If you are a frequent flyer, you are most likely aware of the changes COVID-19 has brought to your normal lifestyle over the past year, especially with the new Omicron variant. I am far from being a travel expert. Still, I have recently gone through a frustrating travel experience as I was flying back to Indonesia from my holiday vacation in Canada. Five (5) years have passed since my last visit to my hometown, so I decided to take advantage of the pre-Omicron thaw to spend quality time with my family. With this trip, I had finally completed my loop around the world (sorry-not-sorry for the flat-earthers). It took me an equal amount of time to complete the full circle, and I indeed made up for it as I spent loads of time at home with my parents, thanks to the F&B lockdown as well as a curfew implemented across the Province of Quebec since Boxing Day.

The experience I want to share with you is my flight back to Jakarta. Keep in mind that the Omicron variant was still unknown at the time of my outbound flight, and the mandatory quarantine period upon return to Indonesia was reduced to two (2) days only. Since then, the world went bananas, and various authorities implemented different measures worldwide, making international travel even more restricted and complicated than it already was with the previous variant outbreaks. So, here's the story of how I ended up spending 70 hours of travel from origin to destination.

1. Flight routes are longer than usual

Because of the lower demand in the airline industry since the first COVID-19 outbreak, most carriers have decided to consolidate their flight offering into specific routes while simultaneously canceling direct flights that were once very popular. Pre-COVID-19, a flight from Jakarta to Montreal would take around 22 hours divided into two legs. The same commute now takes about 32 hours with three legs to it, and that's precisely what I went through to reunite with my family on the outbound flight. Consequently, I was meant to follow the exact flight breakdown on returning to my new country of residence.

2. Flight delays are more frequent

With my first fight departure scheduled at 7:40 am, I had to time my drive out of my parents' house early-enough so that I could check-in on time, but not too early that I could avoid being fined by the police for not observing the obligatory curfew from 10:00 pm to 5:00 am. My sister was nice enough to drive me from 5:00 am on the dot. We reached the airport around 5:20, which was plenty of time to process me in. Murphy's Law hit me for the first time when the lady at the counter took way too long to complete the process. All's well that ends well; she handed me three (3) boarding passes and added: "Sorry, it's my first day in this service." How can you be mad at someone so sweet! I still made it on time at the gate. While boarding was completed on time, we experienced recurring delays due to the extreme temperature on this day in particular. It was 8:00 am and -40 Celcius when the Captain announced that the refueling truck had broken down and must wait for the backup truck to complete the task. It was 8:30 am and roughly the same Nordic extreme temperature when the Captain came back on the mic to announce we were now waiting to go through the de-icing station. By the time we finally took off, we were about an hour and a half late and sustained that delay until we landed in Vancouver.

I rushed to the gate to make it right on time for my second boarding, only to notice this leg was also delayed. Same same but different; the revised departure was delayed every 30 minutes. While the fog was so thick on the runway that we could barely see anything 100 meters ahead, I thought this was the reason for the delay. It turns out the real reason was for lack of crew members available to operate the flight. In Canada, vaccination is recommended and accessible for all residents but not mandatory, as this would be considered anti-constitutional according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Employers cannot force their workers to get vaccinated in layman's terms, which translates into a staff shortage to operate the flight. It could also be for too many crew members who have tested positive for a PCR test, but I couldn't access such a level of information. My assumption is that they kept delaying the flight to reach on-call crew members but in vain.

It got to the point where the flight delay was so significant that it was impossible to catch my final connection in Tokyo to take me to Jakarta. Unfortunately, Tokyo's Narita International Airport has a non-overnight layover policy. With Tokyo only connecting with Jakarta once per day, Air Canada had no choice but to keep us in Vancouver on an overnight layover. We were around 40 people on the flight connecting to different cities in Asia and in the same situation. We were all asked to regain our belongings at baggage carousel #25 and visit the customer service booth for flight rescheduling and courtesy hotel booking.

My recommendation: While booking your flight, allow enough layover time to account for probable flight delays.

3. Flights might be cancelled altogether

Looking at the different possibilities to fly me back to Jakarta, only a few options were available, each with their equal level of risk, which I have to account for when making my final decision. The assistant at the desk explained that this Vancouver-Tokyo flight schedule is a real bitch for not allowing enough time to navigate through such a challenging airport in such a short amount of time to transfer from gate to gate.

With only 1.5h of a layover for the same flight tomorrow, the slightest delay would bring me right back to square one with yet another night to spend at the Marriot Vancouver Airport hotel. However, I would carry on the westbound route that I have already initiated with my first leg from Montreal to Vancouver. The second and safer option, according to the assistant, would fly me on Turkish Airlines to Istanbul with a six-hour layover before connecting to Jakarta. Those are two legs of 11 hours each eastbound. This means that I would lose my gained yards behind the line of scrimmage until I reach the Betawi capital in 32 hours. Might as well say that my trip mileage is resetting.

