 So, after nearly three months of lockdown, India has started opening again. And one of the most important things to restart is the airline industry. But a lot has changed. Flying is not the same anymore. So if you're wondering, what does it look like to take a domestic flight in 2020, keep on watching. Hi guys, my name is Shachi and I'm a travel and visa coach. Now a little disclaimer before we start this video, I myself did not take any flight but I reached out to some of you who have taken a flight in the last two weeks. So a big shout out to everybody who helped with all the information, the pictures and the videos in compiling this video for the rest of us. So in this video, I'm going to take you through the exact steps which are being followed in airports across India currently when it comes to taking a domestic flight. And at the end of the video, I'm also going to share some tips and precautions which you can follow to ensure extra safety. Let's get started. You are currently required to reach the airport at least two hours before the departure of your flight. A lot of people I spoke to mentioned that due to social distancing and also due to the low staff strength at the airports, the entire process of checking in the luggage and the security check is taking longer than usual. So make sure that you keep adequate time cushion before your flight and reach at least two to two and a half hours before the departure. Once you reach the airport, you will have to take a printout of your boarding pass and of the luggage tag from kiosks outside the airport. Now, some of the airports in India still do not have this facility. So as a backup, do carry printout of these two things that is your luggage tag and your boarding pass from home also. But you need to have the Arogya Setu app downloaded in your mobile phone. And this is compulsory for each and every passenger who is traveling. And also, this app needs to be in the green. That is, it needs to show that you are not coming from a containment zone or from a high risk area. Once you have all of this ready, you proceed towards the entrance of the airport towards the security personnel. Now, the security staff is standing behind a glass shield to ensure their protection and you just have to show them your boarding pass, your ID proof and the app through the glass shield. You can even have the boarding pass in your phone. So a E boarding pass will also do. Once that is checked, you will be thermally screened to ensure that you're not running a high temperature and then your luggage will be sanitized. For this, you will be allowed to enter the airport. Once you enter the airport, you proceed straight to the luggage check-in area. Now, the waiting areas in almost all airports in India are completely restricted and most of the seats have been taped off and cordoned off to ensure that people don't sit too close to each other and they don't bunch together. So there is no point looking for waiting areas. Just proceed straight to the luggage check-in. Currently, all airlines in India are allowing just one piece of check-in luggage and the maximum weight of this luggage can be 20 kilos. So make sure that you carry just one piece of luggage with you. A lot of care is being taken to ensure the safety of the airline staff. So once you reach the check-in counter, they will again be behind a glass shield and a glass counter so that there is some amount of physical separation and you will be required to just show your boarding pass and then drop your luggage. Unlike the earlier times where the boarding pass would be physically handed to you and also it would be stamped, none of that is being done right now. Some of the airports in India are also asking you to give a health declaration. So if the airport you're travelling with requires you to do that, you also need to fill out this declaration and hand it while checking in your luggage. So do make sure that you have a pen handy with you so that you don't have to borrow or use a pen which is meant for everybody. Once you're done checking in your luggage, you proceed to the security check-in. And again, a lot has changed in the security check area. Now unlike earlier where the luggage would be physically handled and it would be touched and opened, all that is completely done away with. It is just being digitally screened and also the body screening of passengers is happening from a distance to ensure safety of everybody. And your boarding pass is just going to be scanned digitally. There is no more stamping and no more signing of the boarding pass which is required. A lot of people that I spoke to also mentioned that the trays that are being used during security check are being sanitized after each and every passenger uses it so as to ensure everybody's safety. Once you're through with the security check, you go to the waiting area of your flight and wait for the boarding to take place. Again, the waiting area has been managed to ensure social distancing. Alternate seats have been marked off and cordoned off. I also got to know that some of the airports have actually replaced the metal benches in the waiting area with plastic seats because these seats are easier to clean and they're easier to sanitize. So you're required to wait in this waiting area till your flight is announced. All the airlines are also providing a basic protection kit to all passengers. This kit consists of a mask, it consists of a face shield and it also consists of a small bottle of sanitizer. These are for you to use and discard after your flight. You do not have to return it to the airline. And in case you get a middle seat in the flight, you're also being given a complete PPE kit. Most of the airports in India do have a few shops and cafes open. So if you want to eat or drink anything, do it at the airport itself because eating or drinking is still restricted in the flight. Once your flight is ready for takeoff, you'll be asked to board the flight. Again, boarding is no longer in one big queue with everybody standing together. It is being staggered and small groups of people are being called at a time with the six-foot distance being maintained while boarding the flight. Once you're inside the flight, you will see that the on-flight staff is wearing the complete PPE kit and the complete protection suit, which I think is so essential for their safety. Some of the airlines are giving a bottle of water to each passenger, but apart from that, there is no other service on the airline. There is absolutely no food being served and you're also being discouraged from eating or drinking anything in the flight. So please make sure to follow these guidelines. The washrooms inside the flight are