Will you be cutting the turkey over Zoom this Thanksgiving? If the answer is no, then you should anticipate a confusing travel season.
Every Thanksgiving in the last decade has featured an uptick in flying. The American Aviation Association reports that more than 55 million travelers took to the skies in the 2019 holiday season, a rise from 54 million in 2018. Not only have numbers increased, but most holiday travelers continue to fly in family groups, which require full seating capacity on a plane.
This scale of movement is unthinkable in COVID times. As of September 14th, only about 750,000 travelers go through US airports everyday. Each one is ensured the best possible hygiene practices, as low demand allows most airlines to deeply clean their aircrafts before servicing flights. Some airlines, such as Southwest, have even stopped selling middle seats in an effort to maintain social distancing.
The question becomes how airlines can continue their COVID-19 standards while meeting increased demand for travel. In this article, we will look at policies that can be adopted by airlines, airports, and air travel regulatory agencies alike.
One of the most high-contact steps in the travel process comes two hours before a passenger even boards the plane: TSA check-in. The nightmarish security lines of holiday seasons’ past will not be safe nor sustainable this year, which means that check-ins will have to be operated more efficiently while ensuring post-9/11 standards are met.
One option would be for the TSA to limit travelers to one carry-on per family. This would allow for quicker processing times and a lower risk of transmission through bags. In order for this regulation to be possible, it must be administered by the TSA itself, rather than by airlines or individual airports. Additionally, airlines and the TSA would have to communicate this change well in advance of travel season, so passengers are not blindsighted at the airport.
In addition, the TSA must adopt higher-quality air filtration systems within X-ray machines. Because X-ray machines are closed on three sides of the body, they can hold airborne particles for up to 15 minutes. The successful air filtration systems used on airplanes must be installed within checkpoints.
Standards within airplanes themselves will be much more difficult to administer. Up until now, there have been strong disparities between airline hygiene practices. United Airlines, for example, continues to operate all flights at maximum capacity, even at the protest of some passengers on social media. Though we cannot expect the Trump Administration to take full control of airline practices, it is reasonable to demand three standards are met.
First, all passengers must wear masks on all airplanes. For many, this seems like an intuitive precaution that should already be taken. Unfortunately, reports of passengers and even some flight attendants removing masks mid-flight have surfaced across the internet. In order for this policy to work, airlines must distribute two free masks to each traveler, as well as hold a 2-minute waiting period between lavatory visits so a heavy-power filtration system can remove all particles.
Second, airlines must allow cancelling and rescheduling of all flights for passengers with COVID-19 symptoms. Breakouts in night clubs, malls, and other common areas across the world have all shown that even when experiencing early symptoms, some people will not stay home when there is a present opportunity cost.
Third, airlines must continue to use advanced air filtration systems during flight. These filtration systems are a part of the reason why COVID flying is even possible, as over 99% of airborne particles can be removed. A potential worry is the use of lavatories, because passengers may remove their masks in that area undetected. Airlines should consider having a 2-minute grace period between each lavatory use so high-power cooling systems can push out particles.
If all of these standards are met, can we ensure that the coronavirus is still not spread through air travel? Absolutely not. In fact, even the most optimistic epidemiologists can predict at least a few moderate breakouts during late November. However, as air travel is a utility that must be maintained during the coronavirus, it is the responsibility of airlines and regulatory bodies to ensure that we do everything we can to minimize the amount of exposure during flights.
Article by Shariar Vaez-Ghaemi of Montgomery Blair High School
Photo by May Pham of Walter Johnson High School