Ghost Town

I have arrived in Hong Kong. It’s just after 5:30 am, and I feel as though I’ve been dropped into the middle of a futuristic sci-fi film. There are a number of reasons for that, but before I go into them, let me back up and give an account of the flight so far.

Halifax airport…deserted. No one ahead of me at the check-in counter and only one at security. The TSA agent said it was partially the time of day, but also because of the Coronavirus scare playing out on the other side of the world.

The flight to Toronto was crowded but otherwise non-eventful with the exception of the flight attendant who provided comic relief during the pre-flight safety announcements. He wasn’t the best I’ve seen, but it’s always heartwarming when the airline staff try to make the flight a little more enjoyable.

Overheard from seat behind me “Toronto…a nice place to visit but I wouldn’t want to live here.”

I had been dreading the Toronto-Hong Kong leg. Fifteen and a half hours in a plane is hard, I suspect even in First Class, where I was not. I took my seat in 63A, but it wasn’t long before I realized that the plane would not even be one quarter full. The flight attendant confirmed this, stating there would probably be space for every passenger to have their own personal row of seats. I didn’t have to ask why…90% of the passengers and 100% of the crew were wearing face masks.

Long story cut short, I stretched out in the seat ahead, slept for close to 12 hours, watched a documentary on the Serengeti, had breakfast, and we landed in Hong Kong (with a thud).

I know it was early, but according to Wikipedia this is the ninth busiest airport in the world, and it is empty. Every single employee is wearing a mask. The lounge is so quiet you can hear the bread toasting.