• Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Live and Let's Fly
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Flight Reviews
    • Hotel Reviews
    • Lounge Reviews
    • Trip Reports
  • About
    • Press
  • Contact
  • Privacy
  • Award Expert
Home » United Airlines » Trip Report: Flying United During COVID-19 Epidemic
Flight ReviewsUnited Airlines

Trip Report: Flying United During COVID-19 Epidemic

Matthew Klint Posted onApril 1, 2020November 14, 2023 22 Comments

Reader Mark, a family friend, travelled on United earlier this week. He shared with me with this report, which is interesting on so many levels about what it was like to travel across the country during the height of the COVID-19 epidemic.


I’m a worker in the medical industry. While life has slowed to a halt for many of you, it has only intensified for me. Work took me to New York this week (again), giving me another chance to fly United. Even since my trip last week, much has changed.

I live in Westchester, the neighborhood of Los Angeles just a short walk from LAX. To be more precise, my home is under 10 minutes from the famous In-N-Out Burger on Sepulveda Boulevard where I’ve spent many a day watching exotic aircraft land while eating “veggie” burgers, which are like a cheeseburger minus the beef patty.

Yes, unlike Matthew I am a vegetarian. A fat one, I might add (being vegetarian does not translate to being slim for me), but I pay penitence by walking to the airport whenever I travel. It’s a 20-25 minute walk that has allowed me to burn millions of calories over the years. Or something like that…

It was absolutely eerie how quiet Sepulveda Boulevard was on Monday night. This street is usually packed at 7:45PM. Instead, the cars were few and far between. Even eerier, there were hardly any airplanes landing. While airliners will usually be landing one after the other with 2-3 minutes of spacing, I only passed a China Airlines 777 and Delta regional jet over a 15-minute period. Scary times! You could literally hear the sound of silence.

a street with buildings and trees

a street with a green light on it

a sign with palm trees and a parking lot

a stop sign on a street

a large white sign on a road

a road with buildings in the background

a freeway at night with a bridge over it

I cut through the rideshare parking lot, which was like a ghost town. Imagine that this was so busy just a couple months earlier that passengers were waiting over an hour for a ride. Now it was silent. A few workers standing around, one or two cars waiting, but silent.

a billboard on a road

a group of orange cones in a parking lot

a road with orange cones and a tower

a street with signs and a white structure

a road with orange cones on it

a table with signs on it

a sign on a sidewalk

a road with cones and lights

a large area with white tents and umbrellas

Continuing my walk, I made it to Terminal 7 and entered the baggage claim area. Mostly empty, though I encountered a few passengers wearing masks. I do not wear masks, although I do travel with gloves and plenty of hand sanitizer. So far, so good.

a billboard with white text and a black background

a street with a parking lot and a building

a street with a sign and palm trees

a street with buildings and lights

a sign on the side of a road

a sign on a glass door

a luggage carousels in a airport

a luggage carousel in a airport

Proceeding upstairs, it seemed like it was the middle of the night, not the airport’s most crowded time of day. For those who know LAX, the 8:00 PM hour is usually the time it will take you 30-40 minutes just to get from the freeway exit to the terminal. Not today. Not anymore. It was silent.

a row of silver poles on a sidewalk

people with luggage in a terminal

One couple was checking in, but the check-in lines were otherwise empty. So were the security lines. I was the only passenger, as dozens of TSA agents and a trio of CLEAR employees sat around talking.

people standing in a line at an airport

a row of electronic machines in a terminal

a large airport terminal

people walking in a building

a large airport terminal with people walking around

a large airport terminal with a sign

an airport with a lot of equipment

Since I was flying business class, I could have used the lounge, but cut it close and proceeded directly to the gate. Terminal 7 was silent. A few passengers sat in the gate area, some wearing masks. A flight to London showed an “early” departure, which is easily doable when you can count the number of passengers on one hand.

a escalator in a building

a large building with signs and a sign in it

a person walking in a large hall

a large airport terminal with people walking

a row of chairs in an airport

a large building with a large circular ceiling

an airport terminal with blue signs and blue screens

a round counter with a red pillar

a sign in front of an elevator

a screen with weather and temperature

a group of people sitting in chairs in an airport

Boarding soon began for my flight to Newark. Matthew always rushes aboard flights to take pictures but that was hardly necessary here. There were only about a dozen passengers on the whole flight.

