I’m sharing my domestic airport security experience during the pandemic, my SEA-SFO round-trip flight experience, and my stay at a Hilton hotel during this period.

Reminder: during the pandemic, try to minimize going out as much as possible. I had to be in San Francisco for something unavoidable, which is why I wrote this post. After I returned home, I quarantined at home for 14 days. Reminder again, during the pandemic, try to minimize going out as much as possible! Try to minimize going out as much as possible! Try to minimize going out as much as possible!

U.S. Domestic Security Check Experience

The airport required everyone to wear a mask. In front of security, staff checked whether you were wearing one; if not, there were masks on a table you could take.

Security officers were behind a glass divider. When they compared your ID photo, they asked you to pull your mask down briefly. At all other points, you were expected to keep your mask on.

The rest of security was the same as usual: remove shoes, place electronics larger than a phone in a separate bin, remove your jacket, and empty your pockets. While going through security, I clearly noticed there were far fewer people than usual. Here is a photo I took while waiting to board—before departure, the entire row in front of me was empty.

Flight Experience

Alaska Airlines used a policy of leaving one seat empty between occupied seats. It was very comfortable and prevented crowding, so there was no elbow-to-elbow situation between neighbors.

On the plane, you had to wear a mask the whole time, though you could briefly remove it for drinking water and eating when needed. I bought water at an airport shop, and I declined all the drinks and snacks offered by the flight attendants.

During the pandemic, the number of passengers on airplanes was sharply reduced. The flight to SFO was especially sparse; I estimated about 1/3 of seats were empty. On the return to SEA, there were a few more people—I’d guess occupancy was a little over half.

These are the standard in-flight photos, just some shots of the scenery and the tower.

Hotel Check-in Experience

This stay was fully handled through the Hilton App with self-service check in and check out. I used the app’s digital key, and I had no contact with the front desk. During this stay, there weren’t many guests at the hotel overall—I probably met fewer than 10 people total during check in, dropping off takeout, and check out.

People were also quite considerate in the hotel elevators. If someone had stepped into an elevator first, others would wait for the next one. I think it was partly because elevator occupancy is lower and because next elevator came quickly, so no need to cram into the same one.

The hotel is old, and the room reflected that older Hilton style. There wasn’t much else to show in photos, so I’ll end with a shot of the hotel’s man-made lake and airport view.