When I left New York City for Vienna, Austria, the coronavirus was not yet declared a pandemic.
President Trump had not yet announced a halt on travelers to the US from European countries other than Britain.
All that happened during my trip, however, and so I cut my visit short.
I rebooked myself on essentially the last direct flight from Vienna to New York City ahead of the travel ban going into effect.
My flight was shockingly normal: There weren't any fever tests or enhanced screenings of any kind.

When I left New York City for Vienna, Austria, earlier this month, the coronavirus was not yet declared a pandemic. When I returned on my flight last Friday, I made it just under the cutoff of President Trump's travel ban.

My travel experience was a small case study on how fast the pandemic spread. It also made me appreciate flight staff more than I already do for keeping everyone calm.

I went on my flight before the world ground to a halt

On Friday, March 6, I flew to Vienna, Austria, to visit my mom and grandmothers. At that time, the news about the coronavirus was everywhere, but it was still somewhat abstract. Some people were already canceling travel plans, but the information out there didn't feel concrete enough for making hard decisions.

It didn't feel real yet.

At that point, there was only a "do not travel" warning for China, and areas in Italy and South Korea most affected by the virus. The new coronavirus hadn't been declared a pandemic by WHO. Italy wasn't on lockdown — in fact, it hadn't even put any travel restrictions in place yet. People were washing their hands more rigorously, but other than that, it seemed like business as usual.

I bought sanitizing wipes at the airport, but I was the only one using them

Arriving at JFK airport in New York City, I bought some sanitizing wipes and hand gel just to be safe and was surprised to find that Hudson News was fully stocked with those items. Things couldn't be that bad, right?

The airport was a little emptier than usual, but not much. The flight was a little empty but otherwise normal. I actually felt a little silly wiping down my tray table and TV screen as no one else really seemed to be doing that. I don't remember seeing any face masks, either.

In Vienna, life seemed pretty routine. People were sitting in cafés, out having lunch, going shopping, living their regular lives, albeit with more hand washing. However, the news was non-stop COVID-19.

And then Italy went into lockdown.

While I kept hearing about people panic buying (called "hamster buying" in German, fun fact), I didn't really see any of that, personally. Our local grocery store didn't seem at all affected. However, with the news getting more apocalyptic each day, and the coronavirus now officially declared a pandemic, I stocked up my mom's pantry just in case.

But then President Trump announced a halt on travelers to the US from European countries

The next morning, Thursday, I woke up to the news that President Trump had announced a halt on travelers to the US from European countries other than Britain starting Friday at midnight. This was not great news for me as my flight back to New York was scheduled for Sunday. As an American citizen (I have dual citizenship) I wasn't worried about getting back into the country. What I was worried about, however, was having a flight to get on, as flights were being canceled left and right. Why keep flying to the US if only a fraction of the population can get in?

When I got a text from Austrian Airlines that my Sunday flight was canceled I decided to get out ahead of this thing and leave before the travel ban went into effect. With a heavy heart and feeling like I was abandoning my mother, I cut my trip short. At 5:30 p.m. on Thursday I rebooked myself for the 10:45 a.m. Friday flight from Vienna to JFK — the last direct flight out from what I could tell, as all flights after Friday were getting canceled, rerouted, and consolidated. In fact, starting Saturday, flights were funneled into just 13 major US airports for enhanced screening, and as I write this, I received an email from Austrian Airlines announcing that they have decided to "temporarily terminate flight operations from Wednesday night, 18 March 2020, until 28 March 2020."

My husband, already ensconced in self-isolation for five days at this point, had been stressing me out all day about changing my flight and coming back early, saying that everyone he knew in Europe had already rebooked, and citing emails large tech companies were sending their employees that read "[if you] are still outside the US, literally get on a plane right now." I assumed all non-residents of the Schengen Area were scrambling to get back before the travel ban went into effect, and that the only Friday flight would be sold out, so I was surprised to have easily gotten on it only 16 hours before boarding.

The airport was still surprisingly normal, but sanitizing wipes were everywhere

I was dreading this flight. I expected the airport to be a zoo of people desperate to get home and lines upon lines caused by "enhanced screening." Honestly, I was at least expecting to get tested for a fever or something before being allowed on a plane to the US.

But nada.

A single person checking my passport asked me whether I had traveled to China or Iran in the last 14 days — I promised that I hadn't — but that was truly the only difference I registered to a regular flight. That and the many people around me now wearing face masks (it's worth noting that health experts have said healthy people should not buy masks since they won't do much to protect you and purchasing them will deplete the supply for people who do need them — like sick patients and healthcare workers.)

The airport was quiet, but far from empty. The security line was almost non-existent. Overall my check-in, security, and boarding experience didn't differ from any other flight.

Onboard, which was a lot emptier than usual but not eerily so, everyone whipped out their wipes and started cleaning around their seats. In fact, a nice man behind me asked me whether I needed extra sanitizer, to which I replied, "no thanks, I have my own," because we all had our own.

It was comforting to see that everyone on board was prepared and diligent.

The crew members also kept us all calm

What also calmed me was the fact that crew members were business as usual: They weren't wearing masks or gloves, nor did they seem in any way stressed or put out. They were as calm and efficient as always, which may have contributed to the whole plane feeling that way. In fact, despite being a day-time flight, people slept for most of it. It was one of the quietest and most relaxed flights I've been on in a while.

Once we landed at JFK, I braced myself. THIS is where things devolve, I figured. There's no way Trump is just going to let us into the country without testing, I thought, but I thought wrong.

Thanks to Global Entry, I got through immigration in a matter of seconds, hopped in a cab, and was home 30 minutes later.

Of course, I don't recommend traveling at this time, and less than a day after I touched down at JFK images of massive crowds at US airports emerged, after the onset of President Trump's travel restrictions on arrivals from Europe. My flight, however, was shockingly normal.

Time will tell whether domestic travel restrictions will be instituted in the US, but for now, airlines are trying their best to keep things as normal — and sterilized — as they can.

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I got on one of the last flights out of Europe to the US before the travel ban took effect, and I didn't even get tested for a fever before entering the country