Air travel during the pandemic: what should I know

and how safe is it?

As many countries begin to ease travel restrictions, we spoke to three experts for their views on the
risks of traveling by plane

Aditi Malhotra
Fri 19 Jun 2020 11.00 BST

A
s countries around the world gradually allow businesses to reopen, domestic and
international air travel is also restarting. China and US, the world’s two largest air
travel markets, for example, have recently eased travel restrictions, with an eye
toward reviving trade and tourism.

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. What must they know if
they do decide to get on an airplane, and what can they expect at the airport?

What are the risks of transmission when it comes to air travel?

Qingyan Chen The coronavirus can be transmitted by respiratory droplets, which can be
classified as large and small.

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 hand-washing.

Studies show 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’re carrying the
virus, they can make them sick.

Is leaving the middle seat open an effective measure?

Chen I think leaving a middle seat empty can reduce the risk of transmission. However, the
effectiveness of the measure is closely linked to the use of face masks.

N95 respirator masks filter out about 90% of large and small air-borne droplets. But our
research shows that they are slightly less effective than that because they are not a perfect fit
on all human faces.

If passengers are traveling without a vacant middle seat, it might be crucial for all to be
wearing an N95 mask to reduce the risk of transmission. They could also wear surgical masks,
which are only about 50 to 80% effective at filtering out droplets. All this to say that leaving
the middle seat empty helps a lot.

What precautions can airlines take to ensure safety?

Chen When you travel by plane, you might take multiple other modes of private or public
transportation – like buses, trains, cars – to get to and from the airport.

Among all the scenarios I mentioned, the risk of transmission inside the aircraft cabin might be
the lowest. That’s because airplanes use a hepa (high-efficiency particulate air) filter that
ensures air inside the cabin is either fresh or recirculated.

Trains, buses and cars do not use hepa filters. So disinfection will be super important for
passengers to regain travel confidence.

What about travelers?

Chen I would wear a mask from door to door, and maintain social distance whenever I can.
Inside an airplane cabin, I would disinfect all the surfaces I may touch with disinfectant wipes.
I would stagger eating and drinking with co-passengers to avoid everyone taking down their
masks at the same time.

While choosing airlines, I would choose an airline that has opted to block middle seats and
provide surgical masks to passengers and that gives me some sense of confidence that the
airplanes are disinfected thoroughly.

There are airlines who have done very little. I would not book travel with them. It’s especially a
red flag if wearing a mask is not mandatory.

When can I start booking international travel again?

Brian Pearce Restarting international travel will depend on the confidence of health
authorities in the state of domestic transmission of the virus. It will involve government
confidence in accepting travelers from other countries, and that confidence replacing the fear
of importing the virus.
Around the world, we may see “travel bubbles” or “air bridges” connecting adjacent countries
in the same continent later this year. But that, of course, is subject to a second wave of the
virus in the fall.

What can other countries learn from China?

Steve Saxon I started traveling domestically in China again at the end of April. Many airports in
China are using thermal imaging technology to check passengers’ temperatures, and relying on
color-coded health code system to track passenger history and movement.

China did not open up air travel until it stopped reporting new domestic cases. Travel policies
have relaxed because there is confidence in the fact that there have been no new domestic
cases. [Editor’s note: A cluster of new cases sprung up in Beijing this month.]

That said, everyone is wearing masks. It is mandated.

Experts
Brian Pearce, chief economist, International Air Travel Association
Steve Saxon, Shenzhen expert partner, McKinsey
Qingyan Chen, professor of mechanical engineering, Purdue University
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Topics
Air transport
Life in the time of corona
Airline industry
features