Before:

YUL 15-Jan 07:40 to YVR 15-Jan 10:19
YVR 15-Jan 13:00 to NRT 16-Jan 16:00
NRT 16-Jan 17:45 to CGK 16-Jan 23:55

After:

YUL 15-Jan 07:40 to YVR 15-Jan 10:19
YVR 16-Jan 18:35 to IST 17-Jan 17:05
IST 17-Jan 02:40 to CGK 18-Jan 18:00

To sum up, I either take a massive risk with the high likelihood of being right back to square one, or I take a longer, yet safer, route that will land in Jakarta on Tuesday at 6:00 pm compared to the initial Sunday 11:55 pm. It's Sophie's choice. I am averse to risk by nature and decided to go for the latter option. Besides, six (6) hours at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport isn't half bad with their outstanding IGA Lounge. The lounge features various amenities ranging from several resting areas, showers, an alcoholic bar, and a buffet. I am not too worried about the six (6) hours in this lounge. Even if it means paying an entrance fee, it is worth it... if it's still open these days. And that's a big if! Luckily, it was in operation, and I could get access at the cost of 59 EUR.

My recommendation: Avoid the Narita International Airport altogether.

4. Your RT-PCR (NAAT) Test might expire

I now have a hotel voucher to the Marriot Vancouver Airport hotel, a 20 CAD voucher for food, and my new booking confirmation on Turkish Airlines. For those who don't know about the Canadian currency exchange rates and cost of living, 20 CAD won't bring you too far meal-wise over 24 hours. Honestly, I thought it was a cheap move to provide a voucher of such a small value. Thanks, Air Canada… However, there is yet another issue arising from this bitch of a situation. The Indonesian Immigration Authorities require a 72-hour window between the PCR Test sample collection and the first flight. I was well on time with my initial PCR Test had the flight from Vancouver to Tokyo departed on time. Now, with the new situation, my test lost its validity. I am currently on a 24-hours rat race to receive a certificate from an accredited laboratory before boarding my newly scheduled flight. I am running left and right, from one clinic to the next, trying to find that clinic like The Mysterious Cities of Gold. It's already far too long that I'm wandering around the Vancouver International Airport, yet I'm not at the end of my troubles. Suddenly, I felt like Viktor Navroski from Krakozhia, the fictional character played by Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg's 2004 movie The Terminal. If there is one thing that I have learned from asking information from different airport authorities, no one knows jack shit! Every person I talked to just bullshitted their way out of any liability regarding the validity of the information they shared with me. At this point, I think I would have preferred if they told me: "Do you have an appointment?" like Gupta Rajan, the JFK garbage man. It started with the Air Canada agent who re-booked my flight, sending me to a clinic that only does Antigen Rapid Test. Then, the clinic clerks sent me to another clinic that did PCR Tests, but not after 3:00 pm and not on Sundays either. And finally, I went to the Fairmount Vancouver Airport hotel, a clinic operating PCR Tests for different turnovers at different rates. Still, they closed at 3:00 pm as well. Oddly enough, the hotel bellboy directed us to the clinic but didn't know that it closed at 3:00 pm. I nonetheless managed to book a test for the following day at 7:30 am with a guarantee to receive the results within three (3) hours. But, here's the kicker: it was priced at 400 CAD+tx! As a reference, the exact same service costs 25 USD in Indonesia. Needless to say, with such tight timing, I couldn't manage to sleep at night. All sorts of thoughts rushed through my mind, ranging from waking up late for my appointment to testing positive and being stuck in Vancouver. I ended up waking up on time and receiving the results into my inbox, but I am knackered...

My recommendation: Take your PCR Test as late as possible in the allowed window. That way, if your flight is delayed, you might have a chance to use the same test.

5. You might have to observe quarantine at your destination

Depending on your destination, you might have to observe mandatory quarantine. The quarantine topic on its own is a real maze to navigate through. You will have to thoroughly calculate your prescribed quarantine period based on your countries of destination and origin. In my case, Indonesia has the reputation of updating its regulations in the blink of an eye. When I flew out of Indonesia at the end of November, the mandatory quarantine period was two (2) days. By the time I had to fly back, the new Omicron variant had brought it up to seven (7), then ten (10), 14, back down to ten (10), and finally seven (7). I was strongly hoping that it would be back down to two (2) days, but I'd be grateful enough to make it in one piece at the end of the journey. This period must be observed in an accredited hotel at one's own expense in Indonesia. You know, to keep the tourism industry running. So, imagine how often I had to contact the hotel to adjust my reservation with all the changes that occurred. We finally sorted it out without too many hiccups.

It seems that travelling ain't no picnic anymore. Even if it's not your first rodeo, it's hard to keep your balance when the rules change constantly. With all the documents required at the check-in counter and the tight regulation implemented on immigration, I can't see myself getting back my frequent flyer status anytime soon. This is it, folks! This is our generation's struggle. We haven't lived a Great War, a Great Depression or any other major historical milestone until now. Well, there you have it! It will most likely take years before getting back to the travel levels of the pre-COVID-19 era, and this is the tale we will be telling the generations to come after us. And I thought that post-9/11 travel was a bitch…