Poll: Do You Think There’s a Covid Risk in Flying on Airlines?

8

Other AVwebflash Articles

8 COMMENTS

  1. With pressurized bleed air constantly fed into the cabin and out through the outflow valves, all the air inside the cabin of an airliner is completely replaced every few minutes. I would think viral exposure in such an environment is on par with being outdoors. By all accounts, the risk of outdoor transmission is extremely low.

  2. The GOOD NEWS is that the air is changed frequently. The BAD NEWS is that air is introduced, mixes in the cabin, and goes out through the regulated exhaust ports in order to maintain the pressure in the cabin. That means that air is constantly circulating, and there is no “hiding” from airborne contamination.

    At least in the King Air I fly, I know where the exhaust ports are–at the extreme rear of the cabin, in the baggage compartment. That means that ALL AIR and whatever it carries flows AFT–NOT in the cockpit.

    All aircraft are different when it comes to airflow. Like the disclaimer in many ads–“Your experience may vary.”

  3. I have been commuting (riding in the back with passengers) from Florida to New York then working a three or four day trip and repeating the same commute home since late may 2020. I DO NOT HAVE COVID ! I DO NOT KNOW ANYONE WITH COVID. I have been tested for the virus twice in that timeframe. I very much believe it exists but if anyone should have gotten it from riding in an airliner it would certainly be me. I take NO extraordinary precautions other than wearing a mask. I do not re-clean the seat area, I do not wear latex gloves. I have slept in hotels throughout the U. S. and Mexico and still no COVID. Quit being a bunch of whining babies and GET BACK IN THE AIR !

    • Hundreds of pilots at American have had Covid, so have thousands of other employees. I know two personally that have died from it. Over half a million others have also died. If you really are an airline employee you should keep in mind that tax payers are paying your salary and subsidizing your airline with billions of tax dollars. If some people don’t feel safe flying right now that’s their prerogative not yours.

      • Yes, I assure you I am an airline pilot (27 years on 17 April). I am not saying I think COVID does not exist (I actually do say that if you care to read it). I am pointing out that if flying in an airliner is so dangerous why don’t I have Covid after all my possible points of exposure ? As well I have heard company reports that two of our 13,000 pilots have actually died but they are not known to me. And I am not personally familiar with anyone that has had Covid in either my personal or professional life.

        Insofar as taxpayers supporting my industry – let’s imagine a world in which we just let all the airlines die. Almost every airport my company serves seems to have some kind of construction actively ongoing. No need for that anymore without airlines why bother and what happens to those workers jobs ? Certainly both Boeing and Airbus wouldn’t be needing a majority of all the little people and suppliers that supply all the little things that they don’t feel like making. What about all the cargo and medical supplies we’ve been hauling all over the planet ? In fact it was just about a year ago this week when we started pulling seats out of 777s so we could carry even more vital supplies. Mind you this wasn’t taking ANY business away from FedEx or UPS either, this was vital equipment and supplies in addition to what they could carry. So yeah Flamer Don……let’s just be tough guys and let those damn airlines all go to hell……and all the other industries and individuals symbiotically connected to airlines as well !

  4. Knowing how most pressurization systems work, I don’t feel there is a risk of COVID infection. Of course everyone has their own tolerance level. The airline experience is miserable enough, requiring face coverings just put the misery level over the top for me. And judging by the survey results so far, there is little chance the airlines will return to anything resembling business prior to COVID until not only the travel restrictions are lifted but also the @#$&* face covering requirements as well.

    • If you think the @#$&* face covering requirements are an inconvenience, wait until you try a ventilator!

LEAVE A REPLY