Yes, we made it! There were quite a few complications again. First they told us in Bremen we were only stand-by passengers. That made no sense because we had booked that flight last fall! So they said we probably would not fly with the booked plane. And before the flight, we were quite surprised when Miriam got a positive Covid test when she wanted to see my mother. She had had two negative ones the days before. So she could not go in to see my m mother. We were wondering what would happen if she tested positive again for the "fit to fly" test. We had a long talk with our pediatrician via phone, who wrote us a letter of recovery. With a positive test and such a letter you may fly. When we went to the airport to get tested on Sunday, her test was negative again, so we did not need the letter. We were very relieved. In Amsterdam, we almost did not get the flight to Atlanta because the people in Bremen could not book us through. We had to find a transfer counter and there were long lines. Then we had to go through passport control for The Netherlands, which surprised me, because of open borders throughout /Europe. Then we had to walk for 20 minutes to find our other plane. They were already boarding, but we still had to show our passports three times and also hand in our "attestation forms" about Covid (although nobody looked at them). The airport had delays and we had to wait for about 40 minutes for take off. The plane was packed. But the flight to Buffalo was fine although it was also completely booked. We found our driver (a music student) and all suitcases (a miracle because there were 10 checked ones and 4 carry-ons plus backpacks and purses and a violin).
Oh, how stressful! I'm so glad you made it back on your designated flight and are now home. Morgana had similar obstacles also when last she flew. I think the airlines are overwhelmed with everyone flying again! And . . do you think Miriam just had a false positive? Did she have any Covid symptoms?
My dad blamed it on Bremen and KLM, but I think you are right, everybody is overwhelmed and travelers have to provide so much paperwork, it is just a mess. Oh no, Miriam had it alright, symptoms and all, but not too bad. However, she tested negative after her time in isolation was up. She tested negative for two days and we thought that it was all over But when they did the test (on the third day) at my mother's facility, it was positive. We did some research and discovered that this can happen up to three months after you have recovered and the CDC does not recommend testing people who have recovered. That is why our pediatrician was able to write a letter to state that she is not contagious and that the test may stay positive for a while and that she is exempt from testing. We had her tested at the airport anyway because Delta wanted a positive test and such a letter, but her test was negative this time. So we just traveled without showing that letter, but I wish people would tell you how complicated these test results can be. Miriam does not have any long-term symptoms and neither does Jonathan, which is a blessing.
Atlanta again! Welcome back to the States! xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteYes, we made it! There were quite a few complications again. First they told us in Bremen we were only stand-by passengers. That made no sense because we had booked that flight last fall! So they said we probably would not fly with the booked plane. And before the flight, we were quite surprised when Miriam got a positive Covid test when she wanted to see my mother. She had had two negative ones the days before. So she could not go in to see my m mother. We were wondering what would happen if she tested positive again for the "fit to fly" test. We had a long talk with our pediatrician via phone, who wrote us a letter of recovery. With a positive test and such a letter you may fly. When we went to the airport to get tested on Sunday, her test was negative again, so we did not need the letter. We were very relieved. In Amsterdam, we almost did not get the flight to Atlanta because the people in Bremen could not book us through. We had to find a transfer counter and there were long lines. Then we had to go through passport control for The Netherlands, which surprised me, because of open borders throughout /Europe. Then we had to walk for 20 minutes to find our other plane. They were already boarding, but we still had to show our passports three times and also hand in our "attestation forms" about Covid (although nobody looked at them). The airport had delays and we had to wait for about 40 minutes for take off. The plane was packed. But the flight to Buffalo was fine although it was also completely booked. We found our driver (a music student) and all suitcases (a miracle because there were 10 checked ones and 4 carry-ons plus backpacks and purses and a violin).
DeleteOh, how stressful! I'm so glad you made it back on your designated flight and are now home. Morgana had similar obstacles also when last she flew. I think the airlines are overwhelmed with everyone flying again! And . . do you think Miriam just had a false positive? Did she have any Covid symptoms?
DeleteMy dad blamed it on Bremen and KLM, but I think you are right, everybody is overwhelmed and travelers have to provide so much paperwork, it is just a mess. Oh no, Miriam had it alright, symptoms and all, but not too bad. However, she tested negative after her time in isolation was up. She tested negative for two days and we thought that it was all over But when they did the test (on the third day) at my mother's facility, it was positive. We did some research and discovered that this can happen up to three months after you have recovered and the CDC does not recommend testing people who have recovered. That is why our pediatrician was able to write a letter to state that she is not contagious and that the test may stay positive for a while and that she is exempt from testing. We had her tested at the airport anyway because Delta wanted a positive test and such a letter, but her test was negative this time. So we just traveled without showing that letter, but I wish people would tell you how complicated these test results can be. Miriam does not have any long-term symptoms and neither does Jonathan, which is a blessing.
Delete