From deserted terminals to empty planes, this is what it's like to fly in the US during the coronavirus outbreak

I took a domestic flight last Thursday before the coronavirus began to spread more rapidly in the US.
Flying out of John F. Kennedy International Airport's busiest terminal, Terminal 4, was an eerie experience: At 8:15 on a Thursday night, it was nearly deserted.
I take this exact flight very frequently, and it's usually completely full this time, the boarding process took about five minutes and the plane was only a quarter of the way full.
While I noticed some people taking precautions throughout our time at the airport and on the plane, I noticed others taking unnecessary risk and exposing themselves to germs.
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As the coronavirus continues to spread worldwide, it's beginning to take its toll on one of the nation's busiest airports.

As of Monday, 174,995 people have been infected by the novel coronavirus worldwide , and 6,706 people have died. In the US, there have been cases reported in almost every state, at least 80 coronavirus deaths have been confirmed, including six in New York state, as of Monday evening.

I flew out of New York's biggest airport, John F. Kennedy International, last Thursday night. I had booked the trip weeks ago, before coronavirus began spreading more rapidly. As the trip drew near and the outbreak escalated in the US, I debated whether I should cancel my travel. But when my office closed down and I noticed how the outbreak was starting to affect aspects of life in New York City, like subway travel or stores being able to stock supplies, my fianc and I decided to risk traveling in order to stay long-term in a less-populated city.

Since then, President Donald Trump has implemented travel restrictions to Europe , leading airlines like Delta and American to scramble. United Airlines has cut flights by 50% , while other airlines have temporarily suspended operations altogether .

This is what it was like to travel by air amid the outbreak.

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