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Has anyone flown recently?

MissySki

Angel Diva
I just saw in the NY Times that they're considering requiring testing before getting on a plane. That won't make the airports safe, but likely safer.

Excerpt:
"Federal officials are considering whether to require airline passengers to have a negative coronavirus test before boarding domestic flights, according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Proof of a negative test result is already required for passengers boarding international flights bound for the United States, under a policy imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month.

In a program that aired on Sunday night, Mr. Buttigieg told “Axios on HBO” that “there’s an active conversation with the C.D.C. right now” about whether to require a negative test for domestic travel as well.

“What I can tell you is, it’s going to be guided by data, by science, by medicine, and by the input of the people who are actually going to have to carry this out,” he said.

end excerpt

Unbelievable that they haven’t done this the whole time.. This will be my 12th week getting tested to drive 4 hours to Maine where I only really interact with anyone outside skiing. One would think getting on a plane with tons of strangers in close proximity would require the same.
 

bambam

Angel Diva
Unbelievable that they haven’t done this the whole time.. This will be my 12th week getting tested to drive 4 hours to Maine where I only really interact with anyone outside skiing. One would think getting on a plane with tons of strangers in close proximity would require the same.

MissySki, does MA require you to get tested to go back there when you leave ME. Got tested before we came to Maine back in Jan, but going back to CT for a week & need to figure out if we should be tested before going back!
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
MissySki, does MA require you to get tested to go back there when you leave ME. Got tested before we came to Maine back in Jan, but going back to CT for a week & need to figure out if we should be tested before going back!

MA does require this as well unfortunately. Since I am working from home I just quarantine until I get my next test result. So I’ll come home Sunday evening and then test Tuesday or later to be within the 3 day window for going back to Maine the next weekend. This allows me to test once per week and be compliant on both ends. I know people having to test twice per week and that is surely more of a pain..
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I just saw in the NY Times that they're considering requiring testing before getting on a plane. That won't make the airports safe, but likely safer.

Excerpt:
"Federal officials are considering whether to require airline passengers to have a negative coronavirus test before boarding domestic flights, according to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.

Proof of a negative test result is already required for passengers boarding international flights bound for the United States, under a policy imposed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month.

In a program that aired on Sunday night, Mr. Buttigieg told “Axios on HBO” that “there’s an active conversation with the C.D.C. right now” about whether to require a negative test for domestic travel as well.

“What I can tell you is, it’s going to be guided by data, by science, by medicine, and by the input of the people who are actually going to have to carry this out,” he said.

end excerpt

Now THAT would definitely make me feel better.
 

BReeves215

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Finally (1) a Covid policy (2) that’s actually based on science!! I’m hoping this is implemented before my April flight from Atlanta to SLC. I flew round trip Atlanta - Portland (ME) this summer and to be honest I nearly had a nervous breakdown. Due to a confirmed Covid case involving a TSA agent, the entire departures area was funneled into
ONE line that included zero social distancing and unmasked people shouting into their phones . 2.5 hours later we finally got through security. Flight itself felt fairly safe as Delta was keeping middle seats open and I shared the aisle with my son. We did not use the bathroom, eat, drink, or remove our Hazmat-style gear until we got into our rental car in Maine nearly 9 hours after leaving our house. But it worked!!! We stayed safe.
 

