Like many during Covid-19, my flight was very empty. Airline staff said there were around 60 people in the entire economy section. While this was great for leg room and sleeping space, it wasn’t the best for food options. The reduced capacity was likely the reason for the limited food menu; instead of options, we were all given the same meal of fish, vegetables and ice cream. The food was still tasty, but if you weren’t a fan of fish, there was little else to choose from. Consider bringing snacks to keep your hunger at bay.

If you have dietary restrictions, you can mark that online when you book your ticket. I chose dairy-free meals in advance, but because of the limited menu I ended up being given a chicken drumstick dinner meal for breakfast instead of the normal breakfast omelette and yoghurt that was given to other passengers. If your dietary requirements aren’t a necessity or you can manage without it for a meal or two, I’d advise against being too selective in favour of better food.

Ironically enough, this ended up being the hardest task of all. I’ve never owned a printer, and I don’t think printing cafes are a thing anymore? I checked my airline’s website as well as the United States Health Department website to see what documents I’d need to provide in advance and I got everything printed before heading to the airport.

Flying out of Hong Kong, you must have a negative Covid-19 test completed and printed in advance to show airline staff when you check in. Make sure to check the Covid-19 test requirements of the country you're entering, in my case, the United States required a negative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test within 72 hours of arriving in the country. Some countries will also require you to fill out a health form online as well, so make sure to research the country-specific requirements needed so you can do this in advance. You may also need to fill out a health declaration form. If you haven’t done this in advance, the airline crew will likely hand this out for you to fill in on the flight.

Planes are notorious for their uncleanliness, and while it’s likely the aircraft is cleaner than ever before thanks to Covid-19 precautions, it definitely can’t hurt to do a bit of additional sanitising. Here’s my suggested list of what you should bring to keep your flight clean and safe.

• Level 3 masks and ear loops if you need to tighten your mask—multiple masks are best so you can change them as often as you need.
• Spray sanitiser and gel sanitiser. (Spray sanitiser isn’t really necessary, but spraying it around the general vicinity just makes everything feel cleaner.)
• Disposable gloves.
• Disinfectant wipes.
• Ziploc bags.

Tip As cabin crew are often busy, especially pre-flight, I took all of the disinfectant wipes I’d used to clean my seat and put them into a Ziploc bag so I didn’t need to hold them and wait. You can also use disposable gloves to do this.

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