Date of travel: 28th June, 2020
Origin: Pune, MH
Destination: New Delhi
Writer: Yashika Saxena (30 years, wife, working and a proud momma!)

We all are by now well-acquainted with the fact that this Corona Virus is not going away anytime soon. We have to learn to live ‘the New Normal’.
With each passing week and month, we are heading from Lockdown towards Nationwide Unlocks. Economy is opening and so are the business activities. In lieu of this, I will be sharing my recent air-travel experience when, due to business need, I relocated from Pune to New Delhi. I will try to be very specific and to the point to make it an easy read.

Background:
After informing from few of my friends who travelled by air during these times and some research on the web, we booked Spice Jet morning 7 a.m. flight from Pune through MakeMyTrip.com for 28th of June. I booked for my husband, my baby girl (who is in category of Infant traveller) and myself.

Arrangements before Travel Day:
Most of the to-dos was received to us through series of texts and WhatsApp messages by the airline itself once we booked the tickets. Few notable things are:

1. The check-in luggage weight is allowed 20kgs/ adult. However, hand bags rule is as usual, 7 kg each for two of us and the baby. So, we packed accordingly. We also made use of our weighing balance at home itself so that the weight of baggage do not exceed.

2. Web check-in was mandatory and the boarding pass and baggage tag for each of the applicable traveller was provided online in pdf form.

3. We registered at destination State Government Website which is a mandatory requirement for each traveller. As I have to further travel to Bareilly, I registered at UP Govt. site. They asked for all my travel details, my place of stay at Bareilly and contact details of the person, who is staying in that house. This was required if I am staying more than 7 days in U.P.

If it is less than 7 days, then I need not to home quarantine for 14 days. In this scenario, they ask for return flight booking details.

However, each state has different set of guideline, which is available in the link which Spice Jet provided us after booking tickets.

4. We bought N95 masks, 2-3 baby masks, 2 adult shields, 1 baby shield, 1 box of nitrile gloves, 5-6 pocket sanitisers and 1 bottle of disinfectant spray which were available from nearby pharmacy.

5. We also invested some time on deciding what to wear while travelling. So, kept aside full-sleeves clothes, 2 pairs of baby’s clothes including socks, 2 pairs of baby mittens (substitute to gloves) and baby cap.

6. As per airline guideline, we took print-outs of self-declaration form explaining the travellers are not experiencing any of the covid-19 symptom. This we were supposed to submit at the Arrivals at destination airport.

7. Additionally, since we were travelling with baby (who has just started exploring things around her), we booked priority seat i.e. seats on the very first row. It would provide extra legroom and other benefits. It costed us around 2000/- INR.

28th June, Our Travel Day:
Like everyone else in present times, we were worried too. So let’s begin:

1. Since we were supposed to reach at least 2 hours before our flight time, we woke up around 3:30 a.m. (3.5 hrs before flight take-off) in the morning. I prepared some breakfast as we knew food courts are closed. Listening to our hustle and bustle, my baby also got up by 4 a.m. So it was easy for us to start our day.

2. Final packing of our bag packs took longer than expected, so it was by 5 a.m. that we could exit our home. But, we had our covid-19 safety accessories all handy and set.

3. To get to the airport, we took help from a friend and he dropped us there by 5:30 a.m.

At Pune Airport:
Excellent sanitisation and protocols were well followed.

1. All our baggage were strongly disinfected and we had our temperature checks at the gate itself, including the baby.

2. The security personnel at the entrance was seated in a transparent glass cabin. He checked our ids and boarding passes from the glass window itself. Contactless.

3. We then went to ‘Spice Jet’ check-in luggage screening belt.
We were supposed to paste the already provided printed copy of baggage tags which we did before reaching airport.

4. We then dropped off our luggage. There, the Spice representative at the counter checked our boarding passes, recorded baggage weight. We were then advised to move for security check. Everything again was contactless.

5. The airport was close to 30% crowded but still security check took a lot of our time.

6. We had to take out laptops, chargers, jewellery before hand bags screening. The police officer asked if boarding pass is saved in mobile phone then we can take it with us for self-screening.

But before we (me and my husband on separate stations) reached at self-screening station, the security stopped us entering it and asked to show boarding pass through a glass screen placed just before the screening station/room. After the check, she asked us to go back to hand bag screening belt and send mobile phone through it and then come back for screening. Not getting print-outs of our boarding pass was Our Mistake as they were simply checking the printed boarding pass of passengers and letting them in for screening.

7. By 6:30 a.m. we were all done and ready to board the flight.

In Flight:
Before entering flight, at boarding gate, the airlines provide a COVID-19 kit which consists of a head shield, one surgical mask and around 10 pouches of sanitisers. We received three packs of it. If by any chance, due to rush, any passenger got middle seat, they were also providing full-body suit to him/her.

Also, elderly people in the flight were also given full body suit.

Experience in flight was good, no food was served. Drinking water was served but passengers were advised to ask for the service only if there is urgent need. The seats looked disinfected but we still sprayed our personal disinfectant on them for our satisfaction.

Air hostesses and stewards were also fully covered with disposable body suits from head to toe.

The flight was calm and quite. We also took a short nap in it. Within 1.5 hours we were at New Delhi Terminal 3.

Before landing it was announced multiple times not to rush and create chaos while exiting the aircraft. Starting from row no.1, passengers on only one row were allowed to stand, take out luggage from over-head bins and exit. The travelers on the next row were allowed to stand up after then. So it was good that decorum in the flight is maintained during this time; otherwise, people start to push each other like animals once the plane lands.

At New Delhi Airport:
Not satisfied with the level of safety standards followed.

1. Once we came out of plane, things were normally proceeded like there is any other day at T3 Delhi.

2. There were no temperature checks and no one asked where we are going.

3. Moreover, we asked one police personnel that where should we submit self-declaration form, he had no idea what we were talking about.

4. And if by any chance you don’t register at your destination state’s website, there was no one in the airport to guide you on that or approach you if you need anything or simply check you if you are following COVID-19 air travel protocol or not.

5. We simply took our checked-in bags and headed towards the exit gate.

6. But before exiting, we were to take out our masks and shield, look in the CCTV type of camera and then go-out. There was one security personnel sitting below that camera to check whether each passer-by is uncovering their face or not.

So overall it was a mixed experience. Through-out the journey we took safety measures like sanitising hands every now and then. It has been 6 days since we are in home-quarantine. Health so far is good. I was afraid before taking this journey, but now I am feeling confident that with right measures, alertness and proper research we can easily be adjusted in this ‘new normal’ (

Bye and take care everyone. All the best for your future travels.