Leesa

Diva in Training
I have flown quite a bit, for a multitude of reasons (my mother in law is extremely ill with an extreme form of Parkinson's, so we have had to travel more than is ideal during this pandemic) but I did go to SLC for a trip to Deer Valley. I wear an N95 and I make sure I wash my hands a ton, but the issue isn't the plane. It's the people who refuse to mind the 6ft rule at the airport. I am sure people think I'm rude but I will tell them to back up. I have no had any concerns on planes themselves. I have not had the virus, so maybe I've gotten lucky, but if you mask (I do not eat or drink on planes, I'm not exaggerating when I say that I don't take off my mask) and you wash hands, you can seriously reduce your risk of transmission. I work with OSHA in my job and we have been told that unless someone has 15 minutes of unmasked contact with an infected person, the risk of transmission is actually pretty low, so I have gotten comfortable flying.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I have flown quite a bit, for a multitude of reasons (my mother in law is extremely ill with an extreme form of Parkinson's, so we have had to travel more than is ideal during this pandemic) but I did go to SLC for a trip to Deer Valley. I wear an N95 and I make sure I wash my hands a ton, but the issue isn't the plane. It's the people who refuse to mind the 6ft rule at the airport. I am sure people think I'm rude but I will tell them to back up. I have no had any concerns on planes themselves. I have not had the virus, so maybe I've gotten lucky, but if you mask (I do not eat or drink on planes, I'm not exaggerating when I say that I don't take off my mask) and you wash hands, you can seriously reduce your risk of transmission. I work with OSHA in my job and we have been told that unless someone has 15 minutes of unmasked contact with an infected person, the risk of transmission is actually pretty low, so I have gotten comfortable flying.

Are you aware if this same time for exposure applies to the newer strains of concern as well?
 

bambam

Angel Diva
MA does require this as well unfortunately. Since I am working from home I just quarantine until I get my next test result. So I’ll come home Sunday evening and then test Tuesday or later to be within the 3 day window for going back to Maine the next weekend. This allows me to test once per week and be compliant on both ends. I know people having to test twice per week and that is surely more of a pain..

Thanks, the Walgreens in Bethel has drive thru testing should you ever need it
 

BReeves215

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
We’re staying at Alta Lodge for our trip there in April, and they have been providing tests for guests on property the whole season for those returning to quarantine states . They seem to have things figured out well!
 

ski diva

Administrator
Staff member
I have flown quite a bit, for a multitude of reasons (my mother in law is extremely ill with an extreme form of Parkinson's, so we have had to travel more than is ideal during this pandemic) but I did go to SLC for a trip to Deer Valley. I wear an N95 and I make sure I wash my hands a ton, but the issue isn't the plane. It's the people who refuse to mind the 6ft rule at the airport. I am sure people think I'm rude but I will tell them to back up. I have no had any concerns on planes themselves. I have not had the virus, so maybe I've gotten lucky, but if you mask (I do not eat or drink on planes, I'm not exaggerating when I say that I don't take off my mask) and you wash hands, you can seriously reduce your risk of transmission. I work with OSHA in my job and we have been told that unless someone has 15 minutes of unmasked contact with an infected person, the risk of transmission is actually pretty low, so I have gotten comfortable flying.

This is good!

Are you aware if this same time for exposure applies to the newer strains of concern as well?

And this is worrisome.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Thanks, the Walgreens in Bethel has drive thru testing should you ever need it

They do, but only the rapid test which MA doesn’t accept for travel. Although ME does technically accept it, to sign up on the Walgreens site now you have to attest to having symptoms or being in contact with a positive case for a rapid test as well since they won’t usually detect an asymptomatic case. Just fyi, but there are other places to go on the way home that offer PCR tests, including other Walgreens sites. The Bethel one doesn’t though. I’ve even heard that Sunday River offers tests at South Ridge some days, but you have to pay for it. I haven’t explored that avenue myself.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I know some people who traveled at Christmas, then one of the people they were staying with tested positive, so after days of being exposed they ran to the airport, jumped on a plane and flew home. This is the selfishness you're up against.

I can totally see that happening a lot! I assume if someone thinks they could have been exposed they want to get home while they still can.
 

elemmac

Angel Diva
I know some people who traveled at Christmas, then one of the people they were staying with tested positive, so after days of being exposed they ran to the airport, jumped on a plane and flew home. This is the selfishness you're up against.

Not all that surprised. I can imagine some people that plan on a long weekend or week long trip, don't really have the flexibility to tack on a 2 week quarantine. Especially if they're staying in an Airbnb or hotel, which might not have availability to extend their stay. Then add the obligations and responsibilities going on at home. I feel like working out logistics of quarantining in a place away from home would be horrendous (and quite costly $$$). I'm not excusing the behavior in the least bit...people should be considering this type of scenario prior to taking a trip.
 

