Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic began, you’ve likely avoided flying on an airplane, canceling any and all upcoming flights you might’ve had booked. Luckily, airlines have been extra courteous and vigilant in their customer service, ensuring credits and refunds are given to those who choose not to fly right now.

There was a long quiet period where literally nearly zero people were flying. The only people who seemed to be in the airport were staff members and the occasional passengers who absolutely needed to be somewhere (like this woman who wanted to visit her dying mother and ended up being the only person on her flight).

Though we’re still in the midst of the pandemic, restrictions have begun to loosen around the country, and that means people are beginning to fly again. But that doesn’t mean it’s the same as it used to be—hardly.

For one thing, while most airlines are open to people flying, most people, of course, still aren’t keen on taking a trip at the moment, so there are a lot fewer people in the airports and on flights. Before coronavirus, people crowded airports, running through the terminals if they were going to be late to their flight and cutting off other slow-moving passengers. Now, airports are lucky if they have a few dozen people in their terminals.

On a similar note, many flights are taking off that are hardly full, but they’re still attempting to leave seats open in between other passengers (e.g., not allowing the middle seats to be filled). That’s the best way to still maintain social distancing even in an enclosed space, like an airplane.

Some airlines have begun to board passengers back to front (instead of boarding by group number), so that fewer passengers have the need to pass by others.

Additionally, most airports and airlines are requiring passengers to wear a mask or face covering and keep it on the whole flight—the same way we’re reducing the spread on ground. Mask policies as such will likely continue for quite some time.

Perhaps most importantly, every airline is ensuring that they’re going above and beyond to properly sanitize their airplanes. From the seats to the food trays, each crevice of the airplane is receiving disinfectants among disinfectants, cleaning between each flight each time.

Speaking of those tray tables, getting food on a plane isn’t quite how it was just a couple of months ago. Flight attendants offer up your grub in individually wrapped bags as a way to reduce contact between you and them.

In fact, you may even want to bring your own food, just to be safe—and you’ll also probably want to bring your own entertainment, as those in-flight entertainment magazines have been removed for the time being to avoid more floating germs.

Sure, it’s a weird time to hop on a plane, but hey—it actually seems like a good time to fly as well! With so many precautions, you may be better off in the air than in a grocery store, after all.

To hear more about what it’s like to fly right now, check out the video below.

How do you feel about all the precautions being taken on an airplane? Would you fly right now?