We took our first flight with Colby (8 months) at the beginning of July in the midst of COVID-19. He was a champ. I can’t wait to do many more trips with him as soon as the world opens up again and it is truly safe to travel.
I feel like it’s important to note that I strongly believe that no one should be traveling right now unless it is absolutely necessary. It was a very hard decision for us and incredibly stressful to make this plan and move forward with it. Now on the other side, knowing that we have tested negative and that all of our precautions worked, it’s easy to say that we made the right choice. But if you can avoid traveling at all, that’s even better.
Picking the Airline & Flight
Before this trip, I have always booked air travel based on price. This is the first time that I had a lot of other factors to consider.
Delta has stood out as the clear front runner as far as being the most conscious about safety. I wanted to book with them simply because I appreciate them taking this seriously. But they didn’t have great options for my departure and arrival cities. American had the best options and prices but they have not impressed me with their stance on safety. The representative that I spoke to on the phone proudly stated that they were flying at 80% capacity … I was not impressed.
After checking many different airports and airlines, we ultimately decided to fly with Southwest. We had one very quick layover on our route and flew into a small airport near my hometown which was cheaper and I felt safer than the larger ones. It seems that with COVID, smaller airports are more affordable because they have so few passengers going to those smaller cities. We were also planning to fly with a lot of stuff so SW’s standard of giving 2 free checked bags was very attractive to me. The flight was similarly priced but we saved a ton of money by getting free bags.
Planning and Packing
Our situation was pretty unique because we bought one-way tickets with no return date in sight. Thus we traveled with a lot of items that normally I wouldn’t have with me on a plane but that I didn’t want to leave behind in LA just in case we’d need them in the coming months and couldn’t get back due to COVID restrictions and safety precautions. This list included things like our passports, social security cards, and nice pieces of jewelry. I put all of these items in our carryons because I didn’t want to risk them in checked bags.
I also decided to travel with all of my frozen breast milk. My return to the office date is currently set to be in January. And I’d like to breastfeed until Colby is at least one year old (November). So I might need that freezer stash. To avoid any extra time in security, I decided to put it in a small cooler bag inside my hard-side suitcase and check it.
We checked our stroller — even though it is small/compact and easy to carry-on. We wanted to be holding as little as possible. We brought our car seat with us onto the plane. Southwest is currently not seating anyone in the middle seat, so we knew we’d be able to install it on the plane. I checked the car seat base though since our car seat can be installed without the base. So if it happened to not arrive in the checked luggage, we could still leave the airport in a car.
Getting to the Airport
Normally to get to the airport we’d take an Uber/Lyft or bus, but with COVID — this felt like too much exposure to others and with a baby, and like a hard thing to juggle. So we asked a friend to take us, he showed up at 3:30 am (thanks, Bryan!) and helped us pack the car with bags, car seat, stroller, and the three of us. We all wore masks in the car and did our best to keep our distance.
Checking Bags
For the first time in my life, I decided to use curbside check-in. It was SO WORTH IT. It’s safer to be outside if you are interacting with anyone else and very few people were utilizing this option. I was happy to give a big tip to the team of SW employees that were staffing the curbside check. They dealt with our many bags and we avoided a ton of contact inside the airport.
They did ask to see Colby’s birth certificate to confirm he was under 2-years old and thus could fly free as a lap infant. I was prepared for this and had it in an easy to reach the spot in my carry on.
We were able to check our stroller bag and also our travel crib for free. I don’t think normally you can check a travel crib but they asked if it was a baby item and when I said yes — they printed a free tag for it.
Security
Security was quick and easy. We have TSA pre-check and A-list status with Southwest so it was easy breezy to get through security. I didn’t have to hand over my ID — I was able to just insert my card into a reader and the TSA agent didn’t have to touch my card.
I’d never flown with a baby/child before so was a bit out of my element. The TSA agents helped me through the process and respectfully stayed 6 feet away when possible.
I put the car seat into its carry bag even though we planned to bring it on the plane just so it didn’t have any extra exposure to surfaces. I was probably being a bit paranoid, but it made me feel better.
Waiting for the Plane
We kept our distance as much as possible at the airport. The combo of a light travel day (we flew on the 4th of July) and low airport traffic due to coronavirus meant that our terminal was pretty empty.
We used the restroom at the airport since there was a bit more control there than on the plane to social distance. I also bought a water bottle from a vending machine so we wouldn’t have to ask for water on the plane. I wiped it down with a Lysol wipe and it doubled as hydration for me and a fun toy for Colby (he loves water bottles!). We packed our own snacks and declined them in flight.
Boarding
Southwest is unique, you board by number and can choose any seat on the plane.
Due to our A-list status, my husband was the first boarding number on the plane. He carried our bags and the car seat so he could get us settled in the first row and wiped down everything (seats, window, tray, seat belts, etc) with Lysol wipes.
Even though I also had an “A” boarding pass, I waited until everyone else was on and they did the last call to board with Colby. We slid right into the front row seats next to my husband in row one and didn’t have to walk past anyone or have extra exposure. Colby actually seemed excited to see his car seat installed and reached for it when I sat down next to it.
Flying
We loved being in the front row. Even though we didn’t have space in front of us for bags, we had extra legroom and were able to do diaper changes right there on the floor vs. having to go to the plane restroom. We were also able to move around more which helped with soothing and getting our little guy to nap.
The passengers around us were mostly very respectful and kept masks on the whole time. I was disappointed that the flight attendants didn’t seem more proactive in keeping their own masks on and promoting the message that we all should do the same. But ultimately we felt safe the whole time and distanced as best we could.
Layover and Plane Changes
Our quick layover was in Atlanta and it was very different from LAX. In the early morning at LAX, everyone seemed to be taking the virus seriously. But in ATL, many people took mask-wearing seriously but I also saw quite a few people wearing them on their chins or taking them off to eat and seemingly holding food as an excuse to not wear the mask fully. Unfortunately, we also saw a few people that were not wearing masks at all and seemed to have an “I dare you to confront me about this” look on their faces. It could have been the time of day or the city but the vibe was very different for sure.
We were able to find our own little corner in an empty gate across from ours that we could keep to ourselves. The boarding process was quick for our second plane and there were only about 15 passengers, we sat in the second to last row and had the whole back half to ourselves with only one other person between us and the exit row. The smaller plane to a smaller airport worked in our favor.
Baggage Claim
Our bags arrived quickly, probably due to the lack of people on our flight. We were one of 3 families that checked bags so social distancing was easy. We were able to gather our checked luggage and regroup without interacting with anyone.
Arrival
The airport we flew into is a 2-hour drive from my parent’s house in NC. So we had a journey ahead of us. My mom and one of my sisters took two cars to pick us up and waved to us from 6-feet away and the gave us the keys and traveled back together leaving us in our own vehicle (and a cooler of snacks!) for the car ride home.
After 6 days (recommended wait time by our health provider) in North Carolina, we got a COVID test — they offer the 15-min test here so we had our results right away. Even though we tested negative, we still completed our 14-day quarantine before interacting with our family. It was hard, but now we’ve been here for a month and know that the travel was worth it.
Has anyone else flown during COVID? How was your experience? Let us know in the comments!