Flying to Europe in the Midst of COVID-19

PART 2: LX1083/FRA-GVA

Image from https://onemileatatime.com/jetblue-cofounder-new-airline/

August 2020

It has been quite a while since the last time I flew with SWISS International and I remember just how good the service was (and of course, the chocolates!) Now it is 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, so I am wondering if the service is just as good. Join me as I make my final stop to my new home in Geneva, Switzerland onboard the Airbus A220.

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The layover in Frankfurt was about 3 hours but it went by quickly. Unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures what it looked like inside the terminal. The one thing that surprised me was that it was very crowded. I imagine more people are traveling throughout Europe since the virus is (sort of) under control. But when I noticed the lack of planes taking off and landing I was quickly reminded of these strange times in aviation. In addition, it was nearly impossible to get to other terminals and this was a problem since I accidentaly left one of the suitcases near a restroom in a different terminal, which had all the important documents in it. (Oh dear!)

Luckily my dad found it behind a counter somewhere. Even though we were very fortunate to retrieve the missing bag, it goes as a reminder to NEVER LEAVE BAGS UNATTENDED! And this goes for everyone as a general common sense tip while traveling. Anyways, soon after the bag was found, it was already time to board LX1083…

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I believe this was the only picture I took the entire flight. I was pretty worn out from the first flight since I didn’t get much sleep. I do have to say that the cabin felt very clean and spacious as I would expect. Unfortunately the restroom did not have a window in it like the one from Air Tanzania. But I didn’t really mind because this one was more comfortable. The A220 is a great plane to fly in. It is spacious and very quiet (except for those “dying whale” sounds it makes during taxi). The flight itself was only about 40 minutes and it felt like just a takeoff and landing. I wasn’t sitting in the window either so I didn’t bother filming a video of this flight. The review of this flight is pretty short because the flight itself was pretty uneventful.

So how was the overall experience? Well the service was just as good as I remembered. But since the flight was so short, the crew came once with a snack and of course, their signature Swiss chocolates. But right after that, we were already landing. I was getting excited to see my new home for the first time. Now that I made it safely in Geneva, I can’t wait to see what adventures await me.

The airport in Geneva was very small and easy to get around. But because of COVID-19, Switzerland has one of the strictest sets of rules for traveling. Anyone arriving from the expansive list of high-risk countries must complete a mandatory 10 day quarantine and be registered by the canton within 24 hours of arrival. Anyone who goes outside of their home before the 10 days will be fined something like 10000 Swiss francs, so the Swiss government is not messing around. As much as we don’t like being unable to go anywhere for almost 2 weeks, we just have to except that these rules are here for a reason. By following them you are are doing good for humanity. It is a sacrifice we all have to be willing to make. For more information, here is one of the many official documents for traveling into Switzerland during the pandemic, as well as a list of the high risk countries associated with these restrictions. (the document is in English).

https://www.bag.admin.ch/bag/en/home/krankheiten/ausbrueche-epidemien-pandemien/aktuelle-ausbrueche-epidemien/novel-cov/empfehlungen-fuer-reisende/quarantaene-einreisende.html

Fortunately we were aware of this before we left Houston, and we found out our apartment has a balcony. Although I wish I could just go out and explore the day I get there, times have changed and it won’t always be like this. During quarantine I have tried to get myself busy with this blog. At one point it was getting old. Every day would feel like a repeat and time went by slowly. But for everyone going through this, it is temporary. I don’t want to turn this post into a “how to survive quarantine”, so the only advice I have is to just be patient. I know it can also be anxiety inducing to think “it hasn’t been 14 days yet so what if I have the virus?”. It does not help at all to stress about it. Just find a way to get through quarantine and hope for the best.

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UPDATE: As I am writing this, it has been 15 days since I arrived from my journey. The good news? Nobody in my family has any symptoms and we are doing perfectly fine! This can only mean one thing: We did not get the virus! And I believe that if you follow all the steps that airports and airlines are doing, you will also be COVID free. (Unless you are simply unlucky). At this point I am sure that my family sucessfully avoided getting sick because I believe it is not possible for all of us to be asymtomatic. And since I completed my quarantine, I am now able to explore the city.

I hope the last part of this post will help anyone who is worried about getting coronavirus while traveling. If anyone has questions or concerns about this, my DMs are open in my blog account so be sure to follow me on Instagram. Thats all for now. Stay safe everyone!

Final score for LX1083:

• Inflight Service: 4.5 stars (fantastic!)
• seat comfort: 4 stars (very comfy)
• Legroom: 4 stars (pretty good)
• cabin cleanliness (including restrooms): 4 stars (Very clean)
• IFE: N/A (no IFE/short flight/regional airliner)
• Crew: 4 stars (freindly)
• BONUS- COVID-19 PREVENTION: 3 stars (Standard deplaning unfortunately)
• OVERALL EXPERIENCE:

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