Originally Posted by Astro14
First, modern airliners have HEPA filters in the air conditioning system. Those were put in from the factory. They stop particles down to, and including, viruses. Even in the 1980s, that was part of the design objectives of airplane manufacturers.
Next, my airline did wipe down all surfaces, armrests, tray tables, etc. as part of a regular cleaning before any of this happened.
Further, my airline is now "fogging" the interiors with anti-bacterial/viral sanitizers when the airplane blocks in. Empty cabin, fans and recirculating off, and it will kill anything that the wipe down didn't get.
Look, if you got sick from flying in the past, it was the passenger that elected to fly sick and sat next to you. Their germs were stopped by the HEPA filters, so it didn't come from rows away, it came from the sick person that practiced poor hygiene, sneezed on you, or touched the common surfaces, like the lav door, or arm rest.
Social distance is difficult to maintain on an airplane.
But the airplane isn't the disease vector, the other passengers are.
Airplane is not a factor, but we are dealing with virus where 25% of people do not show any symptoms. Forget the plane, what about customs? I was once going through IAD customs, I thought I would get run over. What about people movers? Trains to get to gate? Some German city did random testing of its population, 14% had antibodies and never suspected they had COVID-19.
Also, that is what I was saying about surfaces. lavatories? Flight attendant will not disinfect lavatories every time someone takes a dump.