5 Things I learned to fly in the midst of the pandemic across Europe

I took the opportunity to travel to Europe over the summer to see the changes that have taken place, in order to better educate my clients who are asking me if travel is possible.

Overall, with the exception of masks and social distance being imposed, Europe appeared close to the old standard.

The travel industry 'new digital facets'

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the industry to further concentrate on going digital beyond smartphone boarding passes and online check-in. I was able to print my baggage tag at the airport via the kiosk, then drop it off at the touch-free bag service. Therefore, for a flight with no human contact, one may simply check-in.

Hotels have also been stepping up their functions for online check-in. Although not as popular as airline travel, the day before arrival, some hotel chains have the option of checking in and selecting your room through your mobile device. Hilton is a prime example. Other than checking in, the app displays options for upgrading and any useful hotel service detail. And the hotel provides a digital key once you check-in, enabling guests to bypass the front desk.

Other hotels may not allow the choice of room to be selected, but the industry is getting there. I stayed in many hotels branded by Accor and didn't have the option. The need for paperwork at the front desk, however, was removed and when I arrived, my key was ready at the front desk, which saved time.

On the rise is the need for advance bookings

The majority of tourist attractions make it possible to purchase your ticket before arrival and sell skip-the-line tickets for an extra fee. Attractions now have restricted potential with the need for social distancing and facilitate advance purchases for a fixed entry period. I was in Utrecht, Holland, for instance, searching for a visit to the nearby De Haar Castle. When I was browsing online, it was 08:30 and the first available entry time was 14:45. Therefore, if I had just made my way to that spot, I would have wasted time getting there just to be told to come back in the afternoon.

Fresh Airline Actions Taken

The first businesses in the travel industry to adapt to the new normal were Airlines. There has been almost no transmission of COVID-19 from aircraft, as many sources have suggested. A KLM flight attendant informs me that the HEPA filters built by airlines run air through 99.9% of bacteria and other virus clumps and flush them out, avoiding pollution or an unhealthy environment. Every 2-3 minutes, the air passes through the filters.

Airlines are now offering kits that contain, among other items, a mask, hand sanitizer and gloves that differ by airline. Some airlines don't offer meals on shorter continental flights. The transatlantic flights I flew included, as I'm used to, daily meal service.

A surprising new normal is the removal of in-flight magazines by many airlines. This is said to be only temporary until a vaccine is discovered. However, some airlines are making these magazines electronic. The magazine is offered by Air France through a special app called Air France Play. It remains there even after the end of the flight until you add the magazine to the app. I've also seen a multimedia press feature on their website added by some airlines. The passenger can log in 24-72 hours before departure and, among other things, download the airline magazine.

Fresh Hotel Steps Taken

To help improve customer trust, hotels have lost a lot. If a guest checks out, several hotels will "quarantine the room" for 3-5 days. In other words, no one can have it for the stated time, which varies by hotel, after the guest leaves and the room gets cleaned, in order to allow possible germs to disappear. This is a major sacrifice at the end of the business, which demonstrates that they really care to ensure that visitors feel comfortable being there.

In order to preserve the gap between workers and visitors, plexiglass shields were mounted at the front desk. In hotels, including in the elevators, hand sanitizer is present. And in all public areas of hotels, masks are required.

Many independent hotels that do not provide an online check-in option will send a questionnaire to the guest to confirm whether the guest in the last 14 days may possibly have been exposed to COVID-19.

Travel agents now have the opportunity to shine even more.

Many customers would simply ask for a common destination for flights and hotels. When there, they realize they can use the city's hop-on-hop-off buses to simply hop between attractions. I always advise my customers that they have to purchase skip-the-line tickets if they want to visit a famous global attraction. These do not carry a lot of profit, however, and it's a lot of work booking them all separately. It is now time for travel agents to note that to customers while looking at point #2 about the need for advance bookings.

This can sound daunting to the customers, who are then drawn to book through the one agent they see who has excellent expertise and is able to help facilitate their travel. This also looks like on a guided tour, a growing number of travelers would try not to mind the price. And this is an incentive for those who do, or for agents who love selling FITs, to demonstrate the true value and to book customers more than just flights and hotels, leading to improved profits.

The skies are opening up more and more, and their suspended routes continue to be reopened by airlines. Travelling to Europe during the pandemic certainly had its advantages. Observing and immersing myself in the new normal has been really fascinating for me. There are indicators everywhere that the travel industry will grow stronger than ever, from social distancing steps to experiences made simple by technology.