Travelling during the Covid-19 Global Pandemic

When did sitting in airport lounge become such a novelty? When did airport lounges stop serving alcohol? I guess when there is an ongoing global pandemic. So, here I am starting this post in the only airport lounge that is open in the entirety of Terminal 2 of Heathrow Airport - a terminal that normally serves approximately 50,000 passengers a day, with a slight feeling of guilt for actually moving around while the pandemic is still going on. And, they just announced that my flight to Zurich has been delayed for 2 whole hours! I guess this is one of the many challenges of flying these days (which I will document below) - gone are the days where one could just book a less than $50 return ticket on a whim, just a few days before the flight takes off, and jet off to a different country, even if the trip was only going to be less than 24 hours in a foreign destination in total.

In fact, the only reason I could make a return journey between Zurich and London was because I had a total of 23 consecutive days off. With initial isolation requirements of 10 days in both countries, this allows for 3 days of freedom in a different country. What luxury! Fortunately, Covid cases in the UK has now gone below Swiss cases (on a per capita basis) due to the strict lockdown and the relatively fast vaccination progress in the UK, so before the trip started, Switzerland announced that returning travellers from the UK into Switzerland no longer has to quarantine. This means 3 + 10 extra days of freedom! In addition, the Test to Release scheme that the UK has implemented since last year means that travellers from non-red list countries can get out of isolation after 5 days as long as there is a negative test result is provided. This means 3 + 10 + 5, bringing a total of 18 days of freedom instead of only 3 finally! But this comes with a huge opportunity cost - valuing both time and money.

Planning for this trip started in February and on the 19th of February, I made the purchase for a return ticket from Zurich-London on British Airways for a Club Europe (Business) Ticket that costs CHF178 (approx GBP140) which was actually quite a good deal.

In normal times, my story would have ended here.... but this post is going to carry on for a while....

The outbound flight would be on the 27th of March and the inbound flight would be on the 9th of April - allowing for 10 days of quarantine on both sides and the few days of freedom in between. However, 5 days after booking this ticket, British Airways e-mailed and informed that the outbound flight to London has been cancelled. The only flight available that I could take would be on the 28th of March - but this would mean that I will have one less day of freedom in the UK to meet up with people (outdoors of course as according to the UK government regulations). So, I cancelled the ticket altogether and started searching for other flights. Tip Number 1: if British Airways cancels your flight, you will have an opportunity to rebook or cancel the ticket fully to get a full refund. If you want to get a cash/credit refund, ensure that you cancel the ticket immediately instead of rebooking and then cancelling. If you do the latter (which I mistakenly did due to my indecisiveness), British Airways will only give you flight vouchers instead of actual cash/credit refunds.

The search for an alternative ticket was not too difficult because there was only one other alternative at the moment since not many airlines are actually operating at these uncertain times. The only airlines serving the direct Zurich-London route was either British Airways or Swiss. Since British Airways cancelled their flight on the 27th of March, my only choice if I wanted to fly out then was Swiss (International) Airlines. With less competition in the market, it was unsurprising that the flight ticket was going to be more expensive - I settled for a return ticket costing CHF284.85, on Economy Saver on the way out but Business Saver on the way in. My initial thought was I would travel light on the way out so I did not need to check-in any luggage, so the Economy Saver was perfect. However, upon contemplating it further, I did have to check in one piece of luggage, which I then had to pay an additional CHF30 for the check-in luggage.

Tip Number 2: Be aware that most intra-continental flights, even by non-budget carriers, will have a ticket class that does not include check-in luggage - therefore, check whether this ticket class will be right one for you - the cost does add up if you would like to add luggages and additional services that usually does not come together with the cheapest ticket offered. And, sometimes, even paying for a business ticket could actually be worth it as these tickets will come with the additional services / check-in luggage.

So, there I was now, looking forward to a trip to the UK, with a ticket already purchased, but also cautiously anticipating any further changes / cancellations to flights. Fortunately, there were no flight cancellations, only two schedule changes made by the airlines which moved the flight times by less than an hour and changed the service provider (from Swiss to Edelweiss and then back to Swiss). On a positive note, the removal of isolation requirements for travellers to the UK by the Swiss government means that I could actually amend my return journey dates, enabling me to stay in the UK for a few extra days (the CHF130 to change the ticket was worth it!)

Tip Number 3: It could be worth paying a bit more for more flexible ticket classes in these uncertain times.

