Airport travel during Covid-19

Claire recently travelled to Portugal and discovered what it's really like visiting Europe during the Covid-19 pandemic...her experience of Portugal might actually surprise you! Over to Claire:

"I want to outline the airport and flying experience as I know many people are feeling anxious about flying and I would like to try and give some reassurance about it.

On arrival at Bristol airport, do expect some queuing to get into the terminal and to walk a fair distance (wear some comfy shoes!). Outside, the terminal is cordoned off and you have to follow a queueing system to get in. You will pass through a body temperature scanning area but this moves quickly and didn’t feel intrusive. Once past the hand sanitizing point, you enter the terminal.

Inside the terminal, all airport staff have to wear a mask (as you do too, unless you have an exemption document). Checking in with Easyjet was very straightforward and the self check in system worked well with plenty of staff around to assist if needed.

The departure area was quiet and very calm with plenty of seating. It was easy to socially distance. I was on an early morning flight so many of the shops and other outlets were not open, but trusty Starbucks was open for a coffee and a snack!

Boarding the plane was managed well, boarding a few row numbers at a time and all passengers were courteous and patient. You will need to wear your mask for the duration of the flight, except when eating or drinking. Easyjet did offer a limited service for drinks and snacks. The crew were very vigilant in ensuring adherence to the mask policy.

On arrival at Lisbon, disembarking was done a few rows at a time. The flight was full and this system worked well - in fact, it was probably quicker than the usual scrum to get off!

Temperature body scans were done in Lisbon by just a walk through system so there was no issue here. We were out of the airport in about 30 minutes from landing having collected our luggage and clearing immigration and customs.

On our return from Faro we were on the last flight out before quarantine kicked in so not unexpectedly the flight was full and there was quite a bit of queuing as they did not have a self check in system. To avoid this I'd recommend becoming an Easyjet Plus member to avoid queuing and enjoy other benefits such as speedy boarding and free seat allocation.

When returning to the UK, remember to complete your passenger locator form and get a QR code within 48 hours of your return, you can have a either a paper or digital version. This will be checked on arrival at the UK: https://www.gov.uk/provide-journey-contact-details-before-travel-uk.

In summary, the whole airport and flying experience was smooth and stress-free even with the additional checks. If flying is the only reason that is stopping you travelling, think again, as the benefits of a holiday will certainly be worth it."