Best Practices for Flying During the Pandemic
June 26, 2020 3:03 PM Subscribe
My family and I are planning on taking an essential plane ride sometime in the near future. What are the current best practices to keep us and other travelers safe and to reduce our exposure to coronavirus?
My spouse and I are planning to move our family from the US to Canada sometime in the next two months. We will be traveling with our one and a half year old child and our pet cat.
After considering other options, we have decided that the best way for us to get to Canada is by plane. Our daughter cannot be in her carseat for the long stretches that the 36+ hour drive would necessitate, and RV rentals are either booked or prohibitively expensive. That said, we're very scared of being exposed to coronavirus during the course of our trip. Up until this point, we have basically been fully locked down, getting all groceries delivered and only leaving for masked walks in our neighborhood. We will be quarantining in Canada for 14 days upon arrival, per the law.
I would love to know if folks have any tips to make our trip as safe and stress-free (ha!) as possible. Personal experiences flying in the last month or so? Any articles or research about the safest way to fly right now?
A few things we are already considering:
-We'll be flying direct. Flight time is about five hours.
-Adults will wear masks the entire time. Our toddler will not. Per someone else's earlier post on Ask, we have ordered some KN95 masks as an option in addition to the cloth masks we already own.
-Wiping down our seats/tray tables/etc when we sit down
-Packing all our own food/water, especially snacks for the toddler.
-Minimizing unnecessary bathroom trips for adults. But toddler will likely need one or more diaper changes that involve using the airport bathroom/airplane lavatory.
-We are thinking of having our Canadian family leave a car for us at our destination, so that we can drive ourselves to our 14- Day Quarantine location ourselves instead of taking a taxi or ride share.
I'm curious if there's been any writing about the best ways to minimize contact with other passengers. Days when planes are more likely to be at lower capacity? Is it better to sit near the back? Near the front? Better to board early or later? Other things we'll have to tackle include a potential hotel stay near the airport the night before our trip, shuttle or ride-share transport to the airport in the US, and getting through customs when we arrive.
I'm also incredibly nervous about our sweet cat, who is miserable even on the shortest of car rides (I'm talking... hyperventilates until she's foaming at the mouth. Pees and poops in her carrier. It's pitiful!) How can we best prepare to handle this when we're also trying to not touch anything and keep our toddler safe/entertained?
Basically, we're trying to prepare for the "known unknowns" and the "unknown unknowns," as best we possibly can, in what will likely (hopefully?) be the most stressful move of our lives. Any and all advice is much appreciated. Thank you!
My spouse and I are planning to move our family from the US to Canada sometime in the next two months. We will be traveling with our one and a half year old child and our pet cat.
After considering other options, we have decided that the best way for us to get to Canada is by plane. Our daughter cannot be in her carseat for the long stretches that the 36+ hour drive would necessitate, and RV rentals are either booked or prohibitively expensive. That said, we're very scared of being exposed to coronavirus during the course of our trip. Up until this point, we have basically been fully locked down, getting all groceries delivered and only leaving for masked walks in our neighborhood. We will be quarantining in Canada for 14 days upon arrival, per the law.
I would love to know if folks have any tips to make our trip as safe and stress-free (ha!) as possible. Personal experiences flying in the last month or so? Any articles or research about the safest way to fly right now?
A few things we are already considering:
-We'll be flying direct. Flight time is about five hours.
-Adults will wear masks the entire time. Our toddler will not. Per someone else's earlier post on Ask, we have ordered some KN95 masks as an option in addition to the cloth masks we already own.
-Wiping down our seats/tray tables/etc when we sit down
-Packing all our own food/water, especially snacks for the toddler.
-Minimizing unnecessary bathroom trips for adults. But toddler will likely need one or more diaper changes that involve using the airport bathroom/airplane lavatory.
-We are thinking of having our Canadian family leave a car for us at our destination, so that we can drive ourselves to our 14- Day Quarantine location ourselves instead of taking a taxi or ride share.
I'm curious if there's been any writing about the best ways to minimize contact with other passengers. Days when planes are more likely to be at lower capacity? Is it better to sit near the back? Near the front? Better to board early or later? Other things we'll have to tackle include a potential hotel stay near the airport the night before our trip, shuttle or ride-share transport to the airport in the US, and getting through customs when we arrive.
I'm also incredibly nervous about our sweet cat, who is miserable even on the shortest of car rides (I'm talking... hyperventilates until she's foaming at the mouth. Pees and poops in her carrier. It's pitiful!) How can we best prepare to handle this when we're also trying to not touch anything and keep our toddler safe/entertained?
Basically, we're trying to prepare for the "known unknowns" and the "unknown unknowns," as best we possibly can, in what will likely (hopefully?) be the most stressful move of our lives. Any and all advice is much appreciated. Thank you!
