The alarm on my iPhone beeped loudly well before sunrise and this of course meant it was time for me to get up and head to the airport.
I am a frequent business traveler and I enjoy taking to the skies domestically and internationally. However, I knew I was in for a different kind of trip in the wake of a major pandemic.
I was scheduled to depart from YYZ (Toronto) to YYC (Calgary) at 6:00 PM on Saturday, April 25, 2020; however, I received a call two days earlier from my airline, WestJet, indicating that flight #657 changed its departure time to 10:00 AM. I am normally used to delays at airports, but having my flight moved to a whole new time was something new, but I appreciated the personal call and knew that this was a time to be flexible.
Toronto Pearson International Airport-Terminal 3: The Departure Zone
The cab ride to Toronto Pearson International Airport was eerie. The QEW (Queen Elizabeth Way) was checkered with only a few cars and trucks, something I have never experienced before, and a clear plastic panel was mounted over the back seat of the cab , which of course separates the driver from the passenger. Arriving at Terminal 3 was also spooky: there were literally no cars and cabs in sight, or people for that matter – it was a ghost town, and it was truly weird to experience all this as I entered one of the world’s busiest airports.
The only person I saw and spoke to when I entered the airport was a young security guard who quickly greeted me and yet immediately reminded me of one thing: “Sir, you need to wear your mask at all times, or you you cannot enter this airport.” With this, I placed my trusty 3M-Mask over my face and off I went to check in.
The process for check in was a breeze. There was no one inside the airport, which meant no line-up. The team at WestJet were very pleasant, greeting me with a thumbs-up, and they too wore face masks and thin blue gloves. Terminal 3 felt more like a hospital than it did an airport, but this is to be expected in this new era of travel.
Going through Security was like any other day, but it was fast and quick since there were only a handful of people flying. The security guards were also very nice and courteous, ensuring travelers were looked after and felt comfortable with the new norm.
At Gate B28
After I cleared Security, I ventured off to my gate, which was a whole new experience. All the restaurants, duty-free outlets, and gift shops were closed, and the only thing open was a Tim Hortons and a Subway in the entire Terminal. I was in awe looking at the Departure Screen: there were only 9 flights scheduled for departure, including mine to Calgary. Typically, over 1,000 planes take-off and land at Pearson daily, so to see only a handful of planes on the screen was shocking to say the least.
The speaker system blasted 80s music, and was periodically interrupted with health and safety announcements: “wear your mask,” “wash your hands,” “stay 6ft away from other passengers,” and “stay calm.”
Gate B28 was a total quiet zone. There was not a lot of people on my flight and I was floored to see no other planes next to mine. There were also no planes in sight taking-off or landing which was totally bizarre. Again, the pandemic has grounded many airplanes and the reality of airlines losing billions of dollars in revenue set in. Tough times call for tough measures, that’s for sure.
Boarding the plane was a whole new experience. Everyone had to line-up and representatives from WestJet asked each person a slew of health questions: “Have you had a cough or fever in the last seven days?” “Have you traveled internationally recently?” “Have you or someone you know come into contact with a person who has COVID-19 before arriving at this airport?” If you answered yes to any of these questions, there was a no chance of getting on the plane, according to the airline’s staff. Also, if you didn’t have a proper mask on, then it was a no-go getting on the plane.
Ready for Take-Off
Of course I was in good health, and after I showed my boarding pass and ID, I walked the “finger” alone and entered the 737 aircraft.
The plane was only half full and it certainly was not your typical flight routine. When I entered the plane the smell of disinfectant was powerful and yet reassuring for safety reasons.
Each passenger was greeted with a bottle of water on their seat, along with a disinfectant wipe.
Since the plane was almost empty, pretty much everyone had a whole row to themselves. So, I wiped my hands down, opened my bottle of water, and enjoyed the view from the window seat.
The WestJet team was extremely polite and helpful, and the captain’s voice was comforting as he welcomed us on board and let everyone know that our flight-time was going to be 3 hours and 40 minutes, at an altitude of 34,500 feet, and the local weather in Calgary was going to be 12°C (53.6°F) for our 11:40 AM arrival.
Then we were all quickly reminded that there would no in-flight service, which meant that no food, no drinks, and no entertainment would be available. Good thing I loaded up with two ham subs and two diet cokes.
Once we left the gate and were given the normal “what to do in the event of an emergency” procedures, we taxied on the runway for only a few minutes and then quickly took-off. As the plane climbed, I looked down to see empty highways and streets, and off in a distance Toronto still looked like it was in a deep sleep.
In-Flight on WestJet 657
The flight was extremely quiet with the plane being light on passengers, and the isle was free of drink and food carts and crew. The crew remained seated for most of the flight, and the only sound to be heard was the hum of the 737’s powerful engines.
It was nice to sit back and relax and sleep: no internet, no phone ringing, no emails, and no entertainment. Make sure your laptop, tablet, phone or iPad is loaded with your own entertainment as the airlines don’t want you touching any controls and this includes the seat-recliner.
The nearly four-hour flight went by quickly and was purely non-eventful. What I was really enjoyed was the downtime – no deadlines, no conversations… nothing. Just being in the air looking down on each province we flew over was calming and entertaining in its own right.
The bathrooms were also spic-and-span clean and the air was filled with the smell of disinfectants. The only time the crew went through the cabin was to check to ensure that everyone was wearing their face masks. If you had yours off, you would get a stern scolding, a lesson one man a few rows over quickly learned.
I recall asking how much time was left on the flight to one crew member, who responded, “We will be landing in Calgary in 40 minutes.” My response, “Awesome!”
Arriving at YYC
Right after the captain announced on the intercom that would we begin out descent into “Cowtown,” I looked down to see the city with bare streets and highways while in social distancing mode.
When we hit the runway and landed, the scene at YYC exactly mirrored that of YYZ. No planes in sight, and the airport breathed pure emptiness.
As I left the aircraft, it was different to see the main terminal pretty much empty – very few people were around and almost everything was closed, except for a sandwich shop and a drink-snack stand.
At the baggage area, I had the chance to speak with some passengers on my flight while still sporting my 3M-Mask.
“Weird to travel while all this stuff going on,” said one woman during our conversation.
I replied, “We are experiencing one of the worst pandemics in over 100 years, and this has changed everyone’s travel plans for now.”
She responded in serious tone “No, COVID-19 will change travel and everything about our world as we know it forever.”