But, during times of a pandemic, a flight ticket and a passport is not the only thing that one has to have to be able to travel. The lack of global coordination and cooperation has made it even more inconvenient and tedious to travel. To summarise, a return journey between Zurich and London would require travellers to take 4 different Covid-19 tests, 5 if you opt in for the Test to Release Scheme in the UK (which I did), and 6 if travellers from the UK were still required to quarantine but would want to leave quarantine after Day 8. So, the 5 tests that I had to take were as follows:

1. Test taken 3 days before the outbound flight (before leaving Switzerland) - COMPULSORY

2. Day 2 Test in the UK - COMPULSORY

3. Day 5 Test in the UK i.e. Test to Release - OPTIONAL

4. Day 8 Test in the UK - COMPULSORY

5. Test taken 3 days before the inbound flight (before heading back to Switzerland) - COMPULSORY

"Are these tests free?", one may ask. The answer is a laughable "NO". Just read the news on British news sites now about how unfeasible it is to try to restart the tourism sector as people are not really going to be able to afford these tests based on the current costs. In total, the costs of the compulsory tests, just for me, came up to about GBP300 and because I did the Test to Release as well, it came up to GBP395. Yup, you read that correctly, the tests came up to nearly the same price as my flight ticket. In normal times, I could get a return flight to Kuala Lumpur from London when all these costs add up!

Tip Number 4: Carefully read the instructions by the various governments on what tests are accepted - there are different types of Covid-19 tests and there are various providers everywhere. The UK government for example has a list of certified providers on the government website for tests taken in the UK, and also specifically states what information is required on the certificate (if taken outside the UK).

So, those are just the tests - lets go to the forms to fill now. I had to fill in 4 different forms this trip:

1. Advanced Passenger Information (before flying into the UK) - this is quite standard.

2. Passenger Locator Form (before flying into the UK) - this is a new form mandated by the British government which requires each passenger to also declare the place they will be isolating in and also that they have purchased the various tests (with confirmation numbers).

3. Travel Declaration Form (before leaving the UK) - this is also a new form as travelling out of the UK at the moment is prohibited except for essential travellers and this form declares the reason for travel.

4. Confirmation of Entry into Switzerland (before entering Switzerland) - this form acts as a Passenger Locator Form for the Swiss health authorities.

So, with the flight tickets booked, the tests booked, the forms filled, and with the awareness of the additional tests to take and forms to fill before returning to Switzerland, how was my experience actually travelling? In summary, more tedious than normal. Starting in Zurich airport, the queues to check in was very long as the ground staff were thoroughly checking each and every person's document. With Zurich airport being the base of the Swiss International Airlines, all intra-continental flights shared the same queue and the ground staff had to deal with different government regulations of the destination countries. When I reached the counter, the ground staff checked my passport, my passenger locator form for the UK, my Covid-19 Test Certificate, and my right to enter the UK, before issuing me with my boarding pass. There was nothing out of the ordinary at the security check and the Swiss border, but there was an additional check on the documents again at the boarding gate. Then the same process was repeated when landing in London Heathrow - despite the fewer number of passengers, the line just moved more slowly as UK Border Agencies were checking every single document - even wanting me to show evidence of the receipt of the compulsory Day 2 and Day 8 tests.

Tip Number 5: Print out all the documents required before travelling and pass all of them to the person checking to make the process quicker for you and for everyone else in the queue.

Travelling to and from the airport is also now less convenient - there are less choices of transport modes - for example, there was no direct National Express buses from Heathrow to Cambridge - so I had to take the tube and then the train (which is not a big deal as its actually quicker - but does require more lugging around the luggages). The amount of tube services that actually ends up in Heathrow is also more limited - I learnt this the hard way as I had to wait a full 20 minutes for a tube to get me into Heathrow on the way back. It wasn't really a problem, though, as my flight from London to Zurich was delayed for 2 full hours. Luckily I had the luxury of being in the dry Premium Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 2 (not by virtue of having a Business ticket, but being a member of KeyLounge as the normal lounge that serves Swiss Airline Business Passengers was not operating).

Tip Number 6: It might be worth checking various ground travel schedules and not assume that a journey such as tube ride will simply be on a normal schedule during times of pandemic.

So, was this trip between Switzerland and the UK worth all the hassle? I guess it depends - given the Covid-19 restrictions everywhere, not much can be done. Not all hotels are open except for a handful which accepts booking from essential travellers. But, for me, it was definitely worth it as this meant that I was comfortably living in my own place in Cambridge, I managed to get stuff done in the UK, and the easing of the restrictions in the UK meant that I could catch up with my friends in parks, gardens, and even outdoor dining areas (plus indoor if you've formed a bubble)!