Flying in the face of Covid-19
The choice to fly is more personal than ever. Airlines, airports and aircraft manufacturers are combining an all out attack on viral transmission to earn your confidence in an industry that cannot afford to get it wrong.
Health has launched to number one priority for travellers and the captive confines of flight present obvious challenges. So what will you experience the next time you stroll through the departure doors?
Boeing’s UV bathroom can kill 99.9% of germs in 3 seconds
Your travel habits will change…
Digital distancing is a thing. Online check in, bag tagging and boarding apps minimise touch points and are your new norm
Face masks. Airlines will have them but always travel smart and pack your own in case you’re stopped
Cleanliness is next to godliness and your hands will be shrines to hygiene, washed often with travel sanitiser on heavy rotation
For the cautious here’s how to clean your own zone on board with wipes for armrests, buckles and any non-fabric surfaces around your seating area
The battle for the window seat is on. Proven to have the least chance of infection due to distance from the movement of fellow passengers and staff
Travelling sick is not cool - Get professional medical advice or just don’t do it
Know your regulations to avoid painful hang ups in your onward journey
Cabin sanitation aboard Alaska Airlines using an electrostatic fogger
Your experience will change…
Hyper clean counters, gates and cabins with scientifically proven disinfectants & electrostatic foggers
Social distance signage reminding you to back up and longer queue management in effect
Health declarations and new “Fit to fly” technology to triage passengers with a touchless vital sign health check
Boarding is the riskiest part of our journey. Priority boarding will be replaced with methods favouring speed and distancing
Airlines may reduce your cabin baggage to speed up boarding time by up to 70% (Let’s hope they increase check in allowance)
Service staff will be behind a mask and so will you. Likely throughout your entire journey. Get used to foggy specs
Hand sanitising stations and wash facilities will pop up throughout the passenger pathway including onboard
Expect fewer familiar luxuries on board with no magazines, pillows, blankets and, in some cases, even meals
Current top down cabin airflow design - Boeing
Aircraft evolution...
Top down AC is already in effect on modern aircraft, reducing front to back flow and leaving floor grilles nearest the row it enters
Hospital grade High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filtration can turn over the full volume of cabin air every 2 to 3 minutes
Anti-microbial surface coating research is underway to kill off surface pathogens quicker
Self-cleaning bathrooms using UV disinfecting technology can kill 99.9% of germs after every use
You might even be followed down the isle by the wings of a “Germ Falcon” UV machine designed to compliment all other cabin cleaning procedures
Flight of the “Germ Falcon” UV cabin disinfecting machine!
The future will change...
Some ingenious ideas are emerging to tackle the unique risks of the aircraft environment.
The AirShield - Citing airflow as the greatest challenge, Seattle design firm Teague have patented a small retro-fitted device to existing air con units above each seat. They provide a continuous curtain of air surrounding each passenger theoretically blocking airborne droplets from entering personal space. A cheap, mass produced solution using 3D printing could allow airlines to fly at full capacity sooner.
Double decker “Zephyr” seating - from the distancing corner come designers Zephyr Aerospace. Their concept uses the existing space in standard cabins between the seats and overhead bins. A cleverly concealable staircase allows passengers access to a private, reclining position above rather than beside their row mate. See it in action here. No word yet on how well this goes with a few in flight shandys.
The “Zephyr seat”
Whatever you encounter the next time you fly, one thing is for sure. To keep ourselves, our families and our communities safe, air travel will be a very different trip for us all.
Check out IATA’s insight into how your next visit to the airport might look…
