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5 Tips For Safe Flying This Holiday Season

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The holidays continue to be one of the busiest times to fly. While the airports will be emptier than usual this Christmas and New Year's, it's essential to practice safe flying habits. There are several ways to fly safely and minimize potential exposure this season.

1. Pack Extra Travel Essentials

Airlines are limiting onboard services during the pandemic. As a result, it's a good idea to bring extra travel essentials if you rely on the airport and airline amenities to help you pack lightly.

Some of the hygiene and travel essentials to consider bringing include:

  • Masks
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Hand wipes
  • Snacks
  • Travel blanket
  • Entertainment devices

Having extra face masks can be a good move when flying. While commercial planes use HEPA filtration that can remove 99.97% of contaminants, clean mask hygiene can reduce your risk of exposure. You may decide to wear disposable N95 masks and change in-between flights or at regular intervals.

In addition to the standard 3-1-1 TSA liquid rule, passengers can carry-on up to 12 ounces of hand sanitizer in one bottle. There will be sanitizer stations throughout the terminal but bringing your own helps you put safety into your own hands.

Packing extra hand wipes can help sanitize your cabin seat, luggage and travel gear after passing through airport security, boarding, deplaning and toughing out a layover.

Airlines and airport food vendors offer prepackaged food and drinks when possible. While the CDC doesn't believe that coronavirus is a foodborne illness, bringing your own food can prevent potential person-to-person contact with food service staff. You may need to order food for long travel days, but it can be possible to bring everything from home for short itineraries.

It's also a good idea to bring travel gear like travel blankets and entertainment devices from home. Airlines are practicing more frequent disinfection practices than before, but having your own gear helps you keep a low profile.

2. Avoid Large Crowds in Airport Terminals

The airport terminals and most plane cabins will likely be less-packed than usual. However, it's important to avoid large crowds despite the social distancing measures in place.

Finding an empty seat in the terminal away from others should be a priority. Other flyers have the same idea, so finding one may require a little extra walking. While fewer people are traveling, terminal seats may be blocked off and reduce the total seating capacity.

One way to avoid airport crowds is by visiting an airport lounge. Some lounges are temporarily closed, so it pays to check the lounge hours before traversing the terminal.

Another suggestion to avoid crowds is to minimize trips to the in-airport restaurants and shops. Many retailers are offering mobile ordering and contactless pickups. You can use the digital ordering option for effortless payment and skipping the shopping lines.

When possible, avoid the public transit systems in the airport and walk the terminal. While airport staff does try and keep the terminal train connectors clean, it's still a good idea to minimize skin contact and wash your hands regularly.

3. Minimize Bare Skin Contact

Reducing skin contact with airport and airline surfaces can minimize exposure. Wearing long-sleeved shirts and pants can be the best option. As it's winter, you may also bring a jacket or blanket to keep warm and add extra layers of protection.

If this is the first time in a public setting for an extended period since the pandemic onset, remember to be aware of what your hands touch. Be sure to wash hands before touching the face mask, skin or other travel gear.

Airports and airlines are going to great lengths to offer contactless apps and make activities paperless. But touching hard surfaces is inevitable. It's important to sanitize after touching contaminated surfaces.

You might also make a habit of using one hand to touch hard surfaces. This might be the hand you don't use to adjust your mask or scratch your skin subconsciously.

4. Fly Airlines That Block Middle Seats

Several airlines continue to block the middle seat through the holiday and winter season. If you can't reserve an entire row for your travel party, flying with the right airline can reduce your chances of sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a stranger.

Here are some of the airlines that are currently blocking middle seats:

  • Alaska Airlines: Middle seat through January 6, 2021
  • Delta Air Lines: Middle seat through March 30, 2021
  • JetBlue: 85% flight capacity from December 2, 2020, to January 7, 2021

Other airlines are no longer blocking the middle seat but may reduce the seating capacity. Even for airlines that pledge to block the middle seat for non-family travel parties, the carrier may waive the rule to make space for flyers from a canceled flight.

When possible, book a window seat to be further away from the aisle.

One way to potentially avoid a full flight is to avoid peak travel days. The latest TSA checkpoint data indicates that over 1 million people fly on the pandemic's busiest travel days. On ordinary days, the daily number of screenings is between 500,000 and 900,000 passengers.

Some of the busiest travel days this 2020 holiday season can be:

  • Wednesday, December 23
  • Saturday, December 26
  • Sunday, December 27
  • Thursday, December 30
  • Saturday, January 2

Not flying on these days doesn't guarantee you won't have a full flight. Factors like weather delays and flight consolidations can make for a full flight. You can check current seat availability in the airline app or the online website.

Fortunately, airlines are waiving change fees, which reduces your out-of-pocket costs if you need to adjust your travel dates. However, you will need to pay the difference if your flight rebooking costs more than the original ticket price.

5. Research Travel Restrictions Before Arriving

In addition to bringing your own travel essentials, minimizing contact and avoiding public transit, it's a good idea to research the travel restrictions for your destination. The airline will ask basic health screening questions and perform a body temperature check to verify you are fit to fly.

Some destinations, like Hawaii, require a pre-flight COVID test to waive the mandatory quarantine. Some airlines offer same-day testing at the airport terminal, so you don't have to order a take-home test or visit a doctor for a scheduled test.

Having a negative test result beforehand can offer additional peace of mind as you go through the airport health screening process.

Some states require all inbound travelers to complete a Traveler Health Form, which asks for your lodging and travel itinerary details. This form should also list the current travel restrictions. Observing these travel guidelines includes social distancing and masking to avoid potential exposure.

Summary

Safe flying may require additional effort from flyers this year. The good news is that airports and airlines are also emphasizing travel hygiene to prevent the spread of contagious viruses. Being cautious and practicing physical distancing, when possible, can help you have a good trip.

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