What are your thoughts about travel in the time of Covid?

I’m the one who brought this up. My point was…no one was seated in any of the exit row seats on the two flights we took recently. NO one. So…another requirement at least on United Airlines…is that you are willing to pay extra to be seated there….including the row where the seats don’t recline.

You conveniently omitted this:

(b) No certificate holder may seat a person in a seat affected by this section if the certificate holder determines that it is likely that the person would be unable to perform one or more of the applicable functions listed in paragraph (d) of this section because–
(1) The person lacks sufficient mobility, strength, or dexterity in both arms and hands, and both legs:
(i) To reach upward, sideways, and downward to the location of emergency exit and exit-slide operating mechanisms;
(ii) To grasp and push, pull, turn, or otherwise manipulate those mechanisms;
(iii) To push, shove, pull, or otherwise open emergency exits;
(iv) To lift out, hold, deposit on nearby seats, or maneuver over the seatbacks to the next row objects the size and weight of over-wing window exit doors;
(v) To remove obstructions of size and weight similar over-wing exit doors;
(vi) To reach the emergency exit expeditiously;
(vii) To maintain balance while removing obstructions;
(viii) To exit expeditiously;
(ix) To stabilize an escape slide after deployment; or
(x) To assist others in getting off an escape slide;
(2) The person is less than 15 years of age or lacks the capacity to perform one or more of the applicable functions listed in paragraph (d) of this section without the assistance of an adult companion, parent, or other relative;

Man, did this thread take a turn. It is travel though and I always wonder about emergency exits. They did a study once (there is always a study) and the truth is you can never be sure how someone (even yourself) will react in an emergency situation. Many people just freeze and don’t move. They could be in that emergency row. Final recommendation was to pick a seat within 5 rows of an emergency exit and think about having to crawl over the backs of a seat to get out to get around people. And on that cheery note…

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Why would you think that someone wearing a burqa is inherently less able to do the emergency exit stuff than someone else?

Given the general level of physical fitness, not being able to lift and move a 40 pound object is probably the biggest issue on older aircraft where the emergency exit door must be lifted out and dropped onto the seat (or thrown out of the opening).

If they really cared about it, they would have a demonstration setup in the gate area and require any emergency exit row passengers to demonstrate their ability to open the door (including picking it up and throwing it if needed for the aircraft being used on the flight). But they do not, so it is an honor system (with pay to play thrown in).

I think the point about the burqa was that according to the religion that the women wearing the burqa practice, that touching men is verboten.

Hence helping people out of the plane might be difficult. Also the burqa impedes vision which might also preclude being as helpful as they could be.

I’m not making any assumptions except that those two things usually are happening with a religious covering that covers the entire body. Nothing else.

FYI I didn’t bring this up, just commenting on the limitations of wearing a burqa.

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Agree with all that , In actuality it sounds like the airline needed a couple seats NOW and the exit row wasn’t sold. And they filled it with whomever was last to come on the flight. So–just another “fantasy” so to speak. They just want to sell seats, fill them and safety (not saying you aren’t still safe) is not necessarily the top priority.

DoT launched a new dashboard, laying out what airline passengers can expect in the event of delays and cancellations from various airlines:

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Please folks let’s get back on topic. If someone wants to start a thread about the emergency exit row on planes, please do so.

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DH and I are supposed to travel this weekend. Really hoping our flight doesn’t get canceled!

I had Covid 5 weeks ago. I’m still doing the whole throat clearing thing, though the sensations of clearing the congestion actually originate lower than my throat, in the large airway. Not sure what my risk is in contracting Covid again this close to my infection. I will probably wear a mask on the plane, at least during boarding.

Probably low until a new variant comes along.

If you are traveling to Canada, are fully vaccinated by Canada standards, and have documentation of a positive PCR test from 10 to 180 days ago, that may be useful to be exempt from random arrival testing.

Nah, just going to WY and MT.

Browsing airfare and hotel deals today as well as dining options for a potential trip to Hawaii later in the fall… wow, the prices went down a notch, and there are plenty of open tables available at places that had almost none back in the spring/early summer.

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We recently went to Martha’s Vineyard to “escape the Texas heat.” It was 100 degrees one day and in the 90s the others.

Just got an alert prior to our trip to WY and MT: WY is experiencing a heat wave.

A couple of years ago, we traveled to Quebec to “escape the Texas heat.” It was sweltering.

So do we just bring it with us???

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Yes, you do. It’s our family joke that whenever my Texas relatives come up, it will be hot. It doesn’t matter if they come June, July, August, or September! And then they’re miserable since we don’t have AC in most of the house!

Making a note to check where @Nrdsb4 is traveling before making plans… :wink:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/09/04/covid-summer-vacation-travel/?utm_campaign=wp_post_most&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_most&carta-url=https%3A%2F%2Fs2.washingtonpost.com%2Fcar-ln-tr%2F37d5579%2F6314c742ab732227d00b714c%2F5e79f6caae7e8a59484e4727%2F9%2F72%2F6314c742ab732227d00b714c&wp_cu=6f7cfaa51e0dd71aee8f77ede2a7bd7e|A19985FDF19D632FE0530100007FE124

Stories from this summer of travel

I checked in with my flight today, I managed to get my husband and I to sit together without paying for anything extra, so that’s something. Not many seats left.
Then something popped up in my news feed. Something about AbBA in London, so I did try to book 2 tickets for next year without thinking about it. Not sure what this show is about but it’s a chance to do something different. But the show is popular because I couldn’t get any cheap tickets this fall when I’m there.

I have decided last minute to go to Geneva next week for business trip. I booked refundable since onlyl 200$ more RT. Getting my variant booster on Thursday, but i know not enough time for it to “do its thing” (2 weeks). Fingers crossed all goes well. Have to layover at CDG . Carryon only since only 3 nights.

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Well, we certainly did bring it with us. In Montana, it was all over the news that they were having dangerously high temps (90s to 100). Two days after our departure, the highs will be in the low 60s. Sigh…

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We returned Monday from our two weeks in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Did we get covid? No, but I got influenza, and am miserable. My flu vaccine was back in early November. I believe I got it at a crowded restaurant in Lucerne. Had we not paid 103 euros each, in advance, I would have walked away. Lesson learned. Air Canada was 4 hours late in leaving, but everyone was masked on the flight. I began coughing midway and if there were any way for the flight attendants to signal someone for testing, they would have picked me. A California couple claimed to have gotten Paxlovid from their doctor in advance of the trip, in case they needed it. Hmmm. No one in our group of 28 appeared sick during the trip.