Photos show what it's like to fly right now
Benoit Tessier/REUTERS
The coronavirus pandemic has rapidly transformed the way we fly, if we're flying at all.
Though air travel has seen a significant decrease, airlines have scrambled to implement new protective measures to make passengers and crew feel safe during the pandemic.
Around the world, airlines are administering temperature checks, requiring passengers wear face masks, and implementing new ways to disinfect planes and terminals.
Flying during the coronavirus pandemic is an entirely new experience.
In a matter of months, the pandemic has significantly transformed the way airlines and passengers operate. Though air travel has seen a drastic decline, people around the world are still booking necessary flights, and airlines have had to implement new safety policies for customers and crew members.
In most cases, wearing a face mask on flights has become customary.
Thermal body scanners, electronic temperature checks, sanitation stations, and sweeping disinfection policies are just a few of the many new practices that have become commonplace in airports around the world.
These photos show what it looks like to fly right now.
The coronavirus pandemic has left airports looking eerily empty. In the US alone, air travel demand has fallen as much as 95%.
Amanda Perobelli/REUTERS
Source: Business Insider, LA Times
In Brazil, an empty runway is seen at the Guarulhos International Airport on May 19.
REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli
The International Air Transport Association has previously warned that European airlines could see demand drop 55% this year. Here, empty luggage carts are seen in France, where travel restrictions have been strict.
Charles Platiau/REUTERS
Source: The New York Times, The Local
Airport restaurants have been left abandoned, as well. In this photo, dining areas at the Hong Kong International Airport are completely shuttered.
Tyrone Siu/REUTERS
But people are still booking flights for necessary travel. In this photo at an airport in Spain, passengers are seen lining up six feet apart to check in at an otherwise empty terminal.
Juan Medina/REUTERS
Some airports have begun implementing social distancing by using labels across the floor that tell passengers where to stand while they check in for a flight, like these at Charles de Gaulle in Paris.
Ian Langsdon/Pool via REUTERS
At security, some airports have implemented thermal scanners that check a passenger's body heat, as a way to detect a fever. But about a quarter of coronavirus patients don't develop a fever, and many don't have symptoms at all.
Remo Casilli/REUTERS
Sources: LA Times, Business Insider
Thermal scanners were previously used in some airports during the SARS outbreak in 2003, and the Ebola scare in 2014. Rather than having airport personnel physically scan people before a flight, thermal scanners can monitor body heat on a television screen from a distance.
Ints Kalnins/REUTERS
Source: LA Times
Many airports around the world are also administering temperature checks via electronic thermometers for both passengers and crew members.
Daniel Becerril/REUTERS
While passengers wait to board the plane, many airports have created social distancing guidelines in terminals so people can be spaced apart from one another.
Ronen Zvulun/REUTERS
Here, passengers at Charles de Gaulle are seen spaced out every other seat.
Benoit Tessier/REUTERS
In many cases, airline workers have begun wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), such as face shields, and hand sanitizing stations have been set up throughout airports.
Ints Kalnins/REUTERS
Source: Insider
Some airlines, including Air France and American Airlines, are even giving out face masks to customers for free.
Benoit Tessier/REUTERS
Source: CNBC
Others are giving out informational booklets and coronavirus kits on how to stay safe during the pandemic.
Ints Kalnins/REUTERS
Wearing a face mask on flights has become the new norm. Most major US and international airlines are recommending the use of a face mask, and the International Air Transport Association has said it supports the mandatory use of masks.
Martin Pollard/REUTERS
Source: Insider
In some cases, flights have been left under-booked. In April, over half of flights in the US were canceled, and fewer than one in 10 seats were filled on some planes.
REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo
Source: The Guardian
But as states and countries begin easing up on stay-at-home orders, flights are starting to become more crowded.
Ethan Weiss/via REUTERS
Source: Vox
To protect passengers and crew members, disinfection has become a key step in the battle against the coronavirus.
Ian Langsdon/Pool via REUTERS
Airlines have been sending personnel in full PPE to clean off seats, and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.
Ian Langsdon/Pool via REUTERS
The same goes for airport terminals and check-in areas.
Ian Langsdon/Pool via REUTERS
At the Hong Kong International airport, sanitation robots are being used to disinfect and kill the virus on frequently touched surfaces with ultraviolet light.
Tyrone Siu/REUTERS
Source: LA Times
Once passengers arrive, most countries recommend they self-quarantine for 14 days to keep from spreading the virus if they have it.
REUTERS/Toby Melville
Source: CDC
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