While the airports will be emptier than usual this Christmas and New Year’s, it’s essential to practice safe flying habits. There are several ways to fly safely and minimize potential exposure this season.
The holidays continue to be one of the busiest times to fly. While the airports will be emptier than usual this Christmas and New Year’s, it’s essential to practice safe flying habits. There are several ways to fly safely and minimize potential exposure this season.1. Pack Extra Travel Essentials Airlines are limiting onboard services during the pandemic. As a result, it’s a good idea to bring extra travel essentials if you rely on the airport and airline amenities to help you pack lightly. Some of the hygiene and travel essentials to consider bringing include: Having extra face masks can be a good move when flying. While commercial planes use HEPA filtration that can remove 99.97% of contaminants, clean mask hygiene can reduce your risk of exposure. You may decide to wear disposable N95 masks and change in-between flights or at regular intervals. In addition to the standard 3-1-1 TSA liquid rule, passengers can carry-on up to 12 ounces of hand sanitizer in one bottle. There will be sanitizer stations throughout the terminal but bringing your own helps you put safety into your own hands. Packing extra hand wipes can help sanitize your cabin seat, luggage and travel gear after passing through airport security, boarding, deplaning and toughing out a layover. Airlines and airport food vendors offer prepackaged food and drinks when possible. While the CDC doesn’t believe that coronavirus is a foodborne illness, bringing your own food can prevent potential person-to-person contact with food service staff. You may need to order food for long travel days, but it can be possible to bring everything from home for short itineraries. It’s also a good idea to bring travel gear like travel blankets and entertainment devices from home. Airlines are practicing more frequent disinfection practices than before, but having your own gear helps you keep a low profile.2. Avoid Large Crowds in Airport Terminals The airport terminals and most plane cabins will likely be less-packed than usual. However, it’s important to avoid large crowds despite the social distancing measures in place.
