I asked myself this question a lot before leaving for our family vacation a couple of weeks ago. Airlines claim to be disinfecting in between flights and assure us they are doing their part to keep us safe. I couldn’t help but feel skeptical, especially because part of feeling safe in a flight involves everybody doing their part, not just the airlines, but the passengers as well. This includes wearing a mask AND keeping it on during the entire duration of the flight.
I made sure to research what airlines were doing before our trip but I was still extremely nervous. So much so that I made sure to take enough supplies to disinfect and protect us from any area my family and I would be in. This included the following:
- One package of surgical masks
- One R-95 mask for each person
- One bottle of hand sanitizer for each person
- One package of disposable gloves
- One bottle of Zinc Cold Therapy chewable tablets
- One bottle of extra-strength Tylenol
- Two packages of Clorox disinfecting wipes
- Two packages of Scrubbing Bubbles Antibacterial Bathroom Wipes
- Three bottles of Emergen-C Immune + Vitamin D gummies
- Four cloth masks for each person
- Four to-go packages of Kleenex
- 20 Alcohol prep pads
Overprepared? Maybe, but I would rather have these things and not use them all up rather than to be in need of something, especially when it comes to our health.
So let’s start from the beginning of our airport experience. We left our car in the overnight parking lot reserved for passengers wishing to leave their car parked at the airport during their trip. From here, we walked over to the pick-up station where a bus picked us up along with some other passengers and luggage. The driver had no contact with anyone and had the row of seats behind him blocked off. The bus had no limit on how many passengers could board and no seats blocked off to encourage distancing. Needless to say, the bus filled up both with people and luggage. On the bright side, the ride was only about five minutes.
When we first got on, the seats didn’t seem wiped nor was there any sort of cleaning or disinfecting product scent. My guess is that the bus wasn’t cleaned in between passengers. Once we got off, I didn’t notice if anyone got on (I don’t think anyone did because it was too early for any flight to have arrived with people going back to their parked cars) but it likely went back to the parking lot to pick up the next round of travelers.
Now, back to what airlines are doing- specifically, American Airlines which is what we flew roundtrip. According to their website, they’re enhancing cleaning at their counters and kiosks, providing hand sanitizing stations, turning off some kiosk stations to provide more space, encouraging distancing throughout the check-in and security areas, and requiring face coverings for all team members and travelers.
So, how much of this is actually true? Let’s begin with the kiosks. When arriving at MCI airport in Kansas City, Missouri for our departure, we went through the self-check-in at one of the kiosks. All kiosks were up and running and we didn’t see anyone around ready to disinfect them once travelers were finished checking in. This may have been because it was so early (4:30 AM), but I would still expect them to schedule employees at this time in order to disinfect and help maintain the area as clean as possible. There were two employees at the counter in case someone had questions or was checking a bag in but they didn’t seem to be ready to wipe anything down.
Once we were at the gate, we were able to get seating all together and spaced away from other groups. This was because we arrived extra early but once it got closer to boarding time, people started to crowd around the gate and I didn’t see any hand sanitizing stations. Instead, each of my family members and I went into the restrooms to wash our hands before boarding the flight. Social distancing was also not followed or enforced at the gate. Once the announcements began of which groups were allowed to board, everyone huddled around and left no space in between. The boarding process did consist of each individual scanning their own ticket however, eliminating contact between employees and tickets. At this point, everyone I saw at the gate did have a mask on, which was good to see.
On the plane (an A319), I sat in the middle seat, while David sat next to me in the aisle seat. I had VERY high hopes that no one would be seated next to me in the window seat, but to my disappointment, an older man arrived claiming his window seat. My disappointment didn’t come from this person’s age or gender, it came from his inconsiderate actions during the 2-hour flight. The first thing he did when he sat down was to remove his mask and call his family to let them know he had boarded his flight. After he hung up, he put his surgical mask back on but lowered it so his nose was uncovered. I tried to look away from him and his direction during the 2 hours to avoid breathing in the same air as him. I also opened the air vent above me all the way to help with circulation. During the flight, he would go from lowering his mask all the way, uncovering both his mouth and nose, to covering only his mouth. There were a few times towards the end where he coughed a bit but with it being a full flight, there was nowhere I could move to, and at no point in time did any of the flight attendants say anything to him. Some will say this is the price to pay when traveling during a pandemic, but it shouldn’t be. I wore an R-95 mask and a double-layered cloth mask on top during this first flight and I’m so glad I did. The most uncomfortable part of this flight experience wasn’t all the coverings I had on my face, but the fact that there are people around us who don’t care enough to take care of each other.
