This summer we will all have to skip holidays or accept that we have to travel differently. If you have decided to take all necessary measures and travel abroad you may have started searching what the new processes in the airports are and what the ground services on arrival countries look like. We had a first-hand experience of international traveling and we were surprised by the preparation and the commitment of all involved people who have worked very hard in order to help bring our confidence and our travel habits back.
The trip started from Heathrow on 31st May and our final destination was Athens, Greece. It was a morning flight and so we arrived at Heathrow at around 07:30a.m. Timings do not usually affect how busy Heathrow is and neither did this time, only this time Heathrow was very quiet which was so unusual. Although seeing the airport almost empty was shocking it also felt kind of good at the time. There was still a lot of uncertainty in the air around travel guidelines while the cases’ numbers had just started to be under control in the United Kingdom, so entering the airport and preparing to fly out felt almost surreal after two and a half months of self-isolation. The airport itself felt like a ghost town, as there was very limited staff and very few travellers spread all over the floor. Most of the staff was wearing their masks. As they were all sitting behind the protection walls which have been placed on their desks and kiosks, it really felt like there was no real risk in approaching them if any assistance was required. Everyone from the airport’s staff looked very excited to see the first travellers approaching them to request assistance with luggage drop off or seek guidance regarding any necessary documents that needed to be filled in. In the end everything was pretty straight forward and there was nothing to be too worried about as long as social distancing instructions kept being followed. In general, the staff gave us a first relief while we were entering the unknown travel zone.
From a processes perspective everything run extremely smoothly. Passing through security was very efficient and quick. We did not do anything different, however, we did use sanitiser a few times. The staff seemed to know exactly what they were doing throughout the process implying good training, which was impressive considering the short period within which they had to get ready for the new standards and new processes. Every other seat was covered with tape to guarantee social distancing instructions are being followed by travellers while all restaurants were closed and had the chairs and the stools covered with plastic. After security, there was not much to do really. People took a seat and waited until boarding. No shopping, no snacking, not even much chatting. It almost felt like people avoided causing any possible disruption of the stillness. To top this feeling up, this was the quietest queueing for boarding we have ever had. Distances were respected by everyone and people waited patiently for their passports and tickets to be scanned. As we entered the aircraft, people’s behaviour changed; some people who had been allocated in isle seats tried to sit by the window thinking the flight would not be full, which caused a bit of a delay in getting things sorted as the airlines hostesses had to get involved so as to resolve the issue quickly. Inside the airplane all seats were occupied and so, there was no enough social distancing. Masks were mandatory, which was good considering we were all so close to each other. We had agreed we would sanitise our chairs with Dettol wipes. This has always been a habit of mine when it came to long haul flights, but this was the first time I did not get any weird looks from other people while doing so.
When we arrived in Frankfurt we were told we had to leave the airplane in groups, which worked well. The airport itself was not as organised as I would have expected. There was passengers from approximately six flights at the same time in the waiting area, which was probably the most people we had seen in the same area for more than two and a half months. There was a couple of coffee shops which were open and people could buy coffee or snacks. It was surprising to see so many people walking here and there in various directions and there was not much staff around to direct the crowd or help put some order, which made us feel uncomfortable. Taking a seat and wait till it is boarding time for the second part of our transit flight felt like the best possible idea and being able to consume the dry food we had brought from home felt smart at that time. After freshening up and taking teeny-tiny breaks from wearing our masks we focused on one mission; to avoid getting squeezed up during boarding. People’s reaction to the gate’s opening was suddenly too aggressive as everybody was rushing into getting into the plane forgetting we all needed to keep distances. Inside the plane, after sanitising once again the chair and the armrests as well as the table on the front chair’s back, we took a nap till landing.
When we arrived in Athens we could not believe the level of preparation we experienced by the local authorities and ground services’ staff. Once again, we were told we would leave the plane in groups. The whole deboarding process lasted no longer than fifteen minutes, which was not too bad considering the flight was full. The first thing a passenger experiences as they walk into the airport is their passport’s control and check of the completed form on which each passenger has completed the address of the place where they will be doing their quarantine. After that, travellers are requested to complete another form providing each individual’s contact details. This is given to the doctors who conduct the saliva test by the authorities and based on the results the passengers are directed to either go home or self-isolate in a hotel for fourteen days. Luggage collection is right after the doctors’ remote medical kiosks and so, all these steps take place really quickly one straight after the other.
After passengers have collected their luggage they can jump on one of the coaches, which are filled in a 50% occupancy, and they will be taken to a hotel where they will sleep for the night until their test results are announced the next morning or early afternoon.