brand logo

Airline travel under the ‘new normal’

05 Jan 2022

BY Srilal Miththapala The prerequisites for air travel today under the “new normal” is cumbersome and stressful. I had the opportunity to experience it first hand on a recent flight back from Australia. A negative PCR test 72 hours before departure is essential on most airlines. When in a country like Australia, which has got their Covid response plans completely messed up, this gets complicated. With caseloads exceeding 40,000 a day, the medical system there is stretched to the limits, with everyone wanting to get tested (Even for interstate travel, before visiting aged care centres, going for a party, etc. people need to obtain a PCR report). Consequently, there are long queues at testing centres, with a waiting time of five to six hours, sometimes even more. Results get late and take a minimum of more than two days, usually longer (I saw a lady complaining that her results had not come for six days, and that she had to postpone her flight). To add to the woes, unfortunately, there is no way to call or mail anyone to query or complain. All one gets is an automated response just apologising for delays and asking for patience. And all this is after paying Australian dollars (AUD) 150 for the special travel PCR test. There was no special access at the testing centre and I had to stand in line with everyone else (who were getting tested free) under the scorching sun (38°C). So much so for the great Aussie customer service which is non-existent now (compare that with good old Sri Lanka where for about Rs. 7,000 or AUD 43, you get tested in the comfort of your home with results guaranteed within 24 hours). So with my travel day looming ahead, I was biting my nails in stress and frustration, waiting for my results in suspense. I learned that there is one fast track testing centre located at the airport which will give you the results in 90 minutes. But it opens only at 6 a.m. (I am surprised why they do not have it open 24 hours, since there are flights in the early hours of the morning). With my flight being at 7.30 a.m. there was no way I could fall back on this option, in case my PCR results did not come in time. In any event, even if I could have gotten it done there, with the three to four hour check-in time now recommended, it would mean 5.5 hour arrival at the airport prior to boarding. And given the one hour drive to the airport from home, it would mean I would have had to leave 6.5 hours before from home (at 1.30 a.m.).  So eventually (with several more grey hairs added to my head), I did get the PCR test results via SMS late on day three. Once the PCR arrived I had to carry a printed copy to the airport, as required by Sri Lankan Airlines (UL) and of course your printer has to give trouble at the correct time, so that you have to then drive to Officeworks to get it printed). Then there is the new Sri Lankan heath clearance form that has to be filled in online 72 hours prior. All vaccination certificates, PCR test results, and other details have to be filled in online. For some unknown reason, no PDF versions are accepted, and all documents have to be in JPEG format. So I unearthed my PDF editor to convert all documents to JPEGS (which refused to work, keeping up with my ongoing luckless trend). So as a last resort I took some pictures of the certificates from my phone and uploaded them. Within minutes I got confirmation that my application was successful, and was sent a QR code to carry with me (is my luck changing?). Finally, I did get all the formalities sorted out about 12 hours before my flight.  In spite of my 30 odd years in tourism (where I did travel fairly often), it is evident from the foregoing, that I am a paranoid traveller. Now that the documentation formalities were cleared, I started thinking of my baggage. After being away for six months, and with a sweet granddaughter waiting for me in Sri Lanka, it was no surprise that my luggage was badly overweight. Thankfully, I had arranged for my wife to accompany me to the airport, so that if there were any issues, I could “off-load” some items to take back with her.  So with all these issues, I managed only a few hours of erratic sleep, and left for the airport at 4 a.m. The door-to-door airport shuttle had another passenger to pick up, and with that detour, we arrived at Tullamarine Airport at about 5.25 a.m.  