"I felt very safe" - Local businesswoman shares personal travel experience following airport reopening
There's no denying that the pandemic has disrupted travel plans the world over however many remain tense about travelling despite the airport's reopening last week.
In the latest episode of The Boardroom hosted by Jo Caruana for Who's Who, Royal Travel Managing Director Lilly Muscat narrated details from her experience aboard one of the first flights out of Malta on Wednesday 1st July: "It was quite the experience, I travelled on the first of July on the first flight out to Munich," she reveals in a bid to familiarise herself with what travellers will be experiencing from now onwards.
"I felt very safe basically. I took all the precautions, I made sure I had enough masks in my bag ...and from the Malta International Airport side everything felt very safe and they took a lot of precautions," she said, adding that some workers were still warming up to the new procedures.
And what about the plane ride? Lilly has her answer at the ready: "With regards to flying with Air Malta, it was perfect. We had the middle seat empty so we don't come too close to other passengers," she explained.
"Besides that, I took the train, I took the taxi, I went to eat, went shopping...all the stuff I would do on holiday and I can say I would definitely go again, even tomorrow," Lilly enthused, before cautioning: "I must say however, that I would avoid certain areas so that is something that I would definitely keep in mind and think of."
ROCS Travels CEO Rachel Vella elaborated further on this topic and explained that certain countries had performed much better than others in their fight against COVID-19 and while some favourite destinations remain out of bounds, it could also be time for other locations to shine.
Former Air Malta CEO Phillip Micallef also said: "I'm going abroad this week in fact myself. I think we need to be, you know, a bit more practical and always wherever we go.Whether we go shopping or whether we go on a plane, we should take the basic rules with us of social distancing, personal hygiene and wearing a mask. Now, whether we're going to Paris or whether we're going to Valletta, I think, you know that's my personal opinion."
Watch the full episode below:
Will you be travelling this year?