Flying amid pandemic: How to prepare yourself for the flight during the coronavirus spread

After months of screeching halt of all its services, the public transport systems, particularly the passenger flight services are back on their focus to resume the services.

But the challenges remain endless. From high travel fares to staff and personnel ensuring strict hygiene measures, the flight travel amid the contagion scare is sure to be a never before experience.

The government, as well as the airport authorities, have implemented several precautionary measures for the passengers who undertake the flight services during and after the pandemic crisis. Few of the most important criteria to be followed by the passengers include:

While at airport

• Ensure yourself of not having a fever or any of its symptoms. If the thermal scanning check up at the terminal complex shows one vulnerable, the passenger will be doggedly banned from taking the flight service. Never to forget, the Aarogya Setu app is the new mandate along with your passport and visa documents.
• Not to miss, sanitiser, masks and gloves should be the first and most essential things you should carry for your flight trip. While the airport authorities and staff, including the pilots will all appear in the PPE kits, you cannot prevent yourself from doing the bit.
• High ticket charges have turned to be the fuel in fire. Although a major proportion of the passengers are now lost of their jobs and proper salaries, the air transport fares on the other hand, adds up their worries. Fewer flights, fewer seats, higher costs of sanitising aircraft and other charges incurred due to other maintenance activities against the virus will likely in turn result in high travel fares.
• Contactless entry and paper-less verification process becomes the new compulsory step in all the airport terminals. The document verification procedures will be no longer done by the authorities as it all goes digital now. The Bengaluru International Airport has already implemented the novel paper-less and contactless procedures.
• Make sure that you reach the terminal much before the flight take off as the medical check-up, and confirmation process can take longer time than before. Additionally, most of the airports now encourage the passengers to shift to web or kiosk check-ins so as to reduce the long hours standing in the queues.
• To help the passengers maintain the social distancing and prescribed one-metre distance from kiosks to baggage drop counters, the airport authorities have already taken measures including distanced seating arrangements and foot boards for those waiting in the queues. In addition to this, the terminal will be equipped with sanitiser and mask counters too.
• As checking and frisking procedures turn more scrutinised, the passengers should earnestly take care to abide by the rules and procedures of the staff and personnel to ensure safe and secure travel of all the travellers. Everything you use in the flights, including the baggage will be thoroughly disinfected and some of the airports, as per the reports, have forbidden the usage of handbags during the flight.
• Double check your pre-boarding certificates and test reports in hand that state one eligible to take flight. These records are the most important documents throughout your flight.

While on the flight

• Never try to remove your mask off the face for its high time that you shield your face from the deadly contagious virus. Make sure that the kids as well as the senior citizens, who although may feel uncomfortable of the face apparatus, should abide by the strict preventive measures.
• Maintain social distancing by leaving empty the middle seats. Apart from leaving at least two consecutive seats empty which will thus allow only two seats in a row of six; the airlines also keep the alternate rows empty. In short, every flight can carry a few countable numbers of passengers.
• A stricking new amendment in the flight service amid the pandemic is the jettison of the flight meals. Major airlines including British Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, along with IndiGo and GoAir in India have stopped serving meals to the passengers, although complimentary light refreshments and water will be served. Meanwhile, the passengers are allowed to carry required food items with them that do not require further chilling or heating.
• What if you feel to use the loo? Apparently, the airlines have also discouraged the bathroom breaks – only to ensure the passengers' safety. Instead of lining up to use the restroom, the passengers should request to the cabin crew, who will thereby arrange the services by ensuring the rush and queue.
• The only way to kill your flight hours this season is to look at the fluffy white clouds knocking at the windows or to take a long nap until you reach the destination as all the magazines and the TV services are snapped as you can't disinfect a book or the seatback screen.

While on arrival

• The journey comes to its end, here begins your days of quarantine and isolation. Not to hide, the same tiring procedures of document verification and thermal scanning can be expected in the exit terminals too.