I travelled from London Heathrow to New York, USA, in a pandemic…again.
I’m currently somewhere over the Atlantic ocean; in fact, I’m 35,999 feet up in the air.
I’ve been awake since 5:30am and, surprisingly, I’m not that tired. I left my flat in London Bridge at 6:15am, and hopped in an Uber, which took me to Heathrow Airport in just under one hour. I had to queue to get into the airport, which I certainly hadn’t been expecting. It was definitely anxiety-inducing as I wasn’t sure how long the line would take. Luckily, I was three hours early for my flight. I couldn’t help but feel the stress of those people who arrived to the airport late, only to find out they couldn’t run straight to the gate without first waiting in a long line that wrapped around the building.
It probably took me just over ten minutes to get inside. Once in, I checked-in easily and headed through security. The airport was way busier than it was in June when I had last made this trip.
*Turbulence for a few minutes*
Ok, where was I? Oh yes, how busy the airport was. In June, the airport was like a deserted town: minimal people, all a bit weary and freaked out by travelling during a pandemic. But now, I guess we’ve all sort of got the hang of it, and it’s just business as usual. Or people are just so fed up with being trapped at home that they’ve said f*** it – I’m outta here!
I got through security really fast and found myself with an hour and a half to spare before my gate would be displayed onscreen. On the bright side, unlike in June, more cafés and shops were open. Last time I flew, Leon was the only coffee shop open. And yes, I did join that 25 minute line for a coffee, and it was worth every sip.
I had a little wander around to see how many of the shops were open. I went into WHSmith and got myself two massive water bottles and an energy drink. I drink a lot of water when flying. The energy drink was excessive, but I figured it would come in handy when I began to crash…in energy that is. I really must watch my flight puns right now while turbulence is present!
I then went to go find myself a seat. Every other seat was blocked off with a sign covering it saying: “Do not use this seat.” I took out one of my water bottles and added in my Emergen-C vitamin packet. Got to get those vitamins in folks – especially when travelling!
Then I wandered over to Leon (we meet again my old friend), and bought an oat cappuccino. I drank it in the café as there was a seat available and I fancied some comfort with a table to rest on. In June, the café had only been open for take-away. I stayed there until my gate was announced and then walked for 13 minutes (precisely, according to the sign) to the gate. We boarded pretty fast after that and, luckily, I once again have the whole row to myself. In fact, lots of people do. That’s definitely one perk of travelling during this time. Empty flights mean the possibility of actually sprawling out and being able to relax is more likely.
Despite having the whole row to myself, however, I’m yet to really “relax.” I think at this point, with less than three hours of the flight remaining, I’m just going to stay up. I never ever sleep on flights. I have enough trouble sleeping generally, so you bet your bottom dollar that when I’m flying and my life is in someone else’s hands I’m definitely not going to. Believe me though, I do try. Last time I flew, we were handed blankets and pillows, but not this time. Perhaps if I had been given those then I’d feel more obliged; but without them I cannot seem to get comfy and cosy enough to get some zzzzs. I’m not really sure why the blanket/pillow situation is different to last time.
What have I done so far on the flight?
I’ve watched two movies, and now I’m listening to the “All-Country” audio package on the airplane TV. It’s not bad, but we’re yet to get to the real classics like Chris Stapleton, so my review is still pending.
As for movies, I’ve been very impressed. I watched the New Mutants film first, which was really good. Then I watched Mean Girls, which I don’t think I’ve seen in over a decade. It was so fetch. They have a bunch of holiday films onboard too, which is so nice to see. They even have Elf. Um, yes please! Elf, much like Love Actually, is a gateway into the Christmas season – it’s essential to watch every year. I would go so far as to argue that you haven’t truly embraced the Christmas spirit without it.
The food so far has been really impressive as well. Normally, plane food is beige, beige and more beige. Carb on carb and all that. But they actually gave us a delicious, well-balanced meal. We were served our first meal at around 11:15am. I had a creamy chicken risotto, a bulger wheat salad, a bread roll with butter (ok, yes, so far kind of heavy on the old carbs – BUT), a bag of natural almonds (protein and fat), and for dessert – chocolate truffle ice cream. To drink…I had some chardonnay wine. Don’t judge me. When you’re flying you can drink at any time of day. Plus, I’ve been up for so many hours it basically felt like the late afternoon for me anyways.
Now, with 2 hours and 48 minutes left of this flight, I’m not sure what to do. The final hour of a flight goes by so quickly, with the crew feeding us again, as well as the process of landing taking up the final thirty minutes.
I could watch another movie…
*Update*
I ended up watching Die Hard, which took me pretty much to the end of the flight. Great film by the way, if you haven’t seen it.
For our final meal, we were given a turkey and cheese pretzel roll, which was terribly greasy, but by this stage I was so hungry that I actually found it quite delicious. I washed that down with some more chardonnay – it was past 5 o’clock in England now, so it would’ve been rude not to have some!
Manhattan from the sky
Once we landed, it was totally different to last time. Before, some authorities had come aboard and told us about the importance of being aware of COVID symptoms over the next two weeks. Then off the plane, we had had to queue up and be asked a few COVID-related questions while our temperatures were taken. None of this happened this time though, which I thought was really weird given cases in the USA are still extremely high.
I collected my suitcase rather quickly (another perk of an empty flight), and went to go find my mom who was waiting outside the airport for me.
I’m now home in upstate New York and being fed and looked after like a Queen. My mother is really the most fantastic cook and host. If you want to see what I’m up to and the yummy food I’m eating – follow me on Instagram here.
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