The Crazy Feeling of Being the Only Person in the Airport

It was a haunting feeling as I picked up my rental car at Boise Airport yesterday.  I was the only one walking through the baggage claim area, and it's never felt more empty.

I know we've all heard the stories and warnings.  Travel has been greatly reduced, more so every week for the last month, as our region and the entire country have braced for the realities of COVID-19 and all things Coronavirus.  Airlines are canceling flights and we're being advised to avoid confined spaces, so it all makes sense.

Even though it was expected, my walk through the normally populated area just brought it home.  Our world is being impacted in big ways - some we know and see - some we don't even think about.

I asked the representative at the counter when I rented the car how strange it had been.  She shared that I was one of two people who had come in while she had been working.

I did see a small group of flight attendants come down the escalators and head out to their ride to the hotel, but they were the exception.  Otherwise, the entire experience on the bottom floor of the terminal was minimal interaction with a handful of people, and deafeningly quiet.

There is so much about this moment in time that seems to fluctuate and I know most of us will be impacted, some more directly than others, but this empty airport served as a reminder to me that I want to be aware of how others are going to be feeling the effects of so many changes, and to do what I can to support businesses and friends and neighbors along the way.