Taking a trip on a U.S. Airline flight (Page 2): I did fly Chicago-Tampa a couple of weeks ago, when they still were leaving the middle seats empty. N95 mask, and wiped everything...

wireloose

I did fly Chicago-Tampa a couple of weeks ago, when they still were leaving the middle seats empty. N95 mask, and wiped everything down, felt relatively safe on the plane. Paid extra for the non stop flight. But I wouldn’t fly United despite being at least 1K (100k miles year) with them for 15 years, if I am going to be shoulder to shoulder with a stranger. For this trip the Uber to the airport was the worst, driver had a mask but kept coughing. Driving is a safer option especially if you don’t stop at night. The hotels are not doing a reliable job sanitizing rooms, as my daughter found when she came down. Look at one way car rentals, my son and his wife came down from DC and paid no drop off fee, picking up and dropping off at nearby airports, Punta Gorda and Fort Myers on the Florida end. He used National but others had the same deal

2Dragons Loc: The Back of Beyond

Silverrails wrote:

With this dangerous Covid19 wreaking havoc on the Airline industry, I wanted to ask my fellow U.H.H. opinions, and if any, experiences on a recent fight in the U.S.
Question for you is; did you feel confident that the airline took adequate precautions to protect their flying? customers. What precautions did you observe or were lacking?
I am hoping to be able to fly to Florida for a vacation sometime this winter.

I've read about some passengers who refuse to wear masks and what recourse is there if you are at 30,000'? There is really nothing that the airlines can do without getting into a you-know-what-storm of controversy. Their hands are tied. So, the best thing is, don't fly.

IDguy Loc: Idaho

berchman wrote:

Driving is much better than flying, but stops to use the toilet expose one to significant risk.

Not with my SCUBA unit. (Self Contained Ultimate Biohazard Avoidance, aka RV)

Also no resturants needed and nighttime isolation.

(PS: RV sales are through the roof!)

David in Dallas Loc: Dallas, Texas, USA

I was going to face that situation in August, but I was just informed that my scheduled tour of Alaska has been cancelled. Maybe next year.

tamparectec

Just remember that temperature changes 5.4°F/1,000 feet (9.8°C/1,000 meters) if it’s dry and 3.3°F/1,000 feet (6°C/1,000 meters) if it’s snowing.
If your plane is flying at 30,000 feet, then the temperature of the air is 30 x 5.4 = 162 degrees colder or 30 x 3.3 = 99 degrees colder if it’s snowing.
It takes a great deal of energy to heat the cabin air to accommodate human existence if you use an outside air supply which is why the airlines don’t use it. The cabin air is recirculated. During the height of the Pandemic, there was talk of using HEPA filters but nothing came of it.
In addition, the cabin is pressurized to 9,000 feet. If you have recently had surgery, the drop in air pressure can allow sutures to leak.
You need a very good mask.

Toby

Silverrails wrote:

With this dangerous Covid19 wreaking havoc on the Airline industry, I wanted to ask my fellow U.H.H. opinions, and if any, experiences on a recent fight in the U.S.
Question for you is; did you feel confident that the airline took adequate precautions to protect their flying? customers. What precautions did you observe or were lacking?
I am hoping to be able to fly to Florida for a vacation sometime this winter.

I to am interested in the condition of the airlines as I may go to WY in a few weeks. Unfortunately other than the DR's response and a couple of others who flew it was mostly opinions of "ground lubbers" not experienced travelers so they were of questionable worth. I will be flying UA who recently said they are going to allow more passsengers on the plane. I don't know what that means but when I called them they assured me the empty middle seat we scheduled next to us will remain empty. I'll confirm it again before leaving. Hope you get some answers from experienced travelers. I will keep watching.

traderjohn Loc: New York City

berchman wrote:

I try to fly only Asian airlines; the American airlines are bad. But if sometime in the future I'm still alive and ambulatory, I want to go to Ethiopia, the Punjab region of India, Greece, Norway, and Northeast Italy and I can't get there by ship, which would be worse than flying anyway. That future is looking mighty distant.