people walking down a hallway with blue walls

In the Polaris business-class cabin were only six other passengers. The pictures below, folks, are of the fully boarded cabin!

an airplane with rows of seats

an airplane with seats and windows

an airplane with rows of seats and monitors

a row of seats with monitors in the middle of an airplane

an airplane with seats and monitors

an airplane with seats and monitors

a row of seats in an airplane

a seat in a plane

a seat and a television on the side of a plane

a seat in a plane

Flight attendants were friendly and many were on the young side. I would have thought the more senior flight attendants would be the ones to keep flying, but maybe they are just staying home. I was still offered a pre-departure beverage, which I passed on. An amenity kit was offered.

a plastic bag with a label on it

There were three young men who tried to self-upgrade to business class, but were gently returned to their seats in economy class. The Premium Plus cabin, which is United’s premium economy product, stayed empty.

a plane with purple seats

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of seats in an airplane

After the captain welcomed us onboard, we pushed back and soon took off. There was no traffic tonight.

Last weekend, United drastically cut service onboard. I was actually curious what would be served, though I had eaten dinner earlier. Usually it is a carb-heavy snack or a salad on a flight that departs around this time.

A fight attendant came around and asked me what I wanted to drink. No coffee or tea is available anymore. Instead, you can have water, soft drinks, beer, or wine. All drinks are served in individual bottles and no ice is available.

The same flight attendant returned and asked if I wanted to eat dinner. He said the choices were kale lasagna or chicken with pesto. I love the pasta on United and ordered the lasagna.

A tray soon arrived with the salad and main course sealed. Nuts, bread, and dessert were also in a bag.

food on a tray with a bottle of water

Unwrapping it, I found that I was actually served mushroom ravioli instead of lasagna. I like that dish too so it was not a problem. The label said lasagna so it wasn’t the flight attendant’s fault.

a group of bags of nuts and snacks

a roll in a plastic bag

a bowl of salad with a white label

a package with a label on it

a plate of food on a table

food on a plate

I played flight attendant and think I did a pretty good job making my dish look pretty, didn’t I?

food on a tray with a plate of food

a plate of food on a table

The purser came by and was shocked that I received ravioli not lasagna. He offered to switch it out. When I declined, he offered to bring it in addition to the ravioli. I agreed.

Is it any wonder I am overweight?

The lasagna also came wrapped and included kale and mushroom toppings and a creamy white sauce. I’m not sure which dish I preferred, but I ate them both entirely. And two bags of nuts. And two salads. And two cookies.

food in the back of a seat

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food on a table

a plate of food on a table

After washing my hands, I had a walk through the aircraft. This era in travel is unlike anything I have ever seen. It was so quiet. So empty. The little lamps at each business class seat and cold blue lighting made the mood even more somber.

an airplane with seats and a blue light

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of seats in an airplane

an airplane with seats and windows

a row of seats in an airplane

a row of seats in an airplane

a person sitting in a chair in an airplane

an airplane with blue seats

a blue room with rows of seats and a person in the back

an airplane with rows of seats

an airplane with rows of seats and a blue light

a seat in a plane

I reclined my seat and quickly fell asleep. One nice thing about an empty cabin is that no one hears my snoring! About 22 minutes before landing I was gently shaken awake by a flight attendant. After preparing the cabin for landing, the lights were darkened again and we landed in Newark with a short taxi to the gate.

a row of rows of monitors in an airplane

The 787-10, by the way, was cleaner than I’ve ever seen one, especially the lavatory. I don’t know when they scrubbed it, but it smelled like someone had just cleaned it and the cabin was very clean.

a toilet and sink in a bathroom

The terminal in Newark was also empty. I keep using the word eery but I cannot think of a better word.

a screenshot of a flight schedule

a screenshot of a computer screen

a store front with plastic wrapped around it

a room with tables and chairs and computers

a room with tables and chairs with computers

a bar with chairs wrapped in plastic

a large hallway with a large screen on the wall

a large airport terminal with people walking

a large airport hallway with a sign and people walking

a flag from the ceiling of a building

So there you have it. This is what flying is like in the era of COVID-19. I’ll let Matthew know if anything interesting transpires on my return trip.

