Living Abroad: What Air Travel Is Like Now

Edd:  Well, here we are. Back in the States for the trip that was originally supposed to have happened in April. How great is it to finally be with the New Jersey half of our family?

Cynthia:  It’s terrific! We’ve logged a lot of hours on Skype and Zoom during the past six months, and I’m grateful this technology has made it possible for us to stay closely connected. Who knew we would be jumping on Zoom with our grandchildren to help with their school work? 

Since a lot of people aren’t flying these days and wondering if it's safe to travel, why don’t we talk about our observations from being in 2 countries, 3 planes, and 4 airports getting here?

E:  So much has changed since our last trip in January, especially having to do with traveling. We had no idea what to expect. Here’s a recap of our experience over a 24-hour period along with some photos.

The airport in Cuenca has only one or two flights a day right now, but the check-in and boarding process is extremely organized for hopefully busier times.

C:  And the whole place was spotless too. I was very impressed. Our flight to Quito was just like any other except for the masks, right?

E:  Yeah, until we got there. As we taxied to the terminal the flight attendant announced that everyone should stay in their seats. We would be deplaning (not a word I use often) in small sections starting with the front rows. 

I’m thinking, “Yeah, right. Latin Americans all jump up like there’s a rattlesnake in their seats as soon as they hear the “ding.”

C:  But instead not a single person stood. We all exited in orderly fashion and we’re thinking, “Why haven’t we always done it this way?”

E:  Once we’d retrieved our luggage we were told to exit the terminal until 4 hours before our flight. Fortunately, there’s an adjacent building with a nice food court where we had planned to spend our layover.

C:  Boy, did it look different. No sushi for me this time. Almost everything was closed—the seating was spread WAY beyond the recommended 2 meters.

E:  When we were allowed to enter the main floor of the terminal our jaws dropped. All the seating had been removed, and the place was almost deserted. I understood why when I looked up at the monitors. There were only four flights all day and ours was the final departure.

C:  That made going through both security and immigration a breeze. Our red-eye flight to Houston was pretty crowded but uneventful. The flight attendants brought around a prepackaged snack box but otherwise stayed in the back of the plane.

E:  “Good mornin’ America, how are ya?” I was thinking of those lyrics from an Arlo Guthrie song as we approached Houston at sunrise. After we landed once again everyone stayed seated and we exited from front to back.

C:  Arriving at U.S. Customs and Immigration was surreal. Except for passengers on our flight, the massive space was totally empty.

Hate to bring this up, but compared to the two airports in Ecuador, some areas of Bush Intercontinental Airport were not being kept clean. Very disappointing. On our final flight to Newark you demonstrated a new way to wear a mask.

E:  Yeah. Needed to squeeze in one more nap. Gotta mention that after landing the same instructions to stay seated were announced. But this time a lot of passengers completely ignored them and popped up as soon as we stopped at the gate.

C:  It was so interesting to observe the difference in behavior between mostly Ecuadorians on two flights and primarily Americans on the last leg of the trip. I couldn’t help but wonder if this small example of “not following the rules” represented the attitude of many people in the U.S. during the pandemic. Food for thought.

E:  Here are my takeaways from our journey: 1) flights are cheap, 2) planes are cleaner than ever, and 3) airports are virtually empty.

C:  Right. Plus change fees have pretty much been eliminated. So if you need or want to fly somewhere, don’t let fear hold you back. Now is actually a great time to travel.