Travelling through Covid times

Although this is primarily a blog around the 14 day’s MIQ, I decided it also needed to cover the Covid impact on my travel, or how the travel went, out and return. 

I generally use Super Shuttle to get to the airport, as it effectively means the trip/holiday starts from your front door and there are no painfully long drawn-out airport farewells, where the departing party can’t wait to get away and those left behind try to drag things out to the last minute. The shuttle was booked for 10:40am (they chose the time) and the luggage (two cases and a wheelie bag) were by the front door by 10am.  At 10:10, I looked out of the window to see the van out there, patiently waiting, so it was a rapid farewell to my lovely, lonely wife, stuck at home in lockdown, and I was away.

Mask on.

A good chat with the driver, as I moved up to the front passenger seat once around the corner, and usually, we go via the city and suburbs to pick up from several hotels and private residences. However, as travel of any sort is so restricted, and the one time when a longer drive would have been appreciated, no other pickups. So the journey to the airport was direct, arrival being way too early for a 14:10pm flight..
The airport pickup/drop-off area was deserted and I decided that as I had about 40 hours ahead of me, deprived of fresh air and sunlight, I may as well sit outside in the early spring sun and make the most of it.

Security at the terminal were only allowing in passengers and the only check-in counter open was Singapore Airlines.

I handed over my folder with printouts of the negative covid test, UK pre arrival travel locator and the receipt for the day 2 arrival test.  

The rest of the departure hall was totally empty. I knew the lounge was closed and mentioned it to one of the check in team and she brought me a $35 voucher.

Total baggage weight across the two cases was about 31.5kg, Less than 5% off my estimate.

Up the escalator to the departure level and the shutter was down, so along with other passengers, we sat around until they opened at 12:05. Straight through the E gate and X-ray.

Everywhere was closed! No Duty Free. No magazines. Nothing - except for ‘Vantage’, the bar and food outlet. No hot food on offer, just cold drinks, coffee and sandwiches.

So to use up the voucher, it was a coffee (nowhere near large enough, a bottle of coke and a bottle of apple juice. The sandwich was awful, so I picked out the filling and dumped the bread.

I estimate there were not more than about 40 people on the flight and unusually, we boarded a bus which drove us around the airport and boarded at the tail of the aircraft via the steps. The first row to have anyone on it was row 15. Me. I think there were only about 5 or 6 people in that section of the aircraft.

Departure was on time (and why not?) and lunch was ‘beef cheeks with a cheesy polenta mash. Pity it hadn’t been heated up enough.

A ten hour flight to Singapore and also dinner en route after trying to doze plus watching the 1966 film "Grand Prix". 
That meal was much better and extremely tasty but the slow cooked lamb would have benefitted by an extra half an hour or so, slightly curried, plus okra and other bits and pieces as sides, . As with lunch, the bar of whatever it was for dessert, I ignored. Somewhat surprisingly, for both meals, the bread roll was cold. Generally I rate the AirNZ food better - oh, and no cider on board either.  

Touchdown in a wet Singapore a tad early, and then the restrictions bit in again.

Still masked up – of course, we walked off the aircraft and lined up 1m apart, eventually in two lines and were issued with a green wrist tag. Only when we were all off, were we escorted for the ten minute walk almost as far as the steps down to immigration, where those with business class tickets were diverted to a fenced off lounge area where tables etc. were 2m apart.

Before I left, I’d been on the interweb, and it stated that business class passengers could order food which would be delivered to them. H’mm. I think you had to scan in on your phone for a limited range of options, but I have no idea if the food was complimentary or not.

No toilets. So I asked the attendant where they were and exited the area to join the other passengers. There was a food cart selling snacks and also taking orders for the same food as in the other lounge.  I passed on that and certainly passed on a beer at $13.

When the flight was called, we lined up again in lines but when the marshal led off, there was no one calling 1 line at a time, so within 2 seconds, 1m spacing was out the window.

We were then halted until the queue for the X ray machines had gone (there were plenty of passengers joining us for the next leg).

Bear in mind we’d had no opportunity to purchase anything or acquire anything since the scan at Auckland, we had a slow processing of a more thorough scan, inasmuch as watch off, belt off etc.

Then the usual departure lounge area until we boarded, ready for an 11:30pm flight – masks still on remember – to London, but this time, the flight appeared to be full. Before we’d even started  moving, the captain informed us that the flight would be about 45 to 50 minutes longer than scheduled, at almost 14 hours, possibly to avoid bad weather. Oh deep joy…