-Thank you Mark for this detailed trip report during unprecedented times and for the work you do in the medical field. 

Get Daily Updates

Join our mailing list for a daily summary of posts! We never sell your info.

You have Successfully Subscribed!

Previous Article Booked! Air France A380 + 777 La Première First Class…For Now?
Next Article Is Now The Time To Buy Miles?

About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

Related Posts

  • Influencer Dog United Airlines

    Unreal: Influencer Brings Her Massive Great Dane “Service Dog” On United Airlines Flight

    May 21, 2025
  • Newark Airport Flight Caps

    How the FAA Is Determining Which Carriers Must Reduce Service At Newark

    May 21, 2025
  • United Catering Meltdown SFO

    No Food For You: United Airlines Grappling With Catering Meltdown At SFO

    May 19, 2025

22 Comments

  1. Former UA1K Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 12:55 pm

    “There were three young men who tried to self-upgrade to business class, but where gently returned to their seats in economy class.” You meant “were gently”, right?

    • Jared H Reply
      April 1, 2020 at 6:20 pm

      Glad they were not allowed to poach

      I also arrived into LAX that same evening and it was quite empty, on my journey there there is about 2 UA employees for each normal clothed passenger on the planes at the moment. I sat next to a FA on my flight and he said it’s a great time for employees to fly up front.

  2. Donald Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 1:15 pm

    Thanks for this report and all the photos Mark. Very interesting since LAX is my home airport as well, and UA my go-to airline. I hope you have the protections to keep you safe while you help others.

  3. stogieguy7 Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 2:40 pm

    I was in Terminal 7 at LAX about 5 weeks ago. It could not have been different than the photos that I am seeing here. Creepy. Thanks for the trip report – very well written!

  4. jon Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 3:20 pm

    Good pix

  5. Rob Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 3:37 pm

    Wow, still at it with the LAXit Uber/Lyft bus.

  6. Greg Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 4:58 pm

    Great report glad it’s the usual hot meals just wrapped up

  7. warreng24 Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 5:32 pm

    Thanks for sharing. Safe travels.

  8. Cv Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 5:37 pm

    Let’s add Mark as a regular contributor – thanks for the great report.

  9. GSNick Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 5:44 pm

    Do you know if UA flies with the same number of FAs as usual, or reduced number?

  10. Ulysses Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 6:28 pm

    Were the TSA agents also nicer, as well the flight attendants?

  11. Grant Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 8:17 pm

    Cv +1

    Awesome report Mark. Enjoyed your commentary and so many great pictures. Jealous you can walk to that In N Out & LAX. I should rent an apartment there too. Safe travels and I hope you post again.

  12. emercycrite Reply
    April 1, 2020 at 9:44 pm

    Thank you Mark! Great report and I like your writing style.

  13. Owen Pollock Reply
    April 2, 2020 at 4:11 am

    Mark, did you use miles or was this a cash ticket? UA J award availability is obviously wide open right now. It seems like a great time to make speculative bookings for the winter or next spring. I’ve been meaning to pull the trigger on transferring Citi TYP to Turkish for 15,000 one way in biz on United.

    Matthew, does everyone agree that the 787-10 is the best lie-flat trans-continental seat that UA offers domestically?

    • UA-NYC Reply
      April 2, 2020 at 10:27 am

      In a contest between the 787 and 757s w/legacy Continental seats – yes, the 787 clearly wins out

      (However, the 787 has the worst “expression” of Polaris seats vs. the 777 / 767, due to the smaller size of the seats)

    • Matthew Reply
      April 3, 2020 at 9:44 am

      Owen, I agree with UA-NYC. I do find the 787-10, a bit tight because of the tray table which impedes foot space. I’m sure Mark would agree. But I’ll take it any day over the CO 757-200s or even the PMUA 777-200s with the HD eight-across in business config.

      Turkish is a great option for United now. Yes, I’m also thinking about future bookings.

  14. Florian Dietsche Reply
    April 2, 2020 at 5:47 am

    Great Report! Would love to read something from Mark more often.

