My Son’s Experience Flying Into France & Italy

Thank you for this Susan. We are flying to Paris at the end of July for one week, and then on to Venice. We've been watching the entry requirements closely. We're all vaccinated, and are hoping (!) this will translate into smooth entrance procedures - but are prepared for things to not be smooth. I'm glad to hear that things went easily for your son (although I guess I was hoping someone would at least be checking !?). While I understand that it's no guarantee we will have the same experience, it's still a good report to get "from the ground." Can you share which airline they flew into France? I hope they have a wonderful and safe adventure!

Wow, it’s the Wild West out there!

Heather, Thank you for your well wishes! It was TAP Airline. I looked for info like this in the last 9 days but didn’t find any so I thought I’d share. I’m with you, quite surprising they aren’t doing a better job of screening people.

That's good news for us travelers. At the end of July, we're flying from Los Angeles to Heathrow and then directly on to Paris without leaving Heathrow. We heard France may be making British citizens quarantine and we're hoping that they won't make us quarantine since we're coming from Heathrow.

Thomas, They don’t consider transiting through an airport as having been in that country.

This is absolutely fascinating. Thanks for sharing their experience, Susan.

Wow.
That is simultaneously amazing and horrifying.
Four different countries, and not much interest in screening.
I'm glad it was easy for them..... you must let us know what happens on their way back.
I hope they have a great holiday!

Assuming TAP asked for this information then it's done.

The governments have appointed the airlines as "in charge" of this. The assumption is if you get on the plane you have the required testing, etc....

If TAP missed it they are just waiting for a fine.

It's not at all "horrifying" unless the airlines failed to check.

My son and 3 friends flew San Francisco to Paris CDG on TAP Airline with a layover in Lisbon on 6/17-18. No one in SF, Lisbon or Paris asked for any proof of a negative Covid test or to see their CDC card.

But did TAP ask for this info? If they are collecting this info electonically, there may be no need for a further check. The airlines provide advance passenger information.

I’ll ask my son if either airline asked for it online. It’s 2 am in Italy now so it will be a while before I hear back.

tdw, LoL. I’m glad I passed down my love of travel to my son, and I’m sure you feel the same. The bonus is we get to travel vicariously with them!

Ok, got an answer… No, neither TAP nor EasyJet asked for any Covid information online. None of them (all 4) checked a bag, they all had one carry-on bag and no one, at any point, at any airport (5), asked for any proof of a Covid test or a CDC card.
If they had checked a bag, they would have been asked.

Again, this was my son’s and his 3 friend’s experience, your experience may be different.

Thank you for providing their experiences thus far, Susan. Perhaps procedures could change in the future, spurred by one developing situation or another.

If they had checked a bag, they would have been asked

And maybe, if they weren’t carrying their vaccination documentation, or worse, weren’t vaccinated, that’s when they would’ve gotten “carded,” too.

At least Naples was using a thermometer device, as my dentist is still doing . . . that’s something.

Disgusting - what is the point of having rules if they aren’t going to be checked and enforced? Unless things are policed properly, there’s a chance that people won’t bother getting the tests and they could be spreading Covid.

I agree, it is concerning that they are not checking everyone that boards a plane. Did NO ONE in charge think about the protocol to check people who are not checking a bag?

If they had checked a bag, they would have been asked.

Can you expand on the background for this statement?

I believe what you say, just a bit boggled that checking a bag triggers a document check and that not checking a bag skips that step.

joe, When you check a bag you interact with a human, an employee that asks to see certain documents which now includes Covid test result and CDC card.

When you don’t check a bag you don’t interact with a human, you go to a kiosk and get your boarding pass. You then go to the gate, show your boarding pass and walk onto the plane. The employees there don’t know you have not checked a bag and they don’t ask for Covid test result or CDC card.

What they should be doing is checking each person at the gate as they board the plane. That though, of course, would slow down the boarding process.

In these COVID times, the check & balance for carry-on-only passengers should have - at least - taken place at the Gate. In many European airports - like our home airport at AMS - if you're a carry-on-only traveler, traveling inside the Schengen zone with a boarding pass or QR code on your phone... you simply SCAN your boarding pass to enter the secured AIRSIDE area. Then you go through security (X-RAY) and head for your gate. We've flown a few times in these COIVD times (including easyjet) and, at times, our COVID credentials were checked at the gate.

Prior to COVID, there were many times we flew to other Schengen cities and we never spoke/interacted with anyone. That's because many gates also have scanners where you scan your own boarding pass/mobile QR code without any gate-agent assistance. Often, we would comment on how it seemed unusual that we could fly all over Europe, carry-on-only, and never show our passports...or interact with anyone.

In recent COVID experiences, we've had temperature checks, been greeted by officials in HAZMAT suits, and had to show negative COVID tests. It is disappointing given all the restrictions we've had to endure for 15+ months that these airports did not follow the protocols. Let's hope these missteps do not lead to another surge... as we're just starting to have some sense of normal.