As an owner of a cat who vomited and pooped on travel, speak to the vet about a pre travel fast.
posted by jeather at 3:18 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by jeather at 3:18 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
what airline are you flying? American just announced that it was officially abandoning its (already tacitly abandoned) gestures towards maintaining distance between passengers, and will cram everyone in as tightly as possible (though they might still hector you to distance during boarding, just for lolz.) Anecdotally I've heard poor reports re United. Delta and Southwest are supposedly still doing a good job.
posted by fingersandtoes at 3:24 PM on June 26, 2020 [9 favorites]
posted by fingersandtoes at 3:24 PM on June 26, 2020 [9 favorites]
This article has a bunch of tips from someone with legitimate scientific expertise of how to mitigate risk of infection while traveling by air: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/05/18/airplanes-dont-make-you-sick-really/
posted by lomes at 3:33 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by lomes at 3:33 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
I wanted to share this advice on flying from a Prof of Biology.
posted by shw at 4:39 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by shw at 4:39 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: We're planning on flying AirCanada, which is blocking seats to encourage distancing currently, but may not be after this month. That said, travel to Canada is currently restricted, so I'm hoping (perhaps foolishly) that means that flights are less likely to be full.
posted by lakemarie at 4:52 PM on June 26, 2020
posted by lakemarie at 4:52 PM on June 26, 2020
Good news that air flow in the planes go top to floor, not front to back plus they have great filters and bring in outside air so keep your little fan turned on. Plus the high seatbacks and everyone facing forward helps keep things in your row and not moving front to back. Since you are a group of three, you can be a complete row of your own.
I read up on covid-19 and airline travel and found research (I'll come back if I find the link) that when they tracked flights where a passengers was known to come down with covid-19 afterwards, the number of infections from others sitting nearby was actually fairly low.
posted by metahawk at 6:32 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
I read up on covid-19 and airline travel and found research (I'll come back if I find the link) that when they tracked flights where a passengers was known to come down with covid-19 afterwards, the number of infections from others sitting nearby was actually fairly low.
posted by metahawk at 6:32 PM on June 26, 2020 [1 favorite]
I had essential travel to Canada recently. It's good that you're flying direct; the first flight before my US-based layover was about 80% full and the airport was very busy. The second flight from the US to Canada was pretty quiet - I think someone was in the row behind me, but the two rows in front of me were empty and I moved a row up. Different airlines and different routes are very very different in how full they are, but for crossing into Canada, anyone without a Canadian passport has to present a lot of paperwork to get through, so that is definitely limiting the number of passengers. And they really check it - I had to present it multiple times , had to answer questions to a government official in Toronto over the phone, before they would allow me to board.
posted by sillysally at 7:25 PM on June 26, 2020
posted by sillysally at 7:25 PM on June 26, 2020
You're covering yourself pretty well. Source: married to a commercial airline pilot.
posted by heigh-hothederryo at 7:42 PM on June 26, 2020
posted by heigh-hothederryo at 7:42 PM on June 26, 2020
I can’t help you with the flight part but I would definitely talk to the vet about getting a sedative for your cat. I gave one to my cat on a cross country road trip and it helped tremendously, she would just sleep solidly for about five hours after I gave it to her.
posted by mygothlaundry at 6:36 AM on June 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by mygothlaundry at 6:36 AM on June 27, 2020 [1 favorite]
Nthing the sedative, but give it a trial run first. I have a kitty who freaked out from the sedative and panted and cried the entire time it affected her. My other cat was fine with it.
It was a fun bus ride trying to converse with the vet with my very poor Korean and his broken English. He finally was able to tell me Ivory was reacting to the sedative.
posted by kathrynm at 8:40 AM on June 27, 2020
It was a fun bus ride trying to converse with the vet with my very poor Korean and his broken English. He finally was able to tell me Ivory was reacting to the sedative.
posted by kathrynm at 8:40 AM on June 27, 2020
I may also have to fly, and feel like there isn't a perfect solution. The recirculated air on the plane may be well-filtered, but that won't protect you from someone coughing on you directly and doesn't address the problem of spending time in airports (especially the bathrooms, where the virus can spread through flushing). I would get N95 masks if they're in stock at your local hardware store, and consider adding plastic face shields. If you can go on the first flight of the day, it may be less popular. I know some airlines are boarding back to front but sometimes boarding first class first...if first class was last or you could choose to board last, I might pay more to sit there, so fewer people will pass you and you can get off the plane faster when it lands. If it's a plane with first class in a separate deck, even better.
Your poor cat...this may not be an option at all, but honestly, if I had a cat that was that stressed by travel, I might try to find a new home for them in the old location.
posted by pinochiette at 10:31 AM on June 27, 2020
Your poor cat...this may not be an option at all, but honestly, if I had a cat that was that stressed by travel, I might try to find a new home for them in the old location.
posted by pinochiette at 10:31 AM on June 27, 2020
Yeah, i just saw that Air Canada is dropping physical distancing policies.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:51 PM on June 27, 2020
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:51 PM on June 27, 2020
You may not be able to bring much water. Please check the TSA restrictions.
Otherwise it sounds like you are doing all of the right stuff. My sister who has an immune compromised child was doing the wipe downs, etc, before everyone else was. Definitely make sure your kid has their own seat. The change of clothes in the outlined article is a good idea too.
For the cat: consider a halter and letting the cat get used to it. They will probably make you take the car out of the carrier during screening. You can ask for a private room if your cat is an escape artist like mine. Consider putting an old t-shirt with your scent in the bottom of the carrier for comfort. The fast/drugs are a good idea if your vet agrees.
posted by eleanna at 10:16 AM on June 28, 2020
Otherwise it sounds like you are doing all of the right stuff. My sister who has an immune compromised child was doing the wipe downs, etc, before everyone else was. Definitely make sure your kid has their own seat. The change of clothes in the outlined article is a good idea too.
For the cat: consider a halter and letting the cat get used to it. They will probably make you take the car out of the carrier during screening. You can ask for a private room if your cat is an escape artist like mine. Consider putting an old t-shirt with your scent in the bottom of the carrier for comfort. The fast/drugs are a good idea if your vet agrees.
posted by eleanna at 10:16 AM on June 28, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by cooker girl at 3:06 PM on June 26, 2020 [2 favorites]