These unmanipulated images from Kosts window seat help change perspectives and encourage travelers to leave the shades open. Most planes (but not smaller regional jets and turboprops) have HEPA air filtration thats highly protective. Given the relative importance of HEPA filters, compared to surface cleaning, this project has the potential to trump a lot of what other carriers have done so far. HEPA or high efficiency particulate air filters have similar performance to those used to keep the air clean in hospital operating rooms and industrial clean rooms. Hidden label . You can see them along the ceilings and walls of the aircraft. These filters can trap particles as small . As filters age airflow reduces, but arent necessarily less efficienct capturing virus particles. [PCA units are typically mounted below jetbridges/jetways & can be spotted wherever a pair of large/wide, school bus yellow colored hoses are seen]. Mechanical air filters, such as high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters, and . Maybe thats what the airline had in mind .toxic anti viral that was also dangerous for passengers. If you're looking for an air purifier that will eliminate cigarette smoke, you're out of luck. Curators are realizing that returning looted artifacts isnt closing museumsits opening new doors. The DOT also lists countries (including France, Italy, and the U.K.) that require disinfection on selected flights only, as well as countries (including Australia and New Zealand) that spray or treat the cabin while passengers arent onboard. A masked passenger stands on a flight between Vancouver, Canada, and Sydney, Australia in the spring of 2020. As filters age airflow reduces, but aren't necessarily less efficienct capturing virus particles. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Many HEPA vacuum bags are made of cloth, although some are made of paper. Envoy Air, also fully owned by American Airlines Group and which used to be called American Eagle, has 80 ERJ-140 and -145 aircraft. However, while this is a significant improvement that will better harmonize the inflight air quality for a more consistent passenger experience across mainline aircraft/larger RJs & the smallest jets across American Airlines fleets, the fact still remains that for many airlines, this exceptional onboard air quality provided by powerful ventilation equipment featuring uniquely robust refresh rates (e.g., top/down diffusing & venting) using HEPA-rated filtration (comparable to or even exceeding hospital surgery rooms as the industry likes to cite!) The smaller ones, however, can remain suspended. 3.) Especially when you present a burden of proof argument what evidence do you have that it cannot spread? (1) Airplanes provide consistent fresh-air replacement, preventing concentration of the virus. Weve known since early on that it happens, but its rare, primarily because of hospital grade air filtration. HEPA media filtration bags function the same as HEPA filters. What is the smallest particle size that the cabin air filter element can remove? Even with these filters on planes, passengers and flight attendants have historically had higher rates of cold and flu infection, which may be traced to surfaces and just coming into contact with more people. The very smallest of particles collide with molecules of gas, which slows them from passing through the filter and increasing the chance of their becoming trapped. AHEAD PRO is a diagnostic system that consolidates aircraft data to optimize maintenance activities and aircraft performance. Research into the spread of tuberculosis has found some drift of air between rows aircraft dont appear to increase the risk of TB spread compared to other indoor settings, however. As Cond Nast Traveler explains, its some fresh air with up to 50 percent [recycled] cabin air. But that doesnt mean its unclean. Big commercial aircraft refresh air inside the cabin with outside air frequently, perhaps 20 times an hour, and when air recirculates most of the virus gets caught in filters. Do HEPA filters protect from coronavirus? They expect to have all of their 59 ERJ-145 aircraft upgraded by the end of the year. All rights reserved. Robert Isom (American Airlines President) reported theirs do not have HEPA filters, and the airline subsequently reported to me that the planes can not be retrofit to offer it. Bacteria are easily trapped by HEPA filters. Even if everyone who boards a flight is truthful, other passengers still remain at risk because some 40 percent of COVID patients are asymptomatic and many individuals in the diseases early stages exhibit no symptoms at all. Heres why you dont need to fear the air up there. HEPA vacuums are recommended for minimizing dust, dander, and other common allergens in homes. More About Gary , [] important than ventilation and filtration. Regarding specific airlines (in addition to Americans upgrade to HEPA rated filtration for its Embraer 140/145 fleet discussed in Garys post above): On July 21st United announced it was upgrading onboard air quality for all mainline aircraft at the gate during boarding & disembarkation to match the exceptional ventilation featuring HEPA-rated filters beginning July 27th, thereby eliminating a disparity between inflight & when aircraft are at the gate; On September 10th, Delta announced it was upgrading the filters used by the PCA units to MERV-14 rated, which it says are 40% more effective than filters previously used, for more than 600 gates at its largest 31 airports, with unspecified other airports/gates to follow in the coming months; To date, while larger regional jets such as Mitsubishi (ne Bombardier) CRJ 700/900 models (including the 550 dual class 50 seater at United) as well as Embraer 170/175 (& mainline 190/195) also use HEPA-rated filters inflight only, the quick & dirty research done for this reader comment post does NOT indicate if any upgrades for ventilation of aircraft at the gate during boarding & deplaning is included with the above referenced efforts by United & Delta; other airlines (US domestic or foreign based) may have similarly acted to remedy/mitigate the disparity between onboard air quality available inflight & that during boarding & deplaning/disembarkation while aircraft are at the gate, as this reader comment is NOT intended to offer, nor should it be construed as providing a detailed, worldwide industry review. fly ash Yes, not all airplanes have them. This is both expensive [and much more expensive than the jetway mounted PCUs which use electricity, at that], plus of course, results in much higher carbon emissions vs electricity used to power PCUs); c.) Air quality for planes parked at the gate and using below jetway mounted PCUs can be upgraded from the garden variety G4 category used for commercial grade HVAC units to HEPA category filtration levels, but until then, the air quality during boarding and deplaning is NOT nearly as high as airlines are touting in the marketing hype. Which American Airlines aircraft have HEPA filters? Hertzberg's study was funded through a partnership with aircraft manufacturer Boeing, which she said has HEPA filters installed in ventilation systems that mix 50% fresh air with plane recycled air. 