We took to the skies a week and a half before Thanksgiving (Nov 15th) as Saudi had somewhat opened their borders, finally allowing international travel (for non-Saudis) for the first time since March. As all of our previous 2020 travel plans and visitations had been foiled, we were aching to introduce Abel to family and we jumped on the opportunity to visit the US over the holidays. However, our trip was still dependent on permission from Sean’s employer and their willingness to issue our annual tickets. It wasn’t until a week or two before our flight date that we actually had tickets officially booked and exit-reentry visas and could (with some certainty) inform our family we’d be arriving. When traveling in Saudi, it’s usually a i-wont-believe-it-until-we’re-actually-in-the-air situation, and this was no different.
Alas, travel day arrived. We staggered into the airport at 4am, loaded down with three large suitcases, two carry-ons, two backpacks bulging with snacks and activities, one car seat, and a double stroller. We’re not a poster family for minimalism.
The check-in process was seamless, save for Saudia trying to charge us for checking a car seat (it’s free and don’t let them try to convince you otherwise!). Once that was sorted out, we huffed and puffed our way through security – juggling kids, removing shoes, pulling out electronics. Men and women still go to separate security lines, which wouldn’t be a big deal if all our kids could walk. I just love when the security people sit and stare at me as I try not to drop my baby as I’m balancing on one foot to untie my shoes, then single-handedly folding up our massive stroller, all while my glasses fog up with effort thanks to my mask. One of the more glamorous moments of parenthood. At least Ezra and Abel remained in good spirits despite the crack of dawn chaos.
Other than mandatory mask-wearing, I didn’t notice anything different about the check-in and boarding due to COVID. The US didn’t require any kind of negative COVID proof before entering the country. We didn’t have to take a test or have any medical documentation.
We boarded the plane in preparation for our 13+ hour flight, direct from Jeddah to Washington, D.C. The plane was maybe a quarter full so we had multiple rows to ourselves! Once we were settled, the flight attendants passed around ‘pandemic packets’ with masks, hand sanitizer, and disinfectant wipes. Masks had to be on at all times (for the adults) unless we were eating/drinking. Food service was normal and our seats had pillows and blankets.
Thirteen hours passed like the blink of an eye….ha, I wish. My preparations did prove useful, however, and I occupied Ezra with a string of activities slowly introduced to him throughout the flight. Sticker pads, a little pouch of new cars from the secondhand store, a coloring book and crayons, a fishing game I didn’t realize needed batteries to work, and play-doh with sculpting tools (that was the winner). Abel slept on and off and spent a good portion of the time staring and smiling at the pretty girl across the aisle.
As we approached our landing, the attendants passed around papers we had to sign (they had something to do with COVID but I honestly can’t remember what they said, and they ended up never asking for them). Then they informed us, for the first time, that we weren’t allowed to bring ANY food or drinks off the plane, per a new COVID-era rule. As mentioned before, I was very prepared for the trip and we had lots of leftover fruit pouches, baby cereal, gummy bags, and granola bars because I had been rationing so we’d have enough for our 4 hour layover in DC, the 2 hour flight to Detroit, and the 2 hour drive to my parents’ house. This news was very frustrating, especially for the woman behind me who said she wouldn’t have spent $100 on dates at the airport if she knew they were just going to confiscate them before we landed, so when the flight attendant came around to gather all our food, we argued the validity of the rule. After some back and forth, eventually the attendants conceded that the rule wouldn’t apply to unopened food, thank goodness. So we only lost a half bag of Cheerios.
Disembarking the plane in DC, the airport was eerily quiet and empty. We have a Priority Pass lounge card (highly recommend) so we headed to the lounge for some refreshments after we made it through customs and rechecked our luggage. Replenished with a bag of Cheezits and a gin & tonic, we changed diapers and messaged our families in peace. Since the lounge buffet didn’t have much to offer besides said bag of Cheezits, we set out in search of real food and ended up at Wendy’s (if that counts) where I preceded to order curly fries and ask for extra horsey sauce which confused the employees because Arby’s is the restaurant that has curly fries and horsey sauce, not Wendys. I’m losing touch with my roots.
Our next flight was Delta from D.C. to Detroit and the plane was full. Luckily our kids both fell asleep on our laps before takeoff and didn’t wake up until landing. Everyone was masked and they didn’t offer any refreshments. I don’t remember any other details because I was just thankful to be conscious at this point. My parents met us in Detroit with a massive 12-seater van they rented so we could fit everything in one vehicle (adults, kids, luggage, stroller, etc.). Two hours later we made it to our destination in Ohio and our trans-Atlantic pandemic travel experience came to a close.
Overall, we were impressed with how Saudia handled the long haul flight – providing the packets, ensuring everyone wore their masks, yet not being super strict and allowing us to spread out among rows. We’ve heard flights back into Saudi have been more full, so we’ll see what the return trip is like. We’re due to fly back on January 10th but they’ve just put a temporary ban on international travel again… Saudi always keeps things exciting!
*I’ll update this post with information from our return trip if anything has changed by that time.
