Are Airlines Making People Sick?
Daniel Weiss, MD, CPI
Drug Development Consultant - Advancing Assets from the Bench to the Bedside
Somehow, airlines have made it possible to pack more people into passenger cabins than sardines into a metal container. At the same time, trip cancellation policies encourage passengers to fly while ill. The combination of densely packed airplanes and sick passengers who fear cancellation penalties, has created the perfect breading ground for the spread of respiratory illnesses. Despite planes having advanced air filtration systems, it is not uncommon for flyers to contract respiratory illnesses during their travels. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that influenza, tuberculosis, measles, and other diseases have resulted from transmission in aircraft (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2018/the-pre-travel-consultation/respiratory-infections).
Unfortunately, airlines are taking little accountability for their part in creating this public health threat. Airlines offer little to no protection for the healthy traveler or for the flight crews employed by them. It is uncommon for the airlines to screen travelers for signs or symptoms of respiratory illnesses. Airlines rarely offer hand sanitizers or facemasks for traveling passengers. There are no standards for cleaning the cabin and the the Federal Aviation Association (FAA) does not regulate or inspect aircraft cleaning.
Has it become a standard expectation that flying will place you at risk for exposure to respiratory illnesses? Should airlines do more to prevent the risks of transmitting respiratory illnesses during flight, and what are some of the things that airlines could be doing to provide a germ-free experience for the flying public?
The following is a list of some simple steps that airlines should be taking to help improve the health of the their customers:
- Change your policies so travelers are not penalized for canceling flights due to respiratory illnesses.
- Better screening of travelers prior to boarding to identify anyone with cough, runny nose or other symptoms.Consider preventing these passengers from boarding the plane, or, when possible, isolate them toward the rear of the plane to limit their close contact with other passengers.
- Improve decontamination and deep cleaning procedures between flights.
- Offer passengers a disinfection wipe to clean there personal spaces upon initial boarding.
- Provide passengers with face masks. Face masks can be worn by sick passengers to prevent spread of their germs or worn by healthy passengers to protect themselves from the germs of others.
- Make hand sanitizers more readily available within the passenger cabins.
- Since close contact with the sick is one of the most common ways to transmit respiratory illnesses, airlines must reverse the "densification" of seating that has occurred in coach class.
I implore our airlines to do more and take accountability for protecting the health of those who fly your friendly skies. For those who are frequent fliers, please share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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So true! I hope the airlines are listening! A couple years ago I was on a plane and saw a man next to me bring out his own Lysol wipe to clean his area. He said this simple act had significantly cut down on his getting sick after flights. While I politely refused to use the used wipe he offered me to clean my own space, I did begin bringing my own on future flights!