This post contains affiliate links. We may earn compensation when you click on the links at no additional cost to you. Also, as an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases
Let me start off by saying that David and I have the “travel bug” running through our veins. Coming from years of being around airplanes and working at airports, we jump at any opportunity to get on an airplane to go just about anywhere. We Love To Travel!! So when this pandemic hit and things started to come to a grinding halt, we backed off on the travel as much as we could, and hunkered down like everyone else. However, we quickly realized that this was not going to be a two-week-incident-then-it’s-over-type deal, and we (mostly me as David was less worried than I was) decided that we would not let fear rule over us and we would fly/travel responsibly when we needed/wanted to. So, when we recently had an opportunity to travel to our favorite island, St. John, USVI, we took it! With that being said, traveling during Covid-19 is not for everyone. We are not suggesting that you throw caution to the wind and do something that is not safe for you and/or your family. Everyone has their varying opinions on this whole Covid-19 situation, and we respect that. However, for us, we know that we can travel safely by taking the precautions necessary to do so. We are also very confident in the processes that the airlines and airports have put into place to keep everyone as safe as can be during this unprecedented time.
Masks
Of course, we both wear a mask when we travel. Nothing fancy–we have masks from Old Navy, and we also have purchased masks from Virgin Island Eco Tours, as we like the turtles and the beaches printed on them!! Most times we will wear one mask on the airplane, and then we get to our destination we will switch out to a fresh mask for wherever we are going next. I have also at times just worn the “surgical-type mask”, like this, on airplane, and tossed it in the trash as I am leaving the airport. The point is, we wear our masks! We wear them the entire time on the airplane, and only take them down to drink our water or eat a quick snack. Otherwise, they stay on. (This is now mandatory for most airlines anyway, so we are already used to it). Obviously the flight crew all wear masks as well.
Airports
On this most recent trip, we flew out of Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. This is a major hub for United Air Lines, and always very busy. We transferred through Atlanta’s Hartsfield International Airport, which is Delta Air Lines’ hub, and also a very busy airport. As you can see by the photos, this was not the case for our trip.
Chicago O’Hare Airport 
Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport 
Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport
When we started out at O’Hare, we went through TSA Pre-Check like we normally do. The TSA agent at the checkpoint asked us to lower our mask so that they could see our whole face while checking our ID, and then we went through security. Due to our “pre-check” status, we don’t have to take off our shoes or take anything out of our bags. This makes for less of our items to be in a bin or on the conveyor belt going through screening. This is normal procedure, even before Covid-19, but we appreciate it more now during Covid-19, as our items remain inside our bags and there’s less chance of picking up something from the conveyor belts or having a TSA agent touch our things. It is so worth having Pre-Check!!
While heading to our gate, we did notice that many eateries and vendors were closed. There were very limited places open, but we usually don’t eat in the airport as a rule anyway. Starbucks was open, though, lol. When we arrived at the gate, many announcements were being made regarding social distancing, the mandatory wearing of masks, the boarding process (done from the back of the airplane to the front to minimize passing by passengers sitting in their seats already). The gate agent was very cognizant of how many people were sent down the jetway at a time, and did not allow the jetway to get backed up.
Onboard
When we boarded the flight, there was a flight attendant at the front galley of the airplane with a basket offering individual Purell sanitizing wipes to each passenger. We used this to wipe down our seat backs, window shades, seat belts, etc. The flight attendant made announcements not to put anything in the seat pockets in front of you, and came through with a trash bag to collect the used wipes before take off. As part of the safety announcements, we were given this information:
In-Flight
While in-flight, we were given a little tie-string bag with a bottled water, snack, cookies, napkin, and another sanitizer wipe. The flight attendants came by with these in a basket–they did not have their normal beverage/snack cart going down the aisle. This made for a very quick service, with minimal contact between the flight attendants and the passengers. They did walk through collecting the trash and asked if we needed anything else, but overall the interaction was limited. The bathroom traffic was less than normal as well, I noticed, but I usually don’t do the airplane bathroom if at all possible as I usually wait until I am in the airport at my layover.
Layover
On our way to St. Thomas our layover was in Atlanta, GA. We did have to change terminals, and usually we ride the underground “Plane Train” to get over to the next terminal. This time, however, we decided to use the moving sidewalks, as they were not crowded at all:
Arrival
When we arrived in St. Thomas, since there are no jetways, we deplaned using the portable stairs. That put us right out on the ramp, where we were immediately directed to the sidewalk leading to the baggage claim area. Before entering the building, there were medical personnel taking every passenger’s temperature with a no-touch thermometer. After passing that, we then went inside to the baggage claim area. Since we only had carry-on luggage, we immediately headed towards the exit. There were armed guards at the exit, ensuring we had all of our belongings, as once we exited the airport we could not re-enter. This is also where we had to turn in our Covid-19 Screening Questionnaire, which we had already filled out and printed before we left home. This made for such a quick exit out of the airport, and we were so glad we did that ahead of time, and didn’t have to stand around filling that out in the baggage claim area. Since we were not coming from a “highly impacted area”, we did not have to have a negative Covid test prior to entering the USVI. **note: A “highly impacted area” is defined as a U.S. state with Covid-19 positivity rates greater than 10 percent. This applies to the origin state of your trip, not your layover state. We were so happy we didn’t have to try to coordinate that test and results before this trip! If you are traveling, it is a good idea to google your destination to see what the requirements are. Each state/destination is different, and it is definitely worth it to be prepared!
Destination
Once in St. Thomas, we still had to take a taxi van over to the ferry dock, and ride the ferry over to St. John. Everyone wore their masks as required, and practiced social distancing. We felt safe on both the van and the ferry. Our rental car representative, Jevon, from Sunshine’s Jeep rental was waiting on the dock with our rental vehicle in St. John, and had our paperwork all drawn up so we didn’t even have to go to the rental office. We just signed where needed, and drove off in our rental vehicle. This was such a nice convenience, and we appreciated it very much. Thanks, Angie!! We are so glad you came through for us at the last minute!!
Return Home
Our return flights back home were just as organized and “safe-feeling” as our origination flights. I do have to mention that Delta Air Lines is currently only booking their flights to 50 percent in the first class cabin, and 60 percent in the main cabin–but the best part is in capping their flights they are blocking all the middle seats (unless families traveling together want to sit in the whole row together), so David and I got a row to ourselves together! We loved the extra space and the fact that no one was in the middle seat in our row. Thanks, Delta!!
We don’t know when things will ever be “back to normal” again, but as the airline and travel industries are both paramount to our livelihoods, we will be traveling in the healthiest and safest way at all times. If you have any questions about traveling during Covid-19, please reach out to us. We may not know all the answers, but we will certainly try to assist you in any way possible!
All we can say is if you have to “social distance”, why not do it in Paradise??!!
Our next blog post will be full of our adventures while in St. John, including our wonderful stay at Coconut Coast Villas, so please keep your eyes open for that feature article!
**If you are interested in creating your own website, we highly recommend Bluehost. Bluehost offers competitive pricing and is a dependable self-hosting platform. We are very pleased with Bluehost.
