The WSJ reports that airlines and airplane makers are mounting a major campaign aimed at reassuring potential passengers wary of contracting COVID-19 that it is safe to fly.
At present, flying is not as safe as the airlines claim but it is safer than many people think, concludes the Journal‘s Scott McCartney.
One of the public’s fears is the perception that air is repeatedly recycled in the cabin during flight, potentially providing ample opportunities to inhale SARS-CoV-2 viruses that are floating about. According to Airbus Americas’ VP for R&D Amanda Simpson, the cabin is not a sealed tube. Fresh air from outside the plane is constantly infused with the old and all of it is “significantly” filtered which, she says, makes airplane air safer from the coronavirus than many other indoor public settings such as restaurants and office buildings. Wearing a mask and using hand sanitizer after trips to the lavatory further improve safety.
A recent study conducted for the International Air Transport Association revealed that 65% of respondents listed sitting next to someone that might be infected is their top concern. Using the restroom was second.
A computer simulation study done in Germany showed that the highest risk for COVID-19 infection is during boarding and exit since people are closer together.
Airplane disease transmission expert Mark Gendreau, chief medical officer at Beverly and Addison Gilbert hospitals in Massachusetts, says, “The overall risk, I think right now, I would put it at moderate.”
The public relations campaign needs to be a good one. Airlines are faced with a significant long-term drop in passenger miles otherwise.
Selected tickers: Delta Air Lines (DAL +5.3%), Southwest Airlines (LUV +5.3%), American Airlines Group (AAL +8.9%), United Airlines (UAL +9.3%), JetBlue (JBLU +7.6%), Alaska Air Group (ALK +6.2%), Spirit Airlines (SAVE +8.2%), Boeing (BA +2.9%), Airbus SE (OTCPK:EADSF +7.3%)
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