You’re probably wondering what the cabin cleaning was like. Whether they cleaned before or after the flight (if at all), I’m not sure. I couldn’t tell just by looking and smelling if it had been cleaned or not, but judging by the lack of other safety precautions such as enforcing social distancing at the gate/when boarding, hand sanitizing stations, and the flight attendants not enforcing the mask policy on flight, I would not be surprised if there was also a lack of cleaning/sanitizing the seats and overall cabin area.
Our layover took place in Charlotte, North Carolina. Neither airport (MCI/CLT) had temperature scanners or hand sanitizing areas. The seating areas by the gates were also very crowded and I noticed the seats weren’t very clean. No one ever came around to wipe any area down or clean high traffic areas such as seats, charging stations, counters, doorknobs, etc.
When we boarded the flight to Cancun, Mexico, there were a few people not wearing masks. I’m not sure if they had medical reasons or not, but it was bothersome for the staff to just let them on through without a word. This flight was also a full one, just like the one from MCI to CLT. On this one however, each passenger that boarded was handed a paper bag with one bottle of water, one package of crackers, and one hand sanitizing wipe.
Upon arrival to the Cancun International Airport, we went straight to customs just like everyone else. The lines to get through were insane, you would never know there was a pandemic if it weren’t for all the people wearing masks. Distancing here was also difficult, although stickers on the floor indicated where each person/group should stand to keep a 6ft distance. The total amount of time we stood in line to get through customs was around 45 minutes.
Once we got through, we went straight to baggage pick-up then exited to meet our driver for the resort. The private van service was through BD Experience and they took amazing care of us. Before entering the van, they pumped hand sanitizer in each of our hands, took our temperatures, and sprayed/wiped down our luggage. The drive from the airport to the resort was about an hour and upon arrival, the resort staff also took our temperatures, sanitized our hands, and wiped our luggage.
When it came time to go back home, we felt a little more prepared on what to expect at the airport and on the flights. Unfortunately, not much changed during the week. People at the gate still weren’t social distancing, despite sticker markings on the floor and the flight was completely full going from Cancun, MX to Dallas, TX.
On the flight going from CUN to DFW, there was what seemed to be a drunk passenger who wasn’t noticeable until he got up to go use the restroom. During this time he was pretty obnoxious to anyone around him. His girlfriend had to help him and pleaded with him to calm down and sit. Again, no flight attendant handled this and I watched as some passengers got up to see if they could help or handle the situation themselves.
Getting through customs in Dallas, TX didn’t take very long at all. It took about 10 minutes for all of us to get through and begin heading to our gate. At this point, it was about 8:00 PM.
To end this whole travel experience post, our flight from DFW to MCI was unfortunately accompanied by some more non-mask-wearing passengers. It was announced before take-off that the flight attendants were aware of 3 people with medical conditions who would not be wearing face coverings. However, there were more than 3 people not wearing them. One of them sat 2 rows ahead of me and was asked not one, not two, but THREE times by the flight attendant to put on a mask. Did he listen? No.
Summary
I can only imagine how frustrating it is to be a flight attendant during these times. Everyone looks to you to fix some of these situations, but at the end of it, there is only so much they can do. Especially when it comes to customers who are non-compliant regardless of how many times they are asked nicely to do something. I think it’s ultimately up to the airlines to put in place stricter policies such as fining those who refuse to mask just because they don’t feel like it. On the other hand, the flight attendants should have handled the drunk guy at least to some extent.
At every gate we waited in, we used disinfectant wipes to clean our areas. We also doubled up on masks before the flights.
I highly doubt the cleaning procedures are being done after each and every flight. My suspicions are that maybe they’re being done at the beginning/end of each day. Again, that’s just my opinion based on what I saw. Also, this was just my experience through American Airlines. I’m sure each airline is handling the cleaning procedures differently.
Lastly, I imagined my flying experience a little differently. I didn’t think the matter of face coverings would be such an issue on flights. I assumed everyone on board would look at the situation and realize wearing a mask is a small price to pay to get to your destination safely and help those around you get to theirs safely as well. If you’re planning to fly soon, just be cautious and pack extra masks in case you feel like doubling up. You never know how many people will be on your flight who will refuse to wear a mask.
