Preparing for Air Travel in Covid-19 Times. All You Need to Know By Amanda Collins For www.rateacabincrew.com Countries are reopening their borders to international traffic. But in the absence of a coronavirus vaccine, cure, or uniformly implemented health and safety guidelines, travelers are bound to contemplate the risks of air travel. Air travel requires spending time in security lines and airport terminals, which can bring you in close contact with other people and frequently touched surfaces. Most viruses and other germs do not spread easily on flights because of how air circulates and is filtered on airplanes. There are exemptions though which you can read below. However, social distancing is difficult on crowded flights, and you may have to sit near others (within 6 feet), sometimes for hours. CDC says being within 6 feet of others increases your chances of getting infected and infecting others. Has coronavirus spread on airplanes?
Yes. While there is still relatively little published research on the spread of the virus on airlines, an investigation into a 2nd March flight from the UK to Vietnam suggested that one passenger transmitted the virus to 14 others and a crew member. Twelve of these passengers were seated close to the suspected first case, which matches the expected spread of this and other coronaviruses. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade group for the world’s airlines, said that aside from this case, an informal survey of 18 major airlines identified four episodes in the first three months of the year of suspected in-flight transmission from passengers to crew, and a further four where one pilot appeared to give the virus to another. This group of airlines represented 14% of global air traffic in that period, according to IATA.
It is also possible that the coronavirus can be transmitted via smaller particles that people emit from their noses and mouths known as aerosols, which can float for a time through the air and be inhaled. The air on a plane is generally a 50-50 mix of sterile outside air and recirculated cabin air that has been filtered.
Have similar viruses spread on planes?
Yes, viruses including SARS, influenza and smallpox, which like the novel coronavirus are transmitted through the coughing, sneezing and breathing of those who are infected, have spread on aircraft. During the 2003 outbreak of SARS, which is also caused by a coronavirus, 40 flights were found to have carried probable cases of the SARS virus and resulted in spread to other passengers. Studies have found that the greatest risk comes from sitting within two rows of a contagious passenger for a flight longer than 8 hours. Still, in a case in which 20 people developed the virus from exposure to an infected passenger on an Air China flight from Hong Kong to Beijing, fewer than half were sitting within two rows of the original case. And more infections were seen in passengers sitting on the opposite side of the center aisle.
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Large droplets, expelled by coughing, can travel up to 6ft. In an air cabin, these can land on surfaces like arm rests, tray tables, and seat bags, putting passengers at risk of getting sick – if they touch droplets from a person infected with coronavirus. There is also the risk of transmission if, say, an infected passenger coughs into their hand and then shakes another person’s hand without handwashing. Things to prepare prior to travel
✓ After you book, select a window seat if possible. If you consider the six- foot radius circle around you, having a wall on one side would directly reduce the number of people you are exposed to during the flight in half, not to mention all the people going up and down the aisle ✓ Check-in online and use self-baggage drop if possible. This will help you avoid a long queue at check-in counter ✓ Get a Covid-19 test done if possible, in such a way that you receive the results prior to your travel. You can be sure of your health status and in case you are an asymptomatic patient, you can avoid the travel altogether so that you do not infect other passengers ✓ Avoid flights with layovers and transit. Layovers and transit make you stand in queues and double the touchpoints compared to a non-stop flight. Transit airports usually have people mixing from different parts of the world. It is wiser to avoid such an option completely ✓ Some might advise usage of multiple shorter flights over one long flight to prevent lavatory usage. But this will significantly increase your actual touchpoints ✓ While choosing airlines, choose an airline that has opted to block middle seats and provide surgical masks to passengers and that gives some sense of confidence that the airplanes are disinfected thoroughly
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What to carry
✓ Bring enough of your medicine to last you for the entire trip ✓ Pack enough alcohol-based hand sanitizer (at least 60% alcohol) and keep it within easy to reach ✓ Prepare food and water for your trip ✓ Pack cleaning supplies, including a disinfectant and disposable gloves (at least 2 sets) ✓ Disinfectant wipes (at least 70% alcohol) for surfaces ✓ Thermometer ✓ N95 respirator masks filter out about 90% of large and small air-borne droplets. But research shows that they are slightly less effective than that because they are not a perfect fit on all human faces. You could also wear surgical masks, which are only about 50 to 80% effective at filtering out droplets. Carry at least 4 sets of masks ✓ Carry a plastic bag for disposal of used tissues, masks, gloves, air sickness bag(s), or other contaminated items Precautions to be followed at both airport and onboard the aircraft
