Has anyone flown in the last month?

[jelloshots4all]

My kids are scheduled to fly on Friday.  They are 16 and 20.  They have masks as they wear them at work, we have plastic gloves and hand sanitizer.

They are flying Southwest to Houston.  I wonder how SW is handling seating since they have no assigned seats.

[Cheesy FL-Vol]

I haven't flown, but supposedly SW is prohibiting the center in a row of three from being filled. Not sure if that is actually the practice when you board. That is certainly not even close to a 6' social distance. I will  not be flying any time in the near future.

[wvugurl26]

Their app says they are boarding in groups of 10. I assume they have limited numbers of tickets and the flight attendants will provide guidance?

[Artemis Windsong]

I am too comfortable facing the death threat of Covid 19.

It would take a lot to get me to fly. Maybe deep sea fishing for Halibut would do it! On second thought, it would be cheaper and easier to just order it.

[steph08]

I have also read that Southwest is leaving the middle seats open, in addition to other cleaning and sanitizing practices.

I have not flown, but I really would like to this summer to visit family. However, it doesn't seem like it will be possible. 

[Tennesseer]

I imagine SW is boarding passengers like the other airlines are doing today: boarding the passengers whose seats are in the back of the a/c first. No more first class boarding first if the lesser paying/discounted passengers have to pass by them to get to their seats in the back.

[Gardening Grandma]

I would be interested to know if SW is enforcing mask wearing.
I’m reading that several airlines are allowing people to boatd and fly without masks even though they state it’s their polucy to require face masks

[Deleted]

My sister is coming out here on SW in July.  I worried about it, but her daughters (engineers and not doctors but analytical) told her that if she wore a mask and didn't touch or drink anything she should be ok.

Doesn't that sound like a FUN trip from Phoenix to Birmingham? 

[Tennesseer]

Jun 15, 2020 19:39:22 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

My sister is coming out here on SW in July.  I worried about it, but her daughters (engineers and not doctors but analytical) told her that if she wore a mask and didn't touch or drink anything she should be ok.

Doesn't that sound like a FUN trip from Phoenix to Birmingham? 

Wearing eye glasses for 65 years, I live with a foggy view of everything wearing a mask.

[Gardening Grandma]

Jun 15, 2020 19:39:22 GMT -5 @bamafan1954 said:

My sister is coming out here on SW in July.  I worried about it, but her daughters (engineers and not doctors but analytical) told her that if she wore a mask and didn't touch or drink anything she should be ok.

Doesn't that sound like a FUN trip from Phoenix to Birmingham? 

Might be a good idea to wear goggles too. Personally, you could not pay me to fly right now

www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/virologist-hospitalized-coronavirus-believes-he-got-it-through-his-eyes-n1206956

[wvugurl26]

Well southwest says they are only giving cans of water and a snack mix. If she wants anything else she'll have to bring it on the plane. Take hand sanitizer.

[alabamagal]

DD just flew back to Germany last week. 3 flights.

She said on the overseas flight that her and DD were seated together in a row of 3, then they put someone else in 3rd seat. He immediately asked to be moved, and it was not a big deal because plenty of empty seats. I told her most people would want to social distance from a 2yo on a 12 hour flight.

She had a mask and wore it in airport, 2yo did not. The meal on long flight was just a boxed meal with water.

She said it was an odd group flying, didn’t look like typical flight. She said lots of families, and oddly enough there were about 15 wheelchair type folks requiring boarding assistance.

[jelloshots4all]

Jun 15, 2020 19:21:07 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

I imagine SW is boarding passengers like the other airlines are doing today: boarding the passengers whose seats are in the back of the a/c first. No more first class boarding first if the lesser paying/discounted passengers have to pass by them to get to their seats in the back.

Southwest doesn't have first class seating, or even assigned seating.  It's kind of a cattle call.

I have said for years that airlines should board from the back first.  It just makes sense and doesn't clog the aisles.  

[Tennesseer]

Jun 16, 2020 6:30:12 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

Well southwest says they are only giving cans of water and a snack mix. If she wants anything else she'll have to bring it on the plane. Take hand sanitizer.

