Many guests have expressed apprehension when it comes to traveling during the pandemic, so this is a first hand account of my week long adventure visiting three different resorts in the Cancun Riviera Maya area.
My trip began with check in online. This is not new, but some minor things have changed. I flew on American Airlines and they have a health questionnaire. It’s a quick screen that pops up on your phone with symptoms of Covid-19. One button press confirms that you are not experiencing symptoms while also agreeing to wear a mask for the duration of the flight, excluding eating and drinking. The resorts are also doing the same online check in procedure.
At the airport I had only one person in front of me at check-in. The staff tags your bag and allows you to place it on the conveyor belt so less people come into contact with your baggage. The TSA line is the same process as usual, except the agents are behind plexiglass plates with a cutout to slide them your passport.
My total check-in time from the American Airlines desk to the other side of TSA was 7 minutes. It was actually one of the best experiences of my life at an airport. Everyone I saw at the airport was wearing a mask and some had full PPE on. There were no arguments and everyone remained orderly.
Everyone boarded when asked and no one rushed up to the gate. The plane is boarding from the rear with first class guests boarding last. As you are boarding the air hostess hands you a gift bag with a small water, pretzels and a sanitizing wipe. There was no in-flight service. First class receives an additional cheese and crackers tray which is all disposable. There were only two announcements for the whole flight: one when we boarded and one to let us know that we were 15 minutes from the Cancun airport. No one was walking up and down the aisle and no carts were moving, so it was a very quiet flight. Across my 32 years as a travel agent, this was one of the best experiences I have had on a flight.