open and you are allowed to use it. But once the flight is taken off, it is not being sanitized after each passenger. So if you need to use a washroom, make sure that you carry a bottle of spray sanitizer with you and use that before using the washroom. Once you land, you head to the luggage area and you pick up your luggage and before you step out of the airport, you will again be thermally screened to ensure that you're not running a high temperature. And some of the airports are also asking you to give a health declaration and a declaration regarding your address so that you can be contacted if it is required. Some airports are also putting the stamp on your hand and this is basically a quarantine stamp which mentions the dates in which you have to be under quarantine. Most of the states in India have restarted public transport in some form or the other but it is not 100% operational everywhere so that you check this well in advance for your destination and also make the necessary arrangements. And lastly, almost all states have some sort of quarantine rules but again, these are changing every single day and this is differing from state to state. So in the description box below, we have a link which gives the details of the latest quarantine rules across all the states in India. So before you undertake your journey, make sure that you check it out and you are aware of the quarantine rules that you have to follow once you reach your destination. So guys, these are the steps which are being followed across all the airports in India when it comes to taking domestic flights. A few things might differ from one airport to another but this is a basic framework and the basic guideline which exists currently. Now as I mentioned at the beginning of the video I do have some special tips and precautions for you and these have been compiled taking the inputs of everybody who has travelled in the last two weeks. So let's talk about that. The first one is that though airlines are giving you a basic protection kit consisting of a mask, a face shield and a sanitizer, if you feel that you need extra protection or you need to be extra careful, then feel free to carry other things with you. Carry gloves, you can carry headgear, you can carry shoe covers, you can in fact carry the entire PPE kit. Now social distancing is not really possible inside a packed flight so it's really up to you to ensure your safety. Second, when it comes to food, if you feel that you are going to have a long journey ahead and you will need to eat some food, then carry some dry food from home and eat it in the airport before you board your flight. So this way you can avoid queuing up at the airport cafes and also avoid the risk of eating outside food. The third point is regarding your hand luggage. Now currently all airlines are allowing one piece of hand luggage but try and minimize this and try not to carry any hand luggage with you. This is because a hand luggage would have various touch points in the airport at the waiting area, at the security check and then once you're inside the flight, you're not allowed to keep it in the overhead compartment, you have to keep it next to you and close to you. So this really increases the risk of contact with a luggage which has already had so many touch points. So it would be best to minimize this and not carry any hand luggage at all. Fourth tip is avoid storing or putting anything in the front pockets that is the pockets which are there in front of your seat because this is a place where maximum people would have put their hands, would have touched it and we don't really know for sure whether these are being cleaned and sanitized after each and every flight. The fifth tip is regarding the washrooms. Now it might not be possible to completely avoid using washrooms but if you do have to use it, use it in the airport itself and carry a bottle of spray sanitizer with you and sanitize the washroom before you use it. Completely avoid using the washrooms in the flights because once the flight has taken off there is no sanitizing that is being done after each and every passenger and that just increases the risk of contamination. Sixth tip is that if by any luck you find that the flight that you're in has empty seats then feel free to ask for a change of seat if you're sitting next to somebody. Now most of the flights currently are completely packed but there are flights which have empty seats around. So it's just better for your safety and the safety of the person that you're sitting next to if you move to an empty seat. So don't hesitate to ask for a change of seat. The seventh tip is regarding the queues for boarding and de-boarding. A lot of you mentioned that some amount of overcrowding is still happening when it comes to boarding and de-boarding the flight and social distancing is not really being followed. Guys, please take a lot of care to ensure this and take your time for boarding and de-boarding the flight. Even if this takes more of your time it is still better given that this is going to ensure your safety and reduce the risk of contacting the coronavirus. The eighth tip is that many of the flights are being cancelled at the last minute. Some of them even couple of hours before the departure time. So make sure that you keep your schedule flexible and also be ready to make any last minute changes and last minute bookings. And the ninth tip is for elderly people in your family who might be travelling alone. So if you have an elderly person who's taking the flight then make sure that you prepare them well and educate them about all the things that they need to do. This is because the staff's flight at airport is currently really low and there is no assistance which is being given to elderly people or to people with infants. So they really have to manage everything on their own so it would be better to prepare them for this. So guys, these were my safety tips and measures. If you have taken a flight recently in the last two weeks and if you have any other safety measures or precautions which one should take do put it down in the comment section below. It's going to help all of us. Before I end this video I also do wanna say that even though flights have reopened please do not travel unless it's absolutely necessary. A lot of precautions are being taken by both the airlines and the airport staff but travelling is still not 100% safe. It's really up to you and me to take care of ourselves. Thank you so much for watching this video. If you know someone who's going to take a flight in the near future, do share this video with them. I really think it's going to help them out and as always I'll see you in the next one. Signing off for now. Bye.