How To Stay Safe During A Flight

Although the pandemic Covid19 took over the world in the early months of the year, things seem to be getting back to normal in most parts of the world. Air travel is slowly resuming this means that business and leisure travel will begin very soon as well. While this is true, the threat of the Coronavirus still remains, and one should take all precautions possible to stay clear of it. Here are a few tips on how to keep safe on board.

Think before booking your flight

The fear of travelling is the fact that one might not be able to stay away from a possible infected person on a bus, train or even a plane. The rate of infection, in this case, depends on how much time you spend around an infected person and the proportion of infected droplets in the air.

Another concern is the fact that you might be touching the surface area that has come into contact with an infected person. Seats, door handles and trays are a few examples. Touching your eyes, nose and mouth after touching an infected area will infect you as well. While these concerns are heavy and contacting the virus isn't completely unavoidable try to consider doing business without travel unless absolutely necessary.

If you need to fly

While it is true that flying is a risk, airlines have also taken measures to ensure that their passengers have a safe flight. For instance, seating has been rearranged. The middle seat is mostly empty these days while the aisle seats and window seats are occupied. Some even have empty rows in between for extra precaution. Some airlines though still opt to run at full capacity but have laid down the option of cancellation if the occupancy of the plane reaches more than 70%.

The ventilation system in the flight is also brilliant and circulates more fresh air around the plane than one could get in a building. The air filters as well are 99.9% effective at killing microorganisms that pose a health threat. You can check on more precautions airlines are taking on sites like Travel News Talk.

A few basic tips to keep in mind

Air travel will be necessary at one point or another and it is up to each individual to see to their own safety while getting from the airport to the flight seat and back. Here are some useful preparations to make before your flight.

• Hand wipes are easy to carry and easy to use to disinfect surfaces. Therefore, keep a packet with you so you can disinfect things like your seat belt and your personal belongings. Especially your personal belongings like your passport and ID card will come into contact with many hands during the checking process. If you cannot find hand wipes, then soak a cloth in a bleach solution and bring it with you in a zip bag. Viruses cannot survive with bleach, however, too much of it can be harmful as well. Just 1 tablespoon dissolved in 4 cups of water is perfect for the purpose.

• Bring plastic zip bags for items that will be frequently touched during the process inside the airport. Bring a fresh bag to put them into after they've been disinfected.

• Use hand sanitiser as often as possible. Washing hands is the ideal solution and sanitising hands afterwards will make sure that all the spots that were missed have been covered.

• Try your best to get a window seat when booking so that you will come into less contact with others. Once you board the plane try to stay in your seat as much as possible.

• Wear a mask as suggested by many a world travel guide and try to keep it on for most of the journey.