AIRPORT VOICE, MARCH 2021 9
AIRLINE HEPA FILTERS
GOOD BUT NOT ENOUGH
BY WILLIAM J. MCGEE
Visit any domestic airline’s
website and you’ll read about how
high-efficiency particulate air
(HEPA) filtration systems are making
aircraft cabins safer than hospital
operating rooms. Delta Air
Lines claims 99.99% of viruses and
bacteria are removed by HEPAs
while American Airlines puts it at
99.995% and JetBlue states cabin
air is completely filtered every
three minutes, for a rate of 99.97%.
So what’s there to worry about?
Well, not all planes in U.S. airline
fleets—particularly regional aircraft—
are HEPA-equipped. Also,
high- tech needs to be combined
with low-tech solutions for true protection.
The Center for Disease Control
advises: “Most viruses and
other germs do not spread easily
on flights because of how air is circulated
and filtered on airplanes.
However, social distancing is difficult
on crowded flights and sitting
within 6 feet of others, sometimes
for hours, may increase your risk
of getting COVID-19.” other words,
the effectiveness of HEPA filters is
limited if others in the cabin are
not wearing masks and/or sitting
or standing too closely.
Delta is the only U.S. airline still
committed to blocking empty middle
seats between strangers.
At a public event sponsored by
Vaughn College of Aeronautics
last week, Professor John Goglia,
the only FAA-licensed aircraft mechanic
to serve as a board member
of the NTSB, shared further practical
advice.
He recommends that once onboard,
passengers should point
the overhead nozzles to direct the
flow of air into their faces as an
added protection against airborne
microbes from someone nearby
sneezing, coughing, or talking.
William J. McGee is an FAAlicensed
aircraft dispatcher and
the author of Attention All Passengers:
The Airlines’ Dangerous
Descent—-and How to Reclaim
Our Skies Attention All Passengers:
The Airlines’ Dangerous
Descent—-and How to Reclaim
Our Skies (www.amazon.com)
and Half the Child (www.halfthechild.
com).
Inter-state quarantine lifted
Int’l restrictions still apply
Governor Cuomo said last week
that domestic travelers will no longer
be required to quarantine after
entering New York from another
U.S. State or U.S. Territory starting
April 1st. But he NYS Department
of Health still recommends quarantine
after domestic travel as an
added precaution. Mandatory quarantine
remains in effect for international
travelers. All travelers must
continue to fill out the Traveler
Health Form. Individuals should
continue strict adherence to all
safety guidelines to stop the spread–
wearing masks, socially distancing
and avoiding gatherings.
According to Cuomo,, “this is
great news, but it is not an all-clear
for New Yorkers to let their guard
down. We all must continue wearing
masks, washing our hands and
practicing social distancing.”
Regardless of quarantine status,
all individuals exposed to COVID
19 or returning from travel
must:
Continue daily symptom monitoring
through Day 14;
Travelers must immediately
self-isolate if any symptoms develop
and contact the local public health
authority or their healthcare provider
to report this change in clinical
status and determine if they
should seek testing.
Boeing annual loss
777X delays, the cause
Catching the Street by surprise,
Boeing booked a $6.5 billion charge
due to the 777X delays in the fourth
quarter. Together with a halt in deliveries
of its popular wide-body,
the 787 Dreamliner, due to production
lapses, Boeing reported
its worst-ever annual loss. Boeing
now expects to deliver its first 777X,
which took its inaugural test flight
last year, in late 2023 -- about three
years later than previous estimates.
The 777X is also at the center of
an emerging dispute between U.S.
and European aviation regulators,
as each side seeks to wield influence
in the wake of the MAX tragedies,
according to industry and government
officials familiar with the
matter. Moreover, Boeing doesn’t
expect air-travel demand to return
to pre-pandemic levels for around
three years. Boeing has identified
eight customers for the 777X,
a relatively small number given
that more than 30 carriers operate
the existing version of the jet. The
last signed up three years ago, and
there are no orders from U.S. airlines
or leasing companies.
Boeing chief executive David
Calhoun said last month that the
company was confident in the 777X
and the “unmatched capability it
will offer our customers,” including
how much it can carry and low
operating costs. But now, in discussions
with their FAA counterparts,
European Union Aviation Safety
Agency officials have insisted that
Boeing add an additional layer of
redundancy to key flight-control
systems beyond those initially envisioned
for the 777X, according to
industry and government officials
familiar with the matter.
That wide-body slump has radically
deepened because of the pandemic,
with expectations for longhaul
flights to be the last travel
segment to recover. Hong Kong’s
Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., a 777X
customer, has said it has pushed deliveries
of the plane out to at least
2025.
/www.halfthe-child.com
/www.halfthe-child.com
/www.amazon.com
/www.halfthe-child.com
/(www.amazon.com)