JetBlue exec claims there's only a 1% chance of COVID transmission on an aircraft
JetBlue president Joanna Geraghty made the comments during a recent virtual forum
How risky is it to fly?
According to one airline executive, there’s only a very small chance of catching COVID-19 while on an airplane, as long as certain precautions are taken. This quote comes as airlines are hoping to boost consumer confidence in flying.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| JBLU | JETBLUE AIRWAYS CORP. | 5.89 | -0.01 | -0.25% |
JetBlue Airways president Joanna Geraghty made the comments about the risks of catching COVID-19 at the Skift Global Forum, Bloomberg reports. The forum, which was held online this year due to the pandemic, is a conference focused on the travel industry. Not surprisingly, the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on the airline industry was often the topic of conversation.
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According to Bloomberg, Geraghty referenced a study by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health at the conference. She explained that, based on the study’s research, the risk of catching COVID-19 on an aircraft is less than 1%, as long as passengers and crew members wear masks and HEPA air filtration systems are used.
JetBlue Airways president Joanna Geraghty referenced a study by Harvard’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health at the conference. (iStock)
The Harvard study is reportedly still ongoing, however.
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Geraghty also discussed the impact the pandemic has had on business travel compared to its impact on leisure travel.
“About 80 percent of JetBlue’s passengers are leisure travelers, a ratio that has stood it in good stead during the pandemic, as business travel has all but collapsed,” she said. “Leisure and friend- and family-visit travel have fueled the U.S. airline industry’s nascent recovery. Airlines, such as American, United and Delta, which staked much of their revenue on high-dollar business travelers, have begun to pivot to capture more leisure traffic. JetBlue has added more than 30 routes in recent weeks.”
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Previous studies have shown conflicting results for the risk of infection COVID-19 poses on airplanes. In late August, a group of German researchers determined that the chances of being infected by the virus on a flight were small, although still possible. However, another study determined that the risk of catching COVID-19 on longer flights "is real and has the potential to cause COVID-19 clusters of substantial size." Neither study mentioned the impact of using masks and air filtration systems.