Flying During the Covid-19 Pandemic

I remember when news first broke out about the foreign virus, it seemed so far away. The infectious Coronavirus however quickly spread throughout different countries and before I knew it we were under quarantine.  It still feels unreal and almost like we are living in a movie. Did all of this really just happen?

When the news broke out about the virus reaching the states, the company assured everyone the likelihood of contagion was extremely low. I would see guests come on with their masks, frantically sanitize their seats, and decline service and although it seemed strange at first it became the new norm. Every week there was a new update. Smaller airlines started to crumble, while others grounded majority of their airplanes. International flight crews started to wear protective gear, while we were still being told risk of contamination was minimal. Emails kept pouring in, however there were no changes on being able to protect ourselves. A lot of my coworkers became scared to fly. This virus, that could potentially be in our system, and being so exposed to the public, made it a hard pill to swallow knowing we could bring it home to our loved ones. The virus eventually started showing up within our airline employees, on our layover hotels, etc and people began to panic.

Slowly flights began to cancel as travel limitations were sent out by the government. Airports started looking vacant. I would walk through the airport and not see a single car dropping off a  loved one on the curve. The busy airport I always walked through rapidly became a ghost town. Sometimes I would be the only one on the employee shuttle. It seemed like the airport was out of operation, but it wasn’t. I would run into coworkers and wouldn’t be able to hug them because we all had to remember to practice social distancing. My flights consisted from one to fifteen passengers flying for emergency or important reasons. These were the flights that before the pandemic would constantly be booked with over 180 passengers. The restaurants and cafes inside the airports and our layover hotels started closing. I started having to pack food for all of my trips.

It wasn’t until late April an email was sent out giving us the okay to wear masks and gloves. A few weeks later, it became a requirement for every employee out of my base (San Francisco International Airport) to wear a mask. Soon it became a requirement for all passengers traveling as well.

In the midsts of all the uncertainty, I am trying to remain hopeful. We are still operating. Many of our Boeing planes carry cargo, which includes medical supplies as well as many necessities that we transport all over the country. I lost my line and went back on reserve (on call). I have been grounded and haven’t flown in almost 40days. Many of my colleagues have taken a leave for staff adjustment. I see smaller airlines filing for bankruptcy and the dreams and careers of fellow flight crews taken away. It is sad, it has definitely affected a lot of people in all industries, and many have lost loved ones from the illness. I can only hope for the best. I don’t know what the future holds, but I know the travel industry will always have a market. There are so many of us who are travelers by heart. We will fly again.

My condolences to anyone who has mourned  the loss of a family member, a friend or a spouse. Slowly and together, we will get through it. 

xoxo,

Guadalupe♥