Flying again!

I'm just back off the plane from spending two weeks in Newfoundland. Newfoundland opened to fully vaccinated Canadians on July 2nd, and we were on the plane soon after my youngest daughter's 2nd vaccine. We had a wonderful trip, and a fantastic family reunion.

I wanted to share with you my experience on getting back onboard a plane for the first time since February 2020.  So, hopefully this will address any concerns you might have about getting in the air again. And, of course, I'll then be available to help you start flying again too.

So - here's the first thing. Ottawa airport was dead, dead. The long-term outdoor parking garage has been closed during CoVid - so you have to park in what is normally short-term parking in the covered lot. And while that interior space was pretty full, we didn't have any trouble getting a spot on a Friday afternoon. It was pretty weird to see the empty long-term lot when we first pulled up, though. I went to the airport 2 hours in advance for the domestic flight to Toronto, fearing lines and queues - but we had plenty of time in Ottawa. (Toronto was busier.)

Inside, the Ottawa airport was pretty empty. The construction (redesigning eating areas for future) and re-routing for CoVid protocols takes departures up from the normal level. And there are tall, contactless temperature-taking machines that require you to stand still to get your temperature taken. There were banks of empty seats in the gate waiting area, even with every second seat marked off to ensure social distancing. You're checked in normally for boarding passes and luggage, and again at the gate, with your masks on, but you're asked to lower your mask to ensure your face matches your photo id. Once you get onboard with Air Canada, we were handed personal CoVid protection kits with a mask, hand sanitizer, and wipes. Small bottled water was offered onboard the plane.