Oh, boy, another report saying airline travel is safe.

This one involved professors at the TH Chan School of Public Health (Harvard)- in particular the Aviation Public Health Initiative (APHI).  One should note that the team were all part of APHI and that the initiative is fully funded by the airline industry (aircraft manufacturers, airlines, and airports).

The hoopla all derives from the first portion of the study- a gate-to-gate analysis.  Sometime in the first few months of 2021, the group promises to release the results of their analysis of curb-to-curb travel.  (I can’t wait 😈 )

Of course, these folks claim it’s safe to fly on an airplane.  But…

Did they run any experiments to prove that?  No. They did “thought experiments” to bolster their arguments.

And, you know what?  If airlines and passengers DID follow the “thought rules” they developed, it might actually be safe to fly.

As you can tell from that last statement, it might be appropriate to cite the old adage:  “If my mother had wheels, she would have been a bike.”  My mother didn’t have wings or wheels, by the way.

Here are the provisions that APHI considered to claim it’s safe to fly.

1. Onboard ventilation system.  The system operates continuously, refreshing the air supply, forcing all flows through a HEPA filter. All exhaled air of passengers is rapidly dispersed in the downward direction.
2. Facemasks are worn by passengers and crew throughout the journey.
3. High-touch aircraft surfaces are routinely disinfected- more than once a day.
4. Passengers must attest that they have no COVID-19 symptoms and will adhere to the mask policy.
5. Travelers will wash their hands frequently. (Hmm.  How many more bathrooms will the industry provide on their planes?   They’ve already cut down on the number of lavatories to include more seats.)
6. On-board ventilation systems are to be run when the plane is parked, between flights, basically all day long, even if the plane is empty. (As far as I can tell, only United Airlines has promised to follow this protocol.  I’m not saying others won’t adopt the program, just keeping to the facts.)
7. Passengers will board and disembark from planes following distancing protocols. (Oh, yeah.  I can see everyone keeping six feet away from one another.  The airlines already try to rush passengers on board.  This new protocol would mean that boarding would take at least twice as long as it does now.  So would leaving the aircraft- which as long as the plane lands in a timely fashion means no one has to run to catch another plane.  I see this as a supreme failure.)
8. Carry-on luggage will be limited to small items only to ensure rapid placement in overhead bins. (Now, that means I certainly won’t fly. Since checked baggage takes 30 to 40 minutes to show up.  But, maybe that’s just me.  )
9. All boarding and departures will be effected row-by-row. (So, how will the airline penalize passengers who break this rule?  Just like the way MLB [Major League Baseball] didn’t prosecute Justin Turner of the LA Dodgers who broke quarantine to celebrate winning the World Series?)
10. Load factors will not exceed 60% to ensure physical distancing exists on the plane. (Yup.  That’s exactly what the airline did at the START of the pandemic- not by choice, but because no one was flying.  Now, they stuff the plane to the gills as often as they can.)
11. Cabin service is terminated. Instead, airline will adopt the NY Air method for food and beverages.  (Oh, wait, you are too young to recall this procedure.  It means we grab a box of grub as we board the plane.  Balancing the box along with our carry-ons to our seats.)

I’m sure you recognized where the fictions began.  Right about provision 5.

So, how safe is airline travel again?

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