    • Adib Barsoum Reply
      April 2, 2020 at 11:17 am

      I agree. That was a great report and Mark would make a great contributor.
      Incidentally I flew from Tampa to Pittsburgh, my home airport, earlier this week arriving at 6:00 PM. The airport was as deserted as the ones Mark showed us.

    • Paolo Reply
      April 3, 2020 at 9:24 am

      Yes.

  15. Jamieo Reply
    April 2, 2020 at 11:37 am

    I fly through LAX a lot and usually gnash my teeth and groan about its crowding and inefficiency. But this report brings a tear to my eye. Let’s hope this virus is defeated soon

  16. dot Reply
    April 2, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    nicely done!!

  17. Fabrizio SCOTTO di SANTOLO Reply
    August 24, 2020 at 10:10 am

    I just came back from Europe and I flew Lufthansa from Chicago to Frankfurt and I chose United on the way back to Washington DC. Lufthansa, even with the restrictions is trying to keep the service in Business Class meaningful. They are not loading, as happened in the past, more meals than the real seat occupancy so you don’t have a real second choice as happened in the past when if you were still hungry you could get a second round. The United modle is really unfortunate. How can they justify the policy of the plastic glass and covered meals of less-than-economy level when people going out for dinner in the US can have a meal that is not covered and with real glasses. Of course the people preparing food MUST be controlled as the Crew onboard is. So, I don’t get the idea of these ‘plastic’ measures, unless Unite dis trying to say that they cannot check the health of the crew putting together your meal, whatever the class. United offered ONE SINGLE beer and ONE SINGLE WINE (ONE WHITE, ONE RED) on the entire flight in the 3 classes. We are talking about stuff the CVS sells at less that one dollar a (small) bottle. There are other options of premium wines offered in small bottles. Many options. But the most uncomfortable thing is the attitude of the FA who are scared to get infected by you and try to avoid contact, even when you are wearing a mask. On Polaris, they will come to you as in Economy and will go back to their seats “to limit contact”. But they had coffee (in plastic). My team from Europe carrying Visas with exceptions to travel to US for work ar eall being advised (by me) to avoid United. There is still business trave coming up. And I believe United should not be chosen unless they are deciding to invest the support they received in a decent service. Currently, Crew and passengers are unhappy.

Leave a Reply

Cancel reply

Search

Hot Deals for May

Note: Please see my Advertiser Disclosure

Capital One Venture X Business Card
Earn 150,000 Miles Sign Up Bonus
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Earn 100,000 Points
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles!
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card
Earn 75,000 Miles
Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
Earn $750 Cash Back
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
Earn 120,000 Membership Reward® Points

Recent Posts

  • Influencer Dog United Airlines
    Unreal: Influencer Brings Her Massive Great Dane “Service Dog” On United Airlines Flight May 21, 2025
  • Hawaiian Airlines Bomb Threat
    “The Guy Next To Me Has A Bomb!” Hawaiian Airlines Passenger’s Lie Sparks Tarmac Chaos May 21, 2025
  • Newark Airport Flight Caps
    How the FAA Is Determining Which Carriers Must Reduce Service At Newark May 21, 2025
  • Delta CrowdStrike Lawsuit
    Delta’s $500M Lawsuit Against CrowdStrike Moves Ahead—But Passengers Are Suing Too May 21, 2025

Categories

Popular Posts

  • a room with a table and benches
    Where To Smoke At Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport (CDG) April 26, 2025
  • United Airlines Polaris Lounge Chicago Review
    Review: United Polaris Lounge Chicago (ORD) May 1, 2025
  • United Airlines Refresh Polaris Lounge Chicago
    First Look: United Airlines Reopens Renovated Polaris Lounge In Chicago (ORD) April 29, 2025
  • a hand holding a blue card
    Chase Sapphire Preferred 100K Bonus Offer Ending Soon May 2, 2025

Archives

May 2025
M T W T F S S
 1234
567891011
12131415161718
19202122232425
262728293031  
« Apr    

As seen on:

facebook twitter instagram rss
Privacy Policy © Live and Let's Fly All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Live and Let's Fly with appropriate and specific directions to the original content.