Travelers Must Assess Risk When Flying to Avoid COVID-19

When considering if it’s safe to travel, travelers must assess whether or not they are willing to take a risk. This becomes especially true if the trip involves flying.

With summer months ongoing, many employees save up their vacation days as businesses reopen after COVID-19 shutdowns. However, some may still be worried about flying. Fox Business reported that transit experts say that it’s more of personal risk when considering if it’s safe to fly.

“If you’re going back out to restaurants again and that sort of thing there's no particular reason why flying is more dangerous to you,” said Seth Kaplan, an airline expert and transportation analyst.

“The air on airplanes is actually rather clean and it's designed to prevent the spread of disease. The reason you get sick on an airplane is because you’re sitting right next to someone who's sick or because you touched a surface that someone who’s sick did. It’s the people around you. Whether you’re on an airplane or somewhere else,” Kaplan added.

Travelers Need Face Masks

Travelers and flight attendants are required by airlines to wear face masks. Airlines have also increased cleaning protocols onboard aircraft and social distancing measures.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, people may be less likely to catch a virus on a flight. This may be due to “how the air is circulated and filtered on airplanes,” Fox Business reported. However,
they may be more likely to get sick from being in close contact with others on airport security lines or from coming in contact with frequently touched surfaces.”

CDC's guidelines say that most viruses don't spread easily on flights. This is due to the air filtration and circulation that happens in planes. “However, social distancing is difficult on crowded flights, and you may have to sit near others (within 6 feet), sometimes for hours. This may increase your risk for exposure to the virus that causes COVID-19,” the CDC guidelines also said.

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