Kacee

I'll be traveling between bay area and PHX, same as I have all year. Am now flying UA or AS on the E75 only, with single in F.
San Francisco is just plain depressing these days.

In St. Croix now. If you're not already aware, USVI require a negative COVID test for entry. Rates here are very low. I would not hesitate to visit. Weather's great.

zymm

This. I already had one UA experience where distancing was impossible in the gate area and during boarding, and that was when loads were lower than they're expected to be over Thanksgiving. For longer domestic flights, it seems United prefers to run larger planes at lower frequency. When you have 2 or 3 mostly full widebodies boarding within 15 minutes of each other in a relatively enclosed space (like at LAX), social distancing just doesn't work.

Kacee

Probably the worst COVID airport experience I've had in over 50 flights since March was UA baggage claim at PHX. UA had something like four flights unloading at the same carousel at the same time. It was like a rugby scrum, and mask compliance is not exactly rigorous in Arizona.

Second worse was boarding AA in MIA with pax backed up in the unventilated jetway for about 5 minutes. I'm now pretty militant about not boarding until the jetway is more or less clear.

eng3

For Vegas it depends what reductions would affect you. If you want to eat at buffets, your choices are very limited. If you just want to watch the Bellagio fountains, then I foresee no issues. It's very dependant on what your want to do or are willing to do instead

downinit

I would say the testing requirement for USVI is actually a bit of joke, so I do anticipate a spike there at some point in the near future. Being able to get tested 5 days before arrival is absolutely great from a logistics and convenience standpoint, but it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of effectiveness. And they seem to accept just about any kind of test, including the least reliable ones. I already have an appointment scheduled for Saturday, and I can just get a free test since there is no need to pay for a rapid test. One positive of having such a long grace period is that if I get a false positive, I still have plenty time for a second test to verify. The SeaDream fiasco has proven how ineffective pre-trip testing can be, but I am just happy to get out of the house for a bit. I just hope to be able to avoid anti-maskers while on holiday. But I don't mean to get so OMNI...

Kacee

It's certainly less rigorous than Hawaii's.

As a traveler, it's very comfortable. Public mask compliance is near universal and many tourist-oriented restaurants are outdoors, with a nice breeze.

HNLbasedFlyer

Was never a buffet person so not an issue - if they do a shutdown of restaurants/bars, that'll be a tipping point for me. I give it 50/50 at this point since I am apparently, a betting man. I was there over Halloween and with the exception of the shows being dark (and buffets) - things weren't drastically different.

bocastephen

Was thinking about Hawai'i for Xmas, but that's canceled with the testing uncertainty, and a friend was planning PTY for the holidays and also canceled so we're all planning a road trip within California instead of any air travel.

Aussienarelle

Hope you are aware that CA now has a curfew from 10pm - 5am for all purple tier counties (starting Saturday) which is the majority of the state. Safe travels.

Often1

Combination of CDC Guidance -- now an outright plea -- with local restrictions makes this an easy decision.

In any event, I would not travel anywhere without a negative test result. Putting aside all other considerations, last place to be ill is away from home.

NRoften

I have traveled almost every week since March of this year and have not gotten sick once. However, I was sick in February with what I thought at the time was a common cold, but I'm beginning to think I had covid, since I would have expected to have gotten it by now given how frequently I travel and how frequently I interact with people.

Bottom line, my opinion is if you don't have pre-existing medical conditions that would make you susceptible to severe illness if you (or family members) contract the virus, I would continue with the trip, provided the local destination restrictions won't impact your stay. For the first couple weeks I was a little concerned about it, but I have not worried about covid for months now.

My understanding and experience is this is not enforced with roadblocks or checkpoints. That being the case, if you're passing through in a car on a road trip to your destination and not stopping at an overnight party, you don't have much to worry about.

econ

It's no better at PHX T4 (AA,WN). In fact the entire terminal has been packed the last few times I've been through there.

DELee

Not sure how one passes through/drives through the state of California in one go.

David

FriscoHeavy

We are heading out of town for Thanksgiving and will be fully engaged with family and friends, getting together and acting just as we normally would.

NRoften

What I meant was there won't be an authority figure on every street corner asking what your business is for being out during curfew hours. If you arrive a gas station or your hotel at midnight, there won't be a police officer waiting to ticket you. I drove to/from my house to/from LAX/SAN regularly for flights during curfew hours in the spring without issue. This isn't martial law (yet).