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HEPA filters similar to those used in hospitals capture more than 99.9% of viruses and bacteria. That wasn't always the case: When the pandemic began, some of American Airlines regional jets didn't have the filters. HEPA filters are already standard on the larger E-jet and E2-jet families. Compensation does not impact the placement of cards in content. Like I said earlier, sorry to disappoint but facts are very important, especially when it comes to something that includes decisions regarding potential life and death impacts . To its credit, five (5) days after the initial series of reader comments I began posting here on VFTW (on July 5th) plus several additional detailed critiques & analysis I posted in the reader comments section for posts, including very slick/polished video presentations/advertisements, made by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on LinkedIn (& Twitter), as well as others on my LI homepage, on July 10th IATA *CONFIRMED* that its messaging, including that provided in its (informational) videos/advertisements touting exceptional onboard ventilation equipment featuring robust refresh rates, top/down diffusing & ventilation, & HEPA-rated filtration applied while inflight only, & therefore NOT when aircraft are at the gate during boarding, pre-departure dwelling & deplaning/disembarkation periods when PCA units are used. What you have to remember is that many people are asymptomatic and the incubation period is usually around 7 days. Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. As noted in my comments above, the PCUs used while the plane is at the gate is NOT the same as whats used after the cutover you the aircrafts internal HVAC, which most flyers will be able to detect when that cutover occurs since thats when the overhead nozzles begin blasting air or of course, sometimes expel mist briefly. In October 2020,. Domestically, regulations require fume events be reported to the Federal Aviation Administration, but only in the case of a mechanical discrepancy in-flightand the data is spotty. insect screens for compact machinery) However, for those who live in places like NYC where many of us do not own cars, we must contemplate what mode of transportation were willing to take to/from 1 of the areas 3 major airports: yellow taxi (expensive, especially to/from Newark), Uber or Lyft (also expensive, but especially to/from JFK), Long Island Railroad/LIRR or NJ Transit trains to their respective AirTrain connections, NYC Subway to AirTrain for JFK or Select Bus Service to/from LaGuardia, 2.) [Sorry, airlines I hate being such a Debbie Downer But, as noted in earlier reader comments, when the decision-making process includes evaluating the potential risk of life and death, consumers are entitled to have the most complete variables provided to them, and NOT just the inflight portion of their journey, which although the information can pass legal muster as being substantially correct, omits the portion when one is aboard the aircraft while its at the gate using PCUs, which, of course, without delays can be 15-45 minutes depending on the size of the aircraft and number of passengers aboard, and with delays can be up to 3 hours before tarmac rules take effect allowing passengers to deplane.]. But even the best filters cant catch every onboard virus particle, and there are ways airlines, their employees, and passengers can influence their effectiveness. It involves the air inside the planes. Mandatory mask wearing on planes has been strictly enforced by some airlines. Masks can help mitigate the chance that passengers will get infected (or infect other travelers) in spite of the highly effective HEPA air filters used on most commerical planes. Here's a breakdown of how cabin air may affect airline passengers, this flu season and beyond. block and capture 99.97 percent of airborne particles over 0.3 micron in size, dirty filters can operate more effectively than clean ones, some evidence suggesting that the virus inside those tiny droplets is infectious, 40 percent of COVID patients are asymptomatic, Related: views from the airplane window seat, leaving the middle seat empty on flights decreased a given passengers risk, spread the disease via surfaces in the toilet, disinfecting planes with electrostatic sprayers, SurfaceWise2, a coating said to kill coronavirus for up to seven days. Aircraft while inflight are only one part of the traveling experience. Aircraft while at the gate during boarding & deplaning typically rely on PCUs for HVAC (using their own APUs while at the gate means the air is coming thru the engines, which means fuel is also required for power. And aircraft refreshing cabin air every few minutes and HEPA air filters which capture most virus particles are the best mechanism to protect against [], [] the plane and are provided with masks if they do not already have one. As with most technology, HEPA filters should be inspected regularly and replaced as needed, says Julian. As is clear from the technical description below, and as found on the web site, G4 is hardly the same as the HEPA filters used while inflight when the engine bleed is the source for in-cabin ventilation. Viruses are smaller than a HEPA filters pores, but they often travel in clusters, on mucus, or respiratory droplets. American also takes extra steps to ensure customers and team members breathe clean air aboard our aircraft. Open to recommendations on this topic. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. The Manhattan Project used HEPA air filtration to limit the spread of radioactive material. Would soon become obvious if a whole plane got it but when its just the 4 people in close proximity to one particular infected passenger who then go on to do other things over the next week. All rights reserved. Do Airline Pilots Deserve To Make Over $300,000 A Year? Masked passengers sit on one of the first flights between Amsterdam, Netherlands, and Burgas, Bulgaria since COVID-19 shutdowns earlier in 2020. 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do regional jets have hepa filters