✓ Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth ✓ Never lower your mask ✓ Use one mask over another like medics do. In case you touch your face by mistake, you can easily remove one mask and still have the other ✓ Keep an eye for sick and potentially infectious travelers. Look for one or more of these signs or symptoms: visibly tired, skin rash, difficulty breathing, persistent cough, decreased consciousness, bruising or bleeding, persistent vomiting (other than air sickness), signs of headache with stiff neck, or appears obviously unwell and frequent coughing or sneezing. ✓ Do not use toilets as much as possible ✓ Avoid close contact with others. Stay away from people as much as possible ✓ Keep 6 feet of physical distance from others when possible ✓ Cover coughs and sneezes ✓ If someone near you coughs or sneezes, move away quickly ✓ Avoid as many touch points as possible at the airport and aircraft ✓ Do not visit retail stores or cafes ✓ Do not pick up magazines to read onboard
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Precautions at the airport
✓ Clean your hands often. Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after you have been in the airport terminal, after touching surfaces frequently touched by others, after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, and before touching your face or eating. If soap and water are not available, bring and use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub your hands together until they feel dry ✓ Avoid crowds. Avoiding crowds fully may not be possible especially during immigration and security check but do your best ✓ Travelers may wear masks during screening. However, TSA/security employees may ask travelers to adjust masks for identification purposes. You are being exposed here but there is nothing you could do about it ✓ Instead of handing boarding passes to TSA/security officers, place passes (paper or electronic) directly on the scanner and then hold them up for inspection ✓ Personal items such as keys, wallets and phones should be placed in carry-on bags instead of bins. This reduces the handling of these items during screening
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Precautions onboard the aircraft
✓ If you feel your fellow passenger on the same row, front or back is sick, immediately change seats and inform the crew ✓ Disembark the flight at last if possible ✓ Choose a seat in the front most row if available. This will let you not to be in touch with any other passengers for tens of rows behind you. This would also help you disembark the flight quicker ✓ Never accept food and beverages from the flight ✓ If it is a short flight, avoid food and beverages completely. If it is a long- haul flight, lower your mask, take a bite, put the mask on, chew and repeat. As much as it sounds an awkward practice, this will safeguard your health ✓ If the passenger seated next to you eats food, there is a chance of droplets to displace from his/her mouth into the air. Do not eat during the same time ✓ Sick travelers complaining of nausea or vomiting or with any other physical discomfort may not use a mask even though it is mandatory for
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most airlines for passengers to use mask during flight. But watch out for such passengers and inform the crew immediately ✓ Keep interactions with fellow travelers and especially sick travelers as brief as possible or do not interact at all ✓ Be sure to dispose the wet wipes after you use properly. Carry an extra pair of gloves ✓ The low humidity in aircraft cabins dries out the mucous membranes of your eyes, nose and mouth, making them less effective in blocking out viruses. For this reason, some frequent flyers use nasal sprays to moisturize and clean out the nose. Avoid this if possible due to the risk of exposing yourself ✓ Most passengers drink more water to compensate for the cabin dryness. However, new generation long haul aircraft such as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner feature technology that allows for higher humidity levels. As soon as you are done drinking, put the face mask back on your face ✓ The flow of the air is also designed to minimize infection risks. The air flows vertically. It is blown from above your head and evacuated from beneath your feet. That makes the level of propagation of anything in the air quite limited. So, a passenger from row one, for example, cannot contaminate someone in row 20. Unless cabin crew transports it throughout the cabin ✓ Avoid interactions with cabin crew as much as possible. For this reason, choosing a window seat is ideal ✓ The European Aviation Safety Agency studies showed that “the cabin/cockpit air quality is similar or better than what is observed in normal indoor environments” such as offices, schools and home dwellings. Modern aircraft have high efficiency air filters similar to those used in hospital operating rooms. They capture more than 99.9% of the airborne microbes in the filtered air. However, studies also show ultra- small droplets can be air-borne in the aircraft cabin from several minutes to several hours if passengers cough or talk ✓ With current aircraft cabin ventilation systems, small droplets can stay in the cabin for about four minutes before they can be extracted by the air- conditioning system. During that time, small droplets can travel to passengers seated in the same row, and if they are carrying the virus, they can make them sick ✓ Do not touch inflight entertainment systems ✓ Once you fasten your seatbelt, use hand sanitizer ✓ Keep the air vents above you always open to facilitate air circulation
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