Don't bring tuna sandwiches, kimchee, or any other smelly foods on board.

[Deleted]

Here's a discussion from another Board I'm on about recent travel and it includes Southwest. They board 10 at a time. Airport food concessions aren't as plentiful so make sure they bring their own.  One person reported taking a 6 AM flight with no beverages- i.e., no coffee- and not being able to get any at the connecting airport, either, because of few concessions and very long lines.  It will be awhile before I get on a plane again! 

www.early-retirement.org/forums/f46/anyone-else-travel-recently-or-in-near-future-104198.html

[jerseygirl]

No coffee!?!? No flight for me!!!

[Tennesseer]

The major airlines listed.

Multiple airlines stop serving alcohol, food on planes in response to COVID-19 pandemic

link

[jelloshots4all]

Well my son made it safely.  My daughter chose not to go last minute, hence my vent about her.  

Quietest I have ever experienced at an airport.  It literally took me 20 min to walk from our parking spot, go downstairs to get his boarding pass, back up stairs to take him to the gate and walk back to the car.  

I don't think I saw more than 50 people on the main concourse or at all of the ticketing kiosks combined.  It was eerie.

He said they were spaced out on the plane and everyone had masks on. 

[Tennesseer]

Jun 19, 2020 18:40:12 GMT -5 jelloshots4all said:

Well my son made it safely.  My daughter chose not to go last minute, hence my vent about her.  

Quietest I have ever experienced at an airport.  It literally took me 20 min to walk from our parking spot, go downstairs to get his boarding pass, back up stairs to take him to the gate and walk back to the car.  

I don't think I saw more than 50 people on the main concourse or at all of the ticketing kiosks combined.  It was eerie.

He said they were spaced out on the plane and everyone had masks on. 

I live in Memphis. Planes flying to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the world's busiest airport, from out west usually pass over Memphis on their way to Atlanta (Atlanta is east-south east from Memphis).

Pre-Covid-19, I could sit outside and easily count ten or more planes per hour flying over Memphis heading toward Atlanta. Now, I see maybe two per hour flying over head. Air traffic is way down.

[jelloshots4all]

We aren't as busy but I rarely see planes these days.  Numerous airlines had no one at their kiosks (not even a worker).  And this was at 11am.  

[justme]

Jun 16, 2020 7:39:56 GMT -5 jelloshots4all said:

Jun 15, 2020 19:21:07 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

I imagine SW is boarding passengers like the other airlines are doing today: boarding the passengers whose seats are in the back of the a/c first. No more first class boarding first if the lesser paying/discounted passengers have to pass by them to get to their seats in the back.

Southwest doesn't have first class seating, or even assigned seating.  It's kind of a cattle call.

I have said for years that airlines should board from the back first.  It just makes sense and doesn't clog the aisles.  

They didn't want to until now because those in the back seats are the cheap seats. They want those that paid more to get the overhead bin space. This became even more of a thing once the legacies started selling basic airfare as they were almost always in the back and definitely the last group boarded.

I don't see it continuing long term though. Undoubtedly the FAs block out the overhead bins for those in first class to use, but those that paid more to sit closer to the front will be pissed if they get forced to gate check because they're now boarding later

[Deleted]

I happen to believe they should ground all aircraft while we make an attempt to stem the pandemic.

There is no amount of money that would get me to fly. It's not a matter of life and death, so it's a risk that's just not necessary.

[thyme4change]

Jun 16, 2020 18:06:18 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

No coffee!?!? No flight for me!!!

We all know that the airlines make the most kick-ass coffee in the nation. I can't believe they haven't opened Airline Coffee Shops where you can get that deliciously high quality coffee that is currently only available when you are in the air.

[movingforward]

Jun 23, 2020 11:06:37 GMT -5 thyme4change said:

Jun 16, 2020 18:06:18 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

No coffee!?!? No flight for me!!!

We all know that the airlines make the most kick-ass coffee in the nation. I can't believe they haven't opened Airline Coffee Shops where you can get that deliciously high quality coffee that is currently only available when you are in the air.