and sanitizing wipes and headed out to the airport.
Delta
We booked our trip to fly with Delta, and a few days before our flight we were sent an email outlining all the precautions. Masks in the airport and on the plane, no middle seats, and all their extra sanitizing precautions.
At the Philly airport, our flight was at 7 am so we were there very early and thankfully there was barely anyone in the security line. I have TSA PreCheck so I went quickly through but be forewarned- the security agent asks you to pull your mask down for a second while checking your ID (also happened at Sacramento and San Diego airports as well).
Overall, we felt very safe flying on Delta. We booked first class tickets (my first time!) so we knew that we would have a little more space, but M and I were even in different rows with no one next to us- very spaced out for an airplane. The wonderful flight attendants were making sure everyone kept their masks on when not eating or drinking and after wiping down my seats, I felt the sanitation was definitely increased from pre-COVID.
Some not so great things about traveling during COVID did come up though. First, the airport (at least the Philly airport) was empty, including stores and restaurants. The only thing open when we got there was a Dunkin’ Donuts and one bookstore. Be prepared and bring snacks, and don’t be like me and lose your neck pillow on the way to the airport.
Second, there are a lot less flights during COVID, so any delay or mechanical issue (which happened to us) can majorly mess up your travel plans and make rebooking flights pretty difficult. We had drama trying to leave Philly which I don’t want to dwell on here, but let’s just say we got to California 8 hours later than planned.
United
Now, to fly down to San Diego for my sister’s wedding dress shopping trip, the only option from our small town was to fly United. I assumed the same precautions I experienced on Delta would be enforced on United. Most were- masks and sanitizing, but the middle seats were not blocked off so social distancing was difficult.
Thankfully my mom and I brought enough wipes for the seats so we felt safer after we wiped everything down for ourselves but ultimately, it wasn’t the worst.
Overall, Delta is the way to go if you want to fly during this pandemic. Try and book first class if you can, because you will have even more room. Bring snacks, wear your mask, and stay patient. Travel during COVID is such a blessing and I am very happy to report I did not catch COVID during this trip at all.
Have you flown during the pandemic? What was your experience like? Let me know in the comments below!