By the way, air ticket prices on UL were quite steep. Singapore Airlines (SQ) was giving a much better rate and I was told that many Sri Lankans are going in for this option. I was not too happy about transiting in Singapore, so I decided to fly UL in spite of the higher rates. I was surprised to see a deserted airport. Apparently there were no other flights departing except for UL605. The usually bustling Melbourne airport was like a ghost town. The UL counters were at the further end where there was a sizeable crowd. The UL airport staff were ensuring an orderly process of sending passengers in batches up to the check-in counters so that there was no crowding  Years of being in tourism has its benefits no doubt. The station manager was known to me and to my wife, so I had “backdoor” VIP status as I was whisked through check-in, with hardly a cursory glance at my overweight bags. After clearing emigration I arrived at the gates only to be told that the arriving UL flight from Colombo had landed 45 minutes late. Just my luck. Another long wait and I nodded off for a while in the waiting area. The incoming airline crew (who had laid over in Melbourne from an earlier flight), were also impatiently waiting as the aircraft was cleaned and made ready. The captain and his two first officers were talking with the airline station manager, and they were taken to a lounge to wait until the aircraft was ready (On a long haul flight like UL605 there are two co-pilots who take turns to assist the captain to fly the plane). I walked around the empty airport and saw only a few planes parked on the tarmac. Finally I boarded (thanks to the UL ground staff I got to board first) and settled down on my side aisle seat (The station manager had told me that since the flight was reasonably “open” he would keep the seat by my side free). So I had the luxury of virtually two seats once I put the armrest up. The captain managed to get cleared early, and we pushed back and took off only half an hour behind schedule eventually. My luck seemed to have certainly changed.  The service of the cabin crew was quite good, contrary to what I had heard about UL of late. They were very attentive and efficient. The food, though rather bland, was alright.  The flight was smooth, although long and tiring, and I did not get any sleep, particularly since it was a daylight flight. To add to that, there were many Sri Lankan families traveling back with little children. So it was more like being in a crèche, with crying and wailing right throughout the flight. After the dinner service, the window shades were drawn down, with mellow mood lighting switched on, which I am sure was to lull passengers to sleep. The air conditioning was also turned up, since the cabin became quite cold, again a subtle way of getting people to sleep. It seemed to have succeeded well, judging from the snores emanating from all around me in the cabin. I guess this gave the cabin crew some well-earned rest on the 10-plus-hour flight.  After a hurried lunch service we were ready to descend for landing. The Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) was the same as before with no change in the physical configuration, with adequate counters, so that I cleared emigration in not more than 10 minutes. There were hordes of baggage handlers hovering around the baggage carousel, like hawks swooping on unsuspecting passengers, and forcing them to help them with their bags. One guy told me that they hardly earn anything on some days because of the reduced flights. Well, with only one other flight landing just after mine (a UL flight from Heathrow) the airport successfully managed to mix up the two baggage carousels. So there we were, running back and forth between the two carousels looking for our bags. This chaos turned the clock back by 45 minutes, which ruined the otherwise smooth arrival process so far. After this record wait for the bags, I eventually retrieved them, and passed through a deserted customs area.  I now braved for the health checks and calmed myself with inner dialogues to be prepared for another long delay. I was pleasantly surprised that everything was very orderly, formed into several lines with clear notification. There was a separate queue for people who had done the health certification online, which I joined. I just scanned the code in front of the officer using their machine, and hey presto! I was stamped and waved on in less than 45 seconds. Excellent process, I would say even better than some developed countries. However, I noticed that for others who had not pre-uploaded the health check form , it seemed to be complicated from what I observed of the large crowds in those queues. So what’s the verdict? Would I travel again in the midst of this ongoing pandemic and constantly changing “blow hot, blow cold” travel protocols? Nope! Unless it is a necessity. Definitely not on leisure. I may be a bit risk averse, but at my age, I shall “hunker down and be in my bunker”, rather than travel under the “new normal”.  (The writer is a Freelance Tourism Strategy Consultant with over 25 years of experience in the hospitality industry. He was former Tourist Hotels Association of Sri Lanka President, former Sri Lanka Hotel Classification Committee Board member, former Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hospitality Management Board member, and part time consultant in tourism for World Bank) ……………………………………… The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of this publication.

Kapruka

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!


More News..