My friend Andrew lives in the Doha with his wife and two young kids. With no clear end in sight to lockdown and homeschooling, they decided to bite the bullet and head to Europe to sit it out. I asked if he’d share his experience of flying with kids during COVID-19.
Flying with young children isn’t easy at the best of times. With half-term and winter holiday fast approaching many expats are in a quandary about whether to fly home or not. This is a first-hand account from one expat family of what it is like to fly with kids in the midst of COVID-19.
Covid-19 has affected us all, but if you are an expat who relies on regular air travel to stay connected with family and friends, it has been particularly bad. With strict lockdowns and restricted travel across the Middle East, expats in the region have all suffered with a large dose of cabin fever. Now that flights have returned, the big question on everyone’s mind is – How safe is it to travel?
Recently I had cause to travel mid-pandemic with my family (the wife and two young kids) from Doha to Frankfurt, and Mr Expat Flyer asked if I would share this experience with those of you who may be considering your own aviation jaunt in the near future.
For anyone traveling at this time, there will be some degree of caution as you consider your upcoming trip. But, those who plan to travel with young children will understandably be somewhat anxious. As any parent knows, there is nothing children do better than ignoring all instructions, touching everything in sight and then promptly inserting their fingers into their face. But worry not. As we discovered, with some planning, you can indeed travel with children safely at this time.
Preparing before departure
First and foremost travel with a good face mask. We opted for the medical grade N95 masks which are tight fitting and filter the incoming air. The whole family wore these, including our 5 year old, with no complaints.
This second shard of advice may seem obvious, and to some unhelpful, but I cannot stress it enough – Upgrade, Upgrade, Upgrade!
If at all possible, fly in the pointy end. This is the time to use all those air miles, bid for an upgrade, or even better, treat yourself to a premium cabin flight from the get-go. My dislike of the Deep Vein Thrombosis section aside, flying Business truly made the difference on this occasion.
We all know by now the best way to avoid catching COVID-19 is social distancing. Masks and hand hygiene play vital roles too, but if you keep your distance your chance of staying safe is dramatically improved. By flying premium we found this rather easy to achieve.
At the airport
Check-in was swift and uncrowded in the premium check-in wing of Hamad International Airport. All staff were masked and kept a good distance. It was only when reaching immigration that we needed to come anywhere near another person – due to the need for eye scan one must stand up against the desk with mask removed for a few seconds.
At check-in we were each issued a Qatar Airways branded face shield, with smaller children’s themed ones for the young. It was compulsory to wear these at all times from then onward, and if in economy, for the whole flight. If in business class, you could remove your face shield once seated.
If your airline does not provide face shields, I recommend buying some of your own for the added protection. With both mask and face shield on (and social distancing of course) we felt well protected.
Once air-side, we kept our distance in a quiet corner of the Al Mourjan Business Lounge (currently less busy than usual) and only boarded the plane when premium passengers were called to go straight through. This did away with having to loiter with the rest of the passengers in the holding area post boarding gate check-in.
Airport staff seemed well trained on the new COVID-19 measures. All wore masks and made a concerted effort to keep their distance. Other measures were in place too, seating had been reduced all around the airport and cleaning staff were everywhere disinfecting high use areas and frequently touched surfaces such as handrails, seats and tables. What are now standard measures such as temperature checking, hand sanitiser stations and floor markings were in place throughout the airport.
Boarding
On boarding we were greeted by a member of the cabin crew who was decked out in full Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). In her full length gown, gloves, mask and goggles she looked more like the local butcher rather than the smiling crew we are all used to. But I found this reassuring, and it only takes a few minutes before you stop noticing it.
I chose a flight operated by Qatar’s A350-1000 featuring their award winning Qsuite in business class. We booked the Quad seats, which is the term they give to the four middle seats (two rear facing and two forward) which can open into one another creating a small ‘room’. With doors that close onto the aisles we were able to avoid everyone else and create our own safe ‘travel bubble’.
On entering the Quad seats, my better half proceeded to disinfect every surface, knob, button and screen with copious amounts of disinfectant wipes. It was as if she were cleaning a crime scene. However, I strongly recommend this approach to your travel space for peace of mind.
Once our deep clean was done, and the doors to the Qsuite closed, we felt very safe, and most importantly the children could go about their business without any worry. Aside from their usual luxury BRICS amenity kit, Qatar included a personal hygiene kit consisting of a large Beaver Beauty hand sanitiser, face mask and gloves.
Onboard service
As is standard with Qatar Airways, a full on demand food and drinks menu was available, although in order to minimise contact with crew, food was served on smart trays with utensils and condiments individuals wrapped, rather than the usual table service. We did partake in a preflight beverage of the bubbly variety (all be it 10am) but other than a meal service mid flight, we chose to make do with a few bottles of water and not to ask the cabin crew for anything unnecessarily so as to reduce contact.
Cabin crew made a point of minimising interaction. We were politely told they would not come past as usual, but rather wait to be called if we needed anything. As Business class was not full at all (there were five groups of travellers) our family was given a dedicated toilet to use so as to reduce interaction with fellow passengers, which I thought was particularly sensible.
On board in the plush carpet section, it was easy to maintain a safe distance from fellow passengers. With seat pitch being what it is and high partitions between suites, I felt less at risk from those around me than I do in any supermarket queue. With the reduced volume of passengers compared to economy it was easy to make your way around the cabin while avoiding others.
Arriving in Frankfurt
When we landed in Frankfurt we were first off the plane. Again, due to reduced passenger numbers those in business made their way off in groups and could spread out in the corridors before the masses from economy arrived and got through passport checks before queues had a chance to form. This would usually be a trivial point, but it was the constant ability to social distance which made the flight feel quite safe.
Top tips for travelling with kids during COVID-19
My top tips are:
- Upgrade if you can
- Have a good mask and face shield
- Use loads of sanitiser on your seat area
This and some common sense regarding avoiding crowds in the airport should make air travel during COVID-19 quite possible.
Andrew is a recovering lawyer, author, long-term expat and miles geek. Andrew lives in the Middle East with his wife and two young kids. With family and friends spread across multiple continents, he can frequently be found sipping champagne at the pointy end of an aeroplane.
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