2020 has been an absolute dumpster fire of a year. Obviously we haven’t been able to travel as much, like the majority of people in the world. However, we are extremely fortunate that neither of us, nor our families, have fallen ill from covid-19. I know that we haven’t yet officially seen the light at the end of the tunnel, but I am hopeful that in Q2 2021, things will begin to normalize again.
Personal update – Ningwei and I have moved back to the US! I got a new job stateside that I’ve been really happy with, and Ningwei worked from home with me for the summer before returning back to Hong Kong to tie up some loose ends. He will be returning to the US permanently before Christmas, so we’re hoping we can squeeze in a socially-distanced road trip during the holidays. Stay tuned for that blog post (assuming I ever get to it)!
We travelled back to the US on May 26, 2020, flying from Hong Kong to Washington DC with a layover in London. London and the majority of Europe were on lockdown back in May, so the airport was absolutely lifeless. It was a surreal experience – a true testament to how much things have changed due to this pandemic. I’m not sure what it is like now, so this blog post won’t be too helpful for travelers planning for the near future. However, I still wanted to post this trip report, as a way to look back when all this craziness is finally over.
5/26/20 Hong Kong to Washington D.C. (via London Heathrow) Trip Report
- Hong Kong Airport
- Check-in and Security
- Terminal and Lounge
- Boarding
- Flights
- Flight Capacity
- Changes to usual flights
- Protections on Flights
- London Airport
- Occupancy
- Employee protections
- Boarding
- US Immigration and Exit
- Process and Requirements
- Time to get through
- Leaving the airport
Hong Kong Airport
Check-in and Security
Entrance to Hong Kong Airport
Check-in Halls at Hong Kong Airport
As some of the pictures below will show you, I’ve never seen Hong Kong airport as empty as it was during our trip on May 26th. We pulled up to an empty lane of traffic with no other cars in sight. Given in-town check-in was no longer available, we figured driving was the best way to get us to the airport with all of our luggage. Other than those checking in for our flights, we saw maybe half a dozen people that weren’t working for the airport or any of the airlines.
Flight Board
The usually crowded departure screens now only have two of the four displaying flights (and many of them were freighters). There might’ve been a total of 40 or so flights (commercial) for the entire day. Security was efficient as usual, although this time it included a temperature check before going through the scanners. Many hand sanitizing stations were provided along the way.
Terminal and Lounge
Hong Kong international airport’s usual energetic feel was nowhere to be found. As we walked out of security, it felt as if we walked into a library afterhours. Pictures below showcase just how empty the entire terminal was. Outside of security forces and airport employees, we saw passengers few and far in between.
All Duty Free shops are closed
Restaurants are deserted at 9:00 PM
We were the only ones in the lounge
No one at the gates
Once we got to the airline lounge, Cathay Pacific The Wing First Class Lounge, I was not only greeted with a temperature scanner but a tour of the lounge. In fact, my wife and I were the only ones in the lounge with a dozen or so servers staring at us. The lounge food was excellent as always, but the emptiness of the lounge made the place almost unrecognizable.
Boarding
The flight was on time and boarding commenced in the order of your seat on the plane rather than by status. Most people wore masks and were respectful of personal space. Although we were all asked to keep at least 6 feet from each other, few of us did. All employees at the boarding gate wore masks.
Flights (Hong Kong to London to Washington D.C.)
Flight Capacity
On our Hong Kong to London flight, I estimated that there were about 60 people onboard; a Boeing 777 normally seats around 280 people. On the next leg, London to Washington D.C., there were half as many passengers (around 30). Almost everyone was in economy, with only 6 in business and 2 in premium economy. We all had empty seats around ourselves, and we felt pretty comfortable.
Probably could’ve had a row or two to ourselves
Changes to usual flights
The biggest change to the flight was the lack of real food and beverage service. Only cookies and bottled water were given. Surprisingly, no other changes were really implemented. This stayed true for the London to Washington D.C. flight as well.
Instead of large groups traveling, most of the passengers on the flight were single travelers looking to go back to their home country.
Protection on Flights
Most of the crew on this flight wore masks at the beginning of the flight (in Hong Kong), but as the flight went on, almost all started taking their masks off. Once the plane landed, the crew was extremely casual about their health demeanor.
On the other hand, the passengers in general were very protection aware. All wore masks while some wore gloves, and a few wore a full body suit.
London Airport
Occupancy
Similar to Hong Kong, a once bustling international travel hub was reduced to something akin to a quiet library. Pictures below show all the shops had been closed for a while (maybe since Easter, since all the promotions are still referencing to the April holiday), and all lounges were closed in terminal 5. Only a couple convenience stores remained open, so we only could purchase cold sandwiches as the only food option during our stay.
Pharmacy was the only store open in the entire terminal 5
A sea of empty rows
Only a few dozen flights today, usually hundreds
Starbucks closed
Plaza Premium Lounge closed indefinitely
We saw around 40 or so passengers in the terminal during the 7 hours we were there, granted there were only 11 British Airways flight during the entire day.
Employee Protections
Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos on this, but the employees at Heathrow were extremely relaxed about their use of protection gears. I estimated about half of the employees did not wear any protection gear at all. This included security staff and boarding gate staff that interacted with passengers regularly.
Boarding
Nothing unusual about the boarding process, passports were given extra scrutiny to ensure passengers were allowed to enter the US.
US Immigration and Entry
Process and Requirements
Once the plane landed, we were given the following health declaration form below. The fields are simple and straightforward with limited information required. Right before the immigration counters, we were directed to go to a row of desks where our temperatures were taken and our health forms were checked. All the passengers had to stand 6 feet apart from each other. The representatives informed us CDC’s recommendation of 14-day self-quarantine after arrival and waved us through.
Health Declaration Form
Line of reps checking health forms and 6 feet distance for passengers
Leaving the Airport
Once we got past, immigration and customs were a breeze. We were out of the airport in 10 minutes and hopped on a rental car van to get back to our hotel. The rental car buses had interesting protocols such as having the driver stepping out while we were loading to unsure minimal contact. Even though the rental car had a sign saying they will not serve anyone under quarantine, we saw at least 4 people from our flight getting a car from them.
Then we safely returned back to Maryland and quarantined for two weeks before seeing friends and family. The End!
Food and Miles 