What’s the new flying etiquette?
Pandemic-induced safety measures have completely changed the experience of flying and many recent flyers are astounded to witness it firsthand. Missing the push of fellow passengers’ trolleys, Akshay Rajani, 25, who recently flew from Pune to Lucknow, says, “Inside the airport, the seating areas were marked to practise social distancing. We all sat at a gap. The constant announcements to follow social distancing became too much after a point.”
Just having a ticket is no longer enough to gain entry inside the airport. Pooja Kumari, 24, who flew from Pune to Delhi, says, “Authorities were checking ID, conducting thermal screenings, and even seeing Aarogya Setu app on our phones. And when we entered the aircraft, we were handed a face shield with a mask kit.”
Many felt the experience seemed like a sequence straight out of a sci-fi movie. “It was weird to see air hostesses in PPE suits! And though they didn’t serve us food, they were sweet enough to serve water,” says Yash Vig, 24, who travelled on DelhiBikaner route.