What It’s Like Flying During A Pandemic

I was supposed to go to Las Vegas in March as the COVID-19 lock down for the United States was just starting to ramp up.  With intentions of going, we got a call from the hotel the week before and they basically said if you come here, you won't have anywhere to stay as they were closing.

It was a bummer, but it is what it is.  Spirit Airlines who I swore I wouldn't fly with again only gave us six months to burn up the flight credit, and farther out trips had a high price tag.  We ended up booking a trip for November, also to Las Vegas.

One thing to note is that at the time of writing this, the Minneapolis airport was not very busy.  Masks of course are required pretty much everywhere and select food vendors and restaurants were not open on my travel day at least.  Spirit airlines requires all passengers to wear a mask, there is no medical condition waiver of that policy.  They also have very strict policies on what kind of mask you wear, neck gaiters are not allowed.  From the Spirit website it states: "Spirit specifies that cloth masks must be secure under the chin, cover the nose and mouth, and contain at least two layers of fabric.  This is the most strict of most airlines.

Everything seemed really clean in all of the areas in the airport and also on the plane and most airlines are taking extra steps with fogging planes and wiping down surfaces.  We arrived two hours before the flight out and it was a breeze getting through security, so if there is a plus side to traveling during a pandemic, there is that.  Overall, the flight out wasn't a bad experience as everyone was very polite, however, they are very strict on the masks and you need to keep it on.  Check with your airline before traveling on how they are handling things so you don't show up and have any surprises.