TLDR: better than expected, lots of safety measures have been put into place, Canada seems to be taking it more seriously than the United Kingdom
It was a pretty tough decision for us to choose to travel during the pandemic. Originally we had planned on going to England for the summer from the end of June to the end of August. At the time it was absolutely not something we were ready to endure. Airlines were still trying to figure out how to keep their passengers safe and countries were still pretty confused about what to do with visitors.
As the summer wore on we toyed with the idea, constantly going back and forth over what the right answer was. In the end, we decided it was worth the risk for Ben’s family to meet Teddy while he was still a baby. If truth be told, the pandemic was also very difficult on Ben as it made him realize truly how far away family and friends were.
As we started the booking process I was quite surprised how the prices were largely the same as they had been pre-pandemic. The only difference for us was now we needed to have safety as our top priority. I did a lot of research on airlines to try and figure out which one had the strictest cleaning policies. While my go-to is generally Air Canada, after they released a statement about getting rid of social distancing we decided to steer clear.
We had put some money aside for the summer with the intention of traveling around Europe while we were there. Given that wasn’t going to be a thing fr us anymore we decided to use some of that money to book premium economy.
While searching for premium economy I made sure to look at SeatGuru to figure out the configuration. In the end we decided to book British Airways because their premium economy was still fairly reasonable and we would be able to book an entire row to ourselves with Teddy.
Checking country guidelines
Before entering the United Kingdom, we were forced to fill out an online questionnaire. The document was intended to track where we were going and where we would be staying while in England. It was quite lengthy and took about 20 minutes to complete. Currently it is mandatory for any traveler from outside of their travel bubble list to complete this document.
You are also forced to show the confirmation QR code upon arrival to the airport. Simply showing it on your phone is fine, the border agent didn’t scan it they just needed to see you had it.
At the airport
We wanted to arrive with plenty of time before our flight so Teddy had enough time to fit in a good nap before we flew. I figured it wouldn’t be busy but I was astonished at just how dead the airport was. We flew through security and I’ll admit for the first time ever, that part of the trip wasn’t stressful at all. There was no one hovering over you as you unloaded your bag or hoards of people on the other side of security waiting to get their belongings.
Once through security, we walked through somewhat empty hallways (or at least empty for an airport) to find our gate. There were a number of shops that were shut but more food stations opened than I would have expected. It was really easy for us to find a very dark and quiet corner to relax in right by the gate before taking our flight.
The one part I was a little bummed about was the fact that the airline didn’t call families or business / premium economy to board first. Go figure, the one time I have an infant and am flying in anything other than economy (first world problems I know). Instead, the airline called people by airplane row starting with the back of the plane. If there are a few things to come out of this pandemic I hope that boarding the plane in this nature is one of them. Not only does it make so much sense, it’s so much easier.
On the plane
The plane wasn’t all that full so there was actually plenty of overhead space thankfully. Because we had Teddy we managed to get the very front row of premium economy with plenty of room. We also chose this so there were fewer people going past us during the flight.
Nothing else changed all that much during the flight. We obviously had to keep our masks on the whole time while we were in the air. The food (I’m assuming) was a little worse than normal but I generally don’t eat the food on the plane anyway so there wasn’t too much missed.
I used the bathroom (reluctantly) twice and the only thing that was said was to wait until the green light was on to go to the bathroom to prevent line ups. With the plane barely being half full this wasn’t such a difficult thing to do. As far as airplane bathrooms go it was relatively clean although I was sure to tough as little as possible.
Otherwise the ride was rather uneventful, thankfully.
Upon arrival
Once we landed at Heathrow we were asked to stay seated until our row was called. Of course, you do have those people who don’t listen to instructions but I guess you’ll always have that. For the most part everything went smoothly and because we were at the front of the plane we were one of the first people to disembark.
Heathrow was much busier than Toronto and busier than I would have expected. I did also see people not wearing masks which made me quite nervous.
Going through security was completely dead and we were at the front of the line within minutes. A border agent asked us the normal questions and asked to see the QR code from the entry form we had to fill out. She didn’t scan it, just needed to see we had done it.
I was pleasantly surprised to see the luggage carousel had all of the bags spread at least 6 ft apart as they came out. I’m not sure if it was a coincidence or not but all of our bags came out together as well which was really convenient.
Overall I think my anxiety and fear of flying were worse than the experience itself. Obviously, airports and airlines are still trying to figure out what the new normal is but 6 months past the height of the pandemic it seems as if they are working out the kinks.
