While many flight attendants are at home due to certain countries opposing travel bans, some check-in for work as usual.
One of them is Alaska Airlines flight attendant Molly Choma, who describes herself on her Instagram bio as a “Freelance photographer on assignment”.
Choma put her photography skills to the test when she photographed what flying feels like in an age of Covid-19, a virus that has killed of thousands of people worldwide.
Choma embarked on a photography mission, which would ultimately showcase the effects of the coronavirus on air travel in 2020.
The flight attendant posted a series of images on her Instagram page.
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A post shared by molly choma(@mollychoma) on Mar 28, 2020 at 4:50pm PDT
"This has rapidly become our new normal. It’s simultaneously eerie and peaceful be on a plane right now, everyone keeps to themselves and brings everything they need," she posted on Instagram alongside a picture of colleague Steven Payne, who looks like he is in deep reflection on an empty flight.
Choma said there were six passengers on that flight.
"Every passenger takes pictures of how empty the planes are as soon as they realize they get their own row, own bathroom, own flight attendant, and a whole can of whatever they want. By now I’ve been to most of the quarantined cities feeling like I’ve survived some sort of apocalypse," she posted. (sic)
Choma's photography does seem eerie, but it showcases what many essential workers like herself go through daily.
One image shows flight attendant Deb Cilk wearing a brave face as she interacts with a passenger.
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A post shared by molly choma(@mollychoma) on Apr 9, 2020 at 4:55pm PDT
Another shows Choma with her hands gripped to one another.
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A post shared by molly choma(@mollychoma) on Apr 5, 2020 at 3:48pm PDT
She revealed in the caption: "My mom and I both do this thing where we rub our hands together when we’re thinking through a problem. I didn’t realize I did it too until a couple of years ago.
"I don’t have much to say, seems as though this week some dust settled and decisions are being made; some decisions are mine and some decisions are made for me. By this point, most people flying are entirely conscious of their decision to fly. Most are in some sort of medical field or tending to their family’s essential needs."(sic)
Here are the rest of the images:
All pictures: Molly Choma/Instagram.
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A post shared by molly choma (@mollychoma) on Apr 18, 2020 at 11:03pm PDT
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A post shared by molly choma(@mollychoma) on Apr 18, 2020 at 10:52pm PDT
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A post shared by molly choma(@mollychoma) on Apr 14, 2020 at 2:55pm PDT
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A post shared by molly choma(@mollychoma) on Apr 1, 2020 at 12:59am PDT
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A post shared by molly choma(@mollychoma) on Mar 30, 2020 at 10:33pm PDT