Leesa

Diva in Training
Not all that surprised. I can imagine some people that plan on a long weekend or week long trip, don't really have the flexibility to tack on a 2 week quarantine. Especially if they're staying in an Airbnb or hotel, which might not have availability to extend their stay. Then add the obligations and responsibilities going on at home. I feel like working out logistics of quarantining in a place away from home would be horrendous (and quite costly $$$). I'm not excusing the behavior in the least bit...people should be considering this type of scenario prior to taking a trip.

I wholeheartedly agree with you. We are fortunate enough to have jobs where we can effectively work from anywhere and children who aren't yet in school, so we have traveled knowing that if one of us got sick, we were going to have to rent a car and drive ourselves home. I would never get on a plane knowing we'd been exposed but y'all are right, it's probably happening. Luckily, the filters and such on planes are pretty darn effective, but that doesn't mean it's not a crappy thing to do.

I also think there's a difference in traveling somewhere and still maintaining your little pod and going to see tons of people, bar hopping, engaging in crowd-facing behavior, etc. When we did go skiing, we stayed in a ski in/ski out condo with a kitchen to avoid shuttles, cooked all of our meals and didn't go to a single restaurant, and just skied and did outdoor activities with our kids. I felt a little bad but luckily we have twins so they don't seem to miss kid interaction. I probably wouldn't have been this intense about an adults trip, but I just don't trust my children to maintain masks and such so I don't take them to indoor public places.
 

altagirl

Moderator
Staff member
Not all that surprised. I can imagine some people that plan on a long weekend or week long trip, don't really have the flexibility to tack on a 2 week quarantine. Especially if they're staying in an Airbnb or hotel, which might not have availability to extend their stay. Then add the obligations and responsibilities going on at home. I feel like working out logistics of quarantining in a place away from home would be horrendous (and quite costly $$$). I'm not excusing the behavior in the least bit...people should be considering this type of scenario prior to taking a trip.

Yeah - I agree and think it's the kind of thing people are failing to plan for. If you could just drive home and not go in anywhere, it would be one thing. If you would have to fly home, people need to plan on quarantining in place/locally, difficult or not.

I do think there should have been mandatory testing to fly this whole time. I do know someone who had to fly to Alaska for an emergency (she stayed double masked and goggled the whole time and was in first class with staggered seating) and in Alaska they do have (FREE) mandatory testing as soon as you get off the plane. She was tested 3 times up there on a short trip, which is remarkable.
 

Jilly

Moderator
Staff member
I just read something about Covid tests before you board a plane..US .domestically. Not international.

Might not be a bad idea for the rapid test. It might give a false positive, but that can be checked out with the full test.
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
Yeah - I agree and think it's the kind of thing people are failing to plan for. If you could just drive home and not go in anywhere, it would be one thing. If you would have to fly home, people need to plan on quarantining in place/locally, difficult or not.

I do think there should have been mandatory testing to fly this whole time. I do know someone who had to fly to Alaska for an emergency (she stayed double masked and goggled the whole time and was in first class with staggered seating) and in Alaska they do have (FREE) mandatory testing as soon as you get off the plane. She was tested 3 times up there on a short trip, which is remarkable.


The airport in Portland Maine has testing on site, you can schedule a test for when you are leaving or landing. Those who are not actually flying in or out of the airport can also schedule tests there. I have no idea why this hasn't been mandatory this whole time, makes no sense! Some people do need to travel for various reasons, why not make it that much safer?
 

MissySki

Angel Diva
I just read something about Covid tests before you board a plane..US .domestically. Not international.

Might not be a bad idea for the rapid test. It might give a false positive, but that can be checked out with the full test.

I'd be more concerned with false negatives with the rapid tests, especially if we are discussing antigen tests. Many places won't accept those in general and especially not if you're asymptomatic (depending on the kind as I do think one has been approved above the others..). In MA if you have a negative rapid test for travel here it must be confirmed with a PCR test still. ME and RI allow the rapid.. it's odd how nothing is standardized. It's highly unlikely to detect infections early on though, I think of it like a pregnancy test. You could be pregnant but not yet have enough HCG to get a positive result on the test as it is only so sensitive at detecting the levels in your sample.
 
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