The only thing wrong with American airlines is the people who are passengers.
What is the difference between American and Asian airlines??

Lucian Loc: From Wales, living in Ohio

Don't fly, if you caught the virus you would be laying in your hospital bed and thinking I would give anything to not be here and to go back in time and wait another year to have taken this trip would be the least of what I would have given up. So just wait another year, it is nothing to offer, in exchange for the rest of your life, think about it. Think of all the dead people and severely ill people, they would all gladly give up a year to wait for a holiday, rather than be in their position in a hospital or underground!

eskiles Loc: Palmer Alaska

The Airlines can not offer any guarantees you will not encounter the virus! And traveling to Florida with it’s upsurge of Covid-19 cases may not be the best choice for a vacation destination! Delaying your vacation til next year, or even the year after, may be a more prudent choice!

traderjohn Loc: New York City

eskiles wrote:

The Airlines can not offer any guarantees you will not encounter the virus! And traveling to Florida with it’s upsurge of Covid-19 cases may not be the best choice for a vacation destination! Delaying your vacation til next year, or even the year after, may be a more prudent choice!

I believe you are correct. We were scheduled to take a 12-day Expedition cruise in Alaska on the Silversea cruise line in September 2020. They canceled and all monies credited back. Maybe next year.

andesbill

I live in Naples. It’s increasing here, but still not too bad, as the town has mostly emptied for the summer. It is, as expected steambath hot- over 100 real feel every day.
My friends flew from Naples to Newark a couple of weeks ago on Jet Blue with no problems. Empty airport, crowded plane.
I’m looking to drive to L.I., at the end of the month, but my daughter and her doctor husband go back and forth (sometimes daily) over whether we & they (particularly my doctor son-in-law) would be safe.
While the numbers are very low up there, there are parties going on which given time will start bringing those numbers up. Also we would have to quarantine for 2 weeks, both in NY and back here in FL.
Yuck!

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

Silverrails wrote:

With this dangerous Covid19 wreaking havoc on the Airline industry, I wanted to ask my fellow U.H.H. opinions, and if any, experiences on a recent fight in the U.S.
Question for you is; did you feel confident that the airline took adequate precautions to protect their flying? customers. What precautions did you observe or were lacking?
I am hoping to be able to fly to Florida for a vacation sometime this winter.

Masks are required by all domestic airlines for both passengers and crew for the duration of the flight. The only time the masks can be removed is for the meal service and drinks (if available) then they must go back on. HEPA filters have been used by at least one airline for years, the potable water is changed every 72 hours, and the air inside the cabin is coming from the engines and going through an air cycle machine before entering the cabin, the flight deck crew sets the cabin pressure to approx. 8-10,000 feet (one reason you feel sleepy on a long flight) this is the altitude that will sustain life without supplemental oxygen.

At least one airline is requiring you to fill out a health certification form upon check-in. If you check-in on line you can fill out the form there. I think most airlines allow check-in 24 hours before the flight.

RobertW Loc: Breezy Point, New York

RIGHT NOW, AND IT PROBABLY WON’T BE TRUE MUCH LONGER, DELTA IS THE ONLY AIRLINE FLYING WITH THE MIDDLE SEAT OPEN

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

Silverrails wrote:

With this dangerous Covid19 wreaking havoc on the Airline industry, I wanted to ask my fellow U.H.H. opinions, and if any, experiences on a recent fight in the U.S.
Question for you is; did you feel confident that the airline took adequate precautions to protect their flying? customers. What precautions did you observe or were lacking?
I am hoping to be able to fly to Florida for a vacation sometime this winter.

Just because ...

(Download)

DaveO Loc: Northeast CT

traderjohn wrote:

The only thing wrong with American airlines is the people who are passengers.
What is the difference between American and Asian airlines??