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A hundred years ago when you took your last flight鈥攐r was it just a year that seemed longer?鈥攆lying was different. Now that we鈥檝e endured isolation, more than 80% of us say we want to go somewhere in the next six months, a new survey shows.

If you鈥檙e going by plane, you鈥檒l need to forget some of what you know about air travel and embrace the new rules, regulations and requirements. Here, flyers, is what to expect for your next vacation as you navigate Air Travel 2.0, the COVID-19 edition.

You鈥檒l have company at 35,000 feet

To no one鈥檚 surprise, load factors鈥攖hat is, how full planes are鈥攄ropped to 59% in the first 11 months of 2020, down from about 85% in 2019, Bureau of Transportation Statistics say. That means in a 143-seat 737, you would have had about 123 seats filled in 2019 and about 84 in 2020.

鈥淕reat!鈥� you say. 鈥淪ocial distancing. Empty middle seats. I get to stretch my legs.鈥�

Dream on. Most airlines no longer keep the middle seat empty. (Delta will retain that space only through the end of April.) COVID-19 and all it implies means airlines are burning cash. To slow the burn, they have cut routes and capacity to increase load factors. The equation is simple: more people, more dough.

Pent-up demand and the possibility of herd immunity by summer means more of us hope to hit the road, according to a Longwoods International survey released Feb. 9.

This survey of traveler sentiment, its 30th in the COVID-19 era, showed that 81% of respondents plan to travel in the next six months, up from 65% in mid-January.

The car trip is still king, said Amir Eylon, president and chief executive of Longwoods.

鈥淎irline travel will rebound at a pace that will depend on the pace of vaccination, which means that it will rebound at a slower pace than auto travel,鈥� he said in an email.

鈥淥ne would expect airline travel to increase significantly in the third and fourth quarters, barring any unforeseen new challenges to travel.鈥� That might suggest 鈥�

Buy now, save for later?

If you are thinking summer or fall for travel, consider booking by the end of March for better fares, said Scott Keyes, founder of Scott鈥檚 Cheap Flights, which chases flight deals.

Unlike pre-COVID-19 days when the fee to change a fare often wiped out the value of your ticket, today鈥檚 kinder, gentler airlines have dropped the punitive fee on most flights.

By booking now, Keyes said, you lock in the fare and don鈥檛 have to worry about taking the financial hit.

Here鈥檚 what you do have to worry about, he said: If the cost of your rebooked flight is more than what you originally paid, you must make up the difference.

If the price has dropped? Well, that depends on the airline. United, for instance, will make you pay the difference if your new fare costs more, but if it costs less, you don鈥檛 get a refund. Heads, United wins. Tails, United wins.

It鈥檚 critical, then, to check the airline鈥檚 policies on rebooking. Yes, we know fine print is not fun print, but it鈥檚 critical to avoid unpleasant surprises.

Using Google Flights, I checked fares for the back half of the year. These fares might no longer be available, because corralling a fare is like trying to herd cats, but here鈥檚 what you would have paid Feb. 10 for a round-trip flight from LAX to:

• Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, July 14-21: $233 nonstop on Delta, for summer fun in the south-of-the-border sun.
• San Francisco, Sept. 3-6, $111 round trip on Delta and United, for Labor Day weekend.
• Boston, Sept. 29-Oct. 6, $251 on Delta and American, if you want to do a bit of leaf peeping.
• Maui, Hawaii, Dec. 16-27, $398 on American. Prices usually shoot up for Hawaii at year-end, but these December dates yielded that sub-$400 fare. If you go on, say, Dec. 20 and return Dec. 27, you鈥檒l pay at least $145 more (on Alaska). But even a $543 fare Christmas week is a bargain.

What if you decide to brave it and leave the country? Here鈥檚 a new twist that may surprise air travelers: Insurance abroad sometimes isn鈥檛 optional

This isn鈥檛 the old saw about not being covered by Medicare when you travel abroad. (Generally you are not.) Before COVID-19, a handful of countries required travelers to have insurance that covered them at the destination, no matter their age or whether they had insurance at home. Now the list of such destinations is growing.

Now, some countries are requesting proof that you鈥檙e covered before they let you in.

Costa Rica, for instance, which is admitting U.S. visitors, now requires proof of insurance uploaded to its Health Pass, which is not available until 48 hours before your flight. You must have a Health Pass for each member of your party. If your health insurance doesn鈥檛 meet the requirements, Costa Rica will be in touch.

Finding out that your insurance doesn鈥檛 measure up isn鈥檛 something you want to learn about a couple of days before departure, mainly because Costa Rica has an additional requirement: Your insurance must cover lodging expenses if you are quarantined for COVID-19, said Megan Moncrief, chief marketing officer for Squaremouth, which allows you to compare travel insurance policies.

鈥淓ighteen of the travel insurance providers on our website cover medical expenses for contracting COVID-19,鈥� Moncrief said. 鈥淔ourteen of them also include cancellation coverage for contracting the virus. Most travel insurance policies come standard with the amount of medical coverage we have seen become required per destination.鈥�

But, she said, 鈥淭he outlier is the additional amount of 鈥榣odging鈥� expenses required by Costa Rica. At present, only one policy on our website meets this benefit level.鈥�

Squaremouth keeps a list of country requirements that you鈥檒l want to consult if you鈥檙e traveling internationally. Be sure to check because the best insurance surprise is no surprise.

And here鈥檚 something you do not want to be surprised by either: Mind your mask and manners.

Airlines began dribbling out requirements for wearing masks on flights as last summer began. Each carrier set the rules, so they differed.

Not anymore. President Joe Biden signed an executive order last month that mandates masks on planes (as well as trains, buses, ships and public transportation). You鈥檒l need to mask up in airports (along with train stations, bus, ship and ferry terminals).

Passengers who don鈥檛 comply will face greater penalties than landing on the carrier鈥檚 no-fly list. The Transportation Security Administration announced fines for mask miscreants starting at $250鈥攁nd topping out at $1,500. And鈥攕urprise!鈥攊f you鈥檙e a super jerk (鈥渁ggravating鈥� or 鈥渕itigating鈥� factors in government speak), 鈥淭SA may seek a sanction amount that falls outside these ranges,鈥� it said in a news release.

The carriers will report the violators to the TSA.

These new mandates are in effect until May 11, but don鈥檛 be surprised if they鈥檙e extended, which would be good news for summer flyers who will be able to breathe a little easier, figuratively speaking.