It seems that, along with all the other hardships of COVID, travel has become distinctly unpleasant. Reading horror stories of frum Jews being thrown off flights on such airlines as Delta, Frontier, Spirit, and JetBlue leaves one to wonder whether their deplaning was precipitated by legitimate safety infractions, COVID-induced hysteria, or anti-Semitism. While the possibility of anti-Semitism is distressing in the extreme, at this point, it is hard to tell. But whatever the situation, polite and considerate behavior while on board is always in place and can prevent trouble. Here, a few of Baltimore’s frequent fliers share their travel experiences, opinions, and common sense tips on etiquette.
Coffee, Tea or
Mask?
My first
interviewee, Yossi*, was eager to share his recent February business trip.
“From the time I
got to the airport until I got into the plane, there were all these regulations
– the mask wearing, social distancing – a set of rules that everyone was to
follow,” Yossi began. “It was a small, crowded commuter flight – less than an
hour long – and I sat shoulder to shoulder with the person next to me. I found
it startling that, shortly after the plane took off, the flight attendant went
down the aisle serving drinks to the now maskless passengers. It made no sense
to me when, at the same time, when it comes to davening in shul – in a big room
with a high ceiling – even when you are sitting socially distant with masks on,
they make you meshugeh!”
To Yossi, resuming
in-flight service on planes at this point not only seems like a contradiction,
it undermines everything the airline is trying to accomplish. “It amazes me how
they insist that you adhere to these COVID regulations – they’ll throw you off
the plane if you don’t wear your mask – but when they come around with a drink,
it is completely fine to take off your mask. It’s perplexing and totally inconsistent!”
Kiddush Hashem is
All-Important
Elliot Heller
feels that, while the circumstances of the recent airline incidents are still
unclear to him, it’s important to remember that not every time a Jew is
admonished or kicked off a plane by a crew member is necessarily an instance of
anti-Semitism. Elliot also advises that, Jewish or not, one should fly Spirit
at his/her own risk as they are notorious for hidden fees and atrocious
customer service. He offers these travel tips:
“Always be
respectful, don’t act entitled, and it usually helps diffuse tensions to
apologize even if you think you didn’t do anything wrong. Always be aware of
how you are appearing to others to make sure that your actions are much more
likely to result a kiddush Hashem rather
than a chilul Hashem. Lastly, while
the vaccine rollout is ramping up, so are the variants, so air travel should
still be avoided when possible. If you must fly, try to go with an airline such
as Delta or Southwest, which are still blocking middle seats. Also, make sure
to pack extra masks in case one breaks.”
Ali Sebbag concurs
with Elliot about the importance of making a kiddush Hashem: “Whether you’re flying, going to the grocery store,
or spending the day in Hershey Park, simple kavod
habriyos is always important, especially in public settings when interacting
with others,” notes Ali. “Be mindful that you are generally spotted as ‘Jewish’
and go the extra mile to make a kiddush
Hashem. A smile (even behind the mask) is always appreciated – even if no
conversation is initiated. It’s a simple acknowledgement of someone’s existence
and that you’re glad to see them.”
Ali adds, “An
unsolicited compliment, validation, and appreciation for the patience, long
hours, and hard work of people like flight attendants and cashiers shows
respect for them as human beings and will usually soften a person’s demeanor. A
sincere thank you when someone does something for you – even if you view it ‘as
their job, anyway’ tells them that they matter.”
Rena * advises
travelers to be kind and courteous and follow airline rules and regulations
even if you don’t agree with them. “Do not draw negative attention to yourself
in any perceived way – i.e., by talking loudly, leaving trash on the
floor/seat, letting kids run around, or ignoring airline rules and regulations
because you don’t think they make sense, etc.
“Of course, we
need to remember that we still live in galus
and that this is not our country,” she concludes. “There are always those who
are looking to find fault or who are flat out anti-Semitic. If we are, G-d
forbid, a victim of such aggression or witness to it, it is our responsibility
to defend and protect each other. Understandably, in these situations emotions
run high so we have to work doubly hard to react in a calm and dignified way to
make sure the injustice is not lost and is reported and recognized so that
those who are responsible are held accountable.”
Flying Half Full
or Half Empty?
A physician assistant
I spoke to, who prefers to remain anonymous, says she flew twice during the
pandemic: once in May, 2020 and once in March 2021. Both experiences were on
Southwest, roundtrip Baltimore to Ft. Lauderdale. The May flight was pretty
empty – maybe 15 passengers in total – and the middle seats were left empty.
She says that Southwest is now selling middle seats, but you can call and ask
how full the flight is. If you are not comfortable with how full the plane is,
they will switch you to a different flight, she explains.
“My flight in
March was just under 50 percent full,” she notes. “It was open seating and
everyone was wearing a mask. We all chose seats that were further apart. I had
the whole row to myself, and the two rows ahead and behind me were empty. They
reduced their in-cabin service to a package of pretzels and a drink of water.
