Delhi Dairies
Himansh Kohli flying from Mumbai to Delhi! – May 2020
“I wanted to go home ever since the lockdown was announced, but I could not. I planned to travel via road but I wasn’t sure about the situation on the highway. But then I read that domestic flights were set to resume, and as soon as I got a notification that bookings were open, I booked my tickets.”- Himansh Kohli.
With the rules at the airport quite strict, the actor says this travel experience was quite different. “We were asked to follow social distancing while queuing up at the airport’s gate. They checked our temperature and verified our ID. We had to show our printed boarding pass and get luggage tags from home. They also asked us to show the ‘safe’ certificate on the Aarogya Setu app. Some passengers also got medical certificates from their doctor,” says Himansh, adding, “The airport itself was quite empty. People were wearing masks and gloves and carrying sanitisers with them. Since it was the first day of flights resuming, people looked a little scared.”
The boarding process was also very different, says Himansh. “While earlier, passengers used to rush when boarding started and break the queue, now everyone was boarding and deboarding according to their row numbers,” he says, adding “Once inside the plane, everything looked just like before. However, there was no food provided; only a bottle of water.
While lavatories were accessible, we were advised against using them. I had booked two seats for myself – the middle and window seats – to minimise contact with anyone. I felt lucky and fortunate that I reached Delhi safely.