The airline industry's biggest trade body found that the omicron variant of the coronaviruses raises the risk of infections on passenger planes by two or even three-fold.
The IATA says that Omicron increases the risk of infections for passengers on airplanes.
The images are from the same company.
The risk of transmission on board a plane is lower than on the ground due to the use of hospital-grade air filters, according to David Powell, the medical adviser for the International Air Transport Association.
Powell said that a modern passenger jet is a high-flow airflow environment, which lowers the relative risk compared to places like pubs, gymnasiums, shopping centers or even airports.
Powell said he believes getting a booster shot is more beneficial than not flying.
Leaving middle rows empty or having cabin crew wear full protective suits is not likely to provide much benefit according to Powell.
It is the greatest protection you can give yourself. Powell said that the protection that you give yourself from an extra mask or a different type of mask is probably less than the benefit you would get from just being fully boosted.
There is a structure called the Tangent.
The top executives from the major U.S. airlines addressed a U.S. Senate Committee last week, suggesting that wearing masks on flights may be unnecessary. Gary Kelly, CEO of Southwest Airlines, told the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation that masks don't add much to planes. This is a departure from what Powell said on Tuesday when he said that masking was a key measure against infections.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said on Monday that the next two weeks will be the busiest for the airline since the start of the Pandemic. The American Automobile Association predicted that 6.4 million people will travel by air between December 23 and January 2, a 184% increase over the 2020 holiday season. The busy travel season has raised concerns that the ongoing omicron-fueled surge may see exponential growth at the start of the new year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Monday that omicron has become the dominant variant in the US, accounting for over 70% of new cases.
Surprising fact.
The phrase "cancel flight" is more popular in Europe than in the U.S. during the holiday season.
The risk of getting infectious on a plane is double.
Coverage and live updates on the coronaviruses.