The only time there was a lack of social distancing was during deplaning when
everybody was rushing off. I just waited until most of the people got off, so
it wasn’t an issue for me. I was surprised how many people were flying and how,
in Ft. Lauderdale, COVID no longer seems to exist. Overall, I had a positive
experience.”
This PA mentions
that people have told her they are most impressed with JetBlue, since it has
changed its whole deplaning and boarding process. It boards the back of the
plane first so passengers do not have to pass others on the way to their seats.
It is also boarding in smaller groups, so there are fewer passengers boarding
at once.
She offers this
advice: “Follow all the guidelines. I am vaccinated and I nevertheless
double-masked. If you don’t wear glasses, I would recommend wearing a face
shield as well. Have lots of Purell with you. They’ve revised the restrictions
so you can now have more than three ounces of hand sanitizer in your carry-on.
I wiped down the seat before I flew and didn’t remove my mask. I had a short
flight so I didn’t need to eat or drink. On longer flights, I would be careful
to very briefly remove my mask to eat or drink. If at all possible, at least
keep the seat next to you and behind you empty.”
She continues, “I
think people are looking more carefully at what our greater community is doing
– especially because there are these reports about Orthodox Jews in the New York Times and other news outlets. I
think we have to go beyond what somebody would think we need to do. It is
incumbent upon us to create a kiddush
Hashem, and not, chas veshalom, a
chilul Hashem. We have to take the
extra step and make sure that everyone around us is comfortable and doesn’t
feel that we are in any way making light of the situation or putting them in
jeopardy. This isn’t just about us; you can’t take the attitude that what you
do doesn’t affect the next person. What we do does affect the people around us.”
Unfortunately,
this young woman has had non-Jewish and non-frum
colleagues make comments to her, such as “Orthodox Jews have so many rules that
they follow. Why can’t they follow these rules?” and “Doesn’t it say in the
Torah that you have to care about others and protect your health?”
“It’s so hard to
answer them,” she says. “I cringe when I read these things or hear on the news
that the New Jersey percentage of COVID has gone down significantly, except for
in a little town called Toms River. I think even in cases where it may be okay
to remove the mask, it’s best to keep it on. Why risk it? The risks are very high.
You don’t know what the risks are to the others on the plane and you don’t want
to be responsible for unknowingly getting them sick.”
A False Sense of
Security?
This physician
assistant continues, “I think we have to be very careful, because there is a
concept going around that once you are vaccinated, you are free to do anything.
That isn’t the case. The recommendations still are to mask, social distance,
and avoid travel unless it is truly necessary. We don’t have enough information
yet in terms of transmissibility; although the information coming out now is
very positive, it is not final yet. And with all the new strains of the virus
emerging, travel makes their spread more likely. We really have to try to limit
that.”
A Johns
Hopkins-trained Ph.D. in immunology, Michal Millrod, confirms this. “People
have a false sense of security of being in the clear, either because they have
had COVID or because they have been vaccinated, which is not entirely
protective, particularly with the new variants.” Her tips: wear a mask on the
plane, regardless if you have had COVID or have been vaccinated or not. In both
these situations, there is some risk to you and to other people – and, it is
the law.
According to Dr.
Millrod, there is a huge tendency for people to be quick to chalk up the recent
airline incidents and media focus to anti-Semitism when oftentimes it is not. “Science-based
studies show that COVID has spread in churches and from, for example,
higher-risk religious activities and choirs. There is actually scientific
validity behind a lot of these policies that people have felt were targeting
religious institutions.
“We do have
communal meals, carpools, and other risk factors,” continues Dr. Millrod. “You
can explain that we are at higher risk because we are more interconnected and
we have more children going to different schools. They are explanations, but
they are not excuses. There is a lot of misinformation and a lot of assumptions
and a lot of people not understanding that things change. They mistrust science
and public health policies because they say that they keep changing, but they
are changing because the situation changes with new variants that make things
different. We are learning more as we get more data and more studies come out
and more time has passed; things change. So something that was okay to do a few
months ago is now not okay to do because the variants are proving to be more
infectious, and the natural antibodies from prior infection are proving to be
not as protective. And some things such as transmission from surfaces we now know
to be less of an issue!”
The bottom line,
according to Baila L., is that people should recognize that we are in galus.
“We need to lay low. ‘Lo magia lecha’ anything – we don’t deserve
anything!’ ‘Al tehi tzodek, tehi tzadik – don’t be right, be righteous!’”
she says. “Yes, it’s very possible that the airlines are completely at fault.
But even if they are wrong, don’t make a fuss; apologize and put a mask on your
child. We are Jews in galus. We need to realize that we don’t have the
upper hand – and we won’t until Mashiach comes.”
