Flying in the Age of COVID

Today I flew for the first time in over a year.  If I were not completely vaccinated and wearing an N95 mask, I would have found the experience very scary.  

My (fully vaccinated) friend Frank drove my to the airport at 4:30 AM for my 6:15 flight to Houston.  Although the majority of the people were complying with the federal mandate, I was annoyed by the number of people who were wearing their mask under their nose or even under their chin.  No, not all of those people were eating or drinking beverages.  And why do some people think that it is necessary to pull the mask below their chin in order to talk on their cell phone?

I sat down in the waiting area by my gate, but as more passengers arrived, maintaining a safe distance was an impossibility.  I finally moved and stood away from the crowd until it was time to board. 

A pre-dawn departure from Cleveland

The flight was very full, and someone was seated next to me, even though the seating chart for the flight had shown an empty seat next to me.  Fortunately I felt comfortable with the person by me.  She was also a retired teacher who was going to visit her grandchildren for the first time in over a year now that she had received both shots.

The flight arrived in Houston early so I decided that the layover was long enough to merit using one of my free passes to use the United Club.

Approaching Houston International Airport

Looking out the window at the United Club

Food and drink are served at the United Club, so obviously there were people who removed their masks.  However there were signs everywhere, as well as announcements, that "in between sips and bites" you should put your mask on again.  No one seemed to heeding that advice, even those who were nursing a drink over a long period of time.  One family of four, husband and wife and two daughters, sat there without masks, even though they were not partaking of food or drink.  As I walked down the concourse, once again I saw people who did not know how to properly wear a mask.  There were a couple employees of businesses on the concourse with their masks below their chin.  And even one of the United Airlines people at my gate had a habit of pulling down her mask when speaking. 

You frequently hear about passengers being kicked off of flights for not wearing masks.  Well on my flight to Mexico there was a man a row ahead of me who had his mask below his nose, and the man seated next to me had his mask dangling from one ear most of the time.  The flight attendants said nothing to either of them.

I am now at Alejandro's house getting settled in, and I am very happy to be with my Mexican family again.  However, this super-cautious traveler's advice is... "If you are not fully vaccinated, do not travel by plane."

P.S.  Sorry, no pictures of landing at Mexico City International Airport since I did not have a window seat.