People are flying sick and spreading viruses and it’s probably the thing I hate most about air travel. I once sat next to a passenger on United Airlines with bright glowing eyes and wound up with a viral infection of my own eye. Was it really that hard to stay home?
One passenger reports flying Southwest Airlines from Baltimore to Las Vegas and a passenger started freaking out. The woman declared she wouldn’t get on the plane, because the man waiting to board in front of her was coughing.
Now, to her credit it was COVID-like, strong hacking. To his credit, he was doing all the right things like covering his mouth with his arm and at point, turned his head to the side to cough outside the plane.
He disappears into the plane, but she won’t move forward, continuing her rant of not getting on the plane. …Finally, she advances towards the plane through the mythical mystery mist.
She freaked out, but she flew anyway. We don’t know if she got sick. Maybe that passenger had COPD, and wasn’t patient zero of a new H5N1 epidemic.
But people flying sick has been a problem for a long time. Some of that is because of airline policies – it’s costly to change your plans, and a doctor’s note won’t even help you. Much of it is more broadly cultural. We expect people to ‘tough it out’ and colleagues don’t want us to ‘let them down’.
American Airlines has a policy where employees rack up disciplinary points for missing work even when they’re taking sick days provided for in their contracts. As a passenger I don’t want to be on a plane with sick passengers and I don’t want to be on a plane with sick crew. I was even a fan of ‘double masking’ long before SARS-CoV-2!
Airlines need to sell facemasks inflight. Guy next to me hasn't stopped coughing all flight. I'd gladly buy him one. Or two.
— gary leff (@garyleff) March 6, 2016
Airline policies and broader work policies and cultural practices make other people sick. The pandemic makes this all more top of mind but it’s been an issue for a long time, we’re just now open to thinking about it and re-thinking it.
My boss (at my day job) thinks sick days should pay more than work days, so that people take their sick days.
- Some people will take sick days for other reasons, and still work when they are sick.
- But if even some people use their sick days when they are sick that’ll reduce workplace transmission of illness.
- The idea is to get people to use their sick days, and eliminate the stigma against calling in sick. Taking sick days becomes rewarding, rather than a sign of weakness.
Employers can reduce pay for non-sick days slightly to compensate so that the total compensation package doesn’t change. The idea doesn’t have to be about paying workers more, just about changing the incentives and culture around going to work sick.
How do we do this for airlines? U.S. airlines have generally eliminated change fees, but basic economy tickets don’t offer these, and reports are that Southwest is considering no changes (at any price) on their cheapest tickets.
If a basic economy passenger is sick, and doesn’t want to expose other passengers and crew to their germs, they’re stuck taking a financial loss. We’re pushing a strong incentive for passengers to sprad disease on planes. And even if planes themselves have good airflow and filtration, gate areas and security checkpoints often do not.
Shouldn’t airlines be screening people for illness – workers and passengers – in order to protect others? I’d fly an airline that did a better job proving me with a safe environment. And pandemic-era enhanced cleaning measures should have stayed around post-pandemic. There was a lot of cleanliness theater during Covid-19 but disinfecting is highly protective against many viruses. At least people should now feel comfortable wearing masks as a choice, in ways that seemed weird prior to Covid. Don’t shame them for it.
Before the pandemic the CDC actually recommended foregoing travel if you had a fever over 100 degrees and other symptoms, but a fever alone wasn’t reason to cancel a trip in their medical opinion. And about half of people said they’d fly even if they had the flu. That really needs to change.
All passengers ought to be required to wear a Triple mask ( 3 masks ) . Problem solved .
Gary, good points. There ought to be a way for sick travelers to modify their schedules without a lot of expense.
I used to think that one of the silver linings of the pandemic is that people would be more knowledgeable about how diseases and illnesses are spread, and take preventive steps. But I still see people do things like cough into their hand at the gym and then immediately pick up a dumbbell with the same hand. While they’re holding a towel in the other hand. I mean, really?
Amazingly, Gary still hasn’t figured out that masks are basically worthless. Of course, he refuses to acknowledge any of the Covid propaganda. How clueless can one person be?
If you get me sick, and I can prove it, I’m coming after you and everything you have. Period. Try me.
Masks don’t give you 100% protection, but even if they reduce many transmissions by say, 50%, I’m all in. I will always wear an N95 when flying and carry hand sanitizer. It’s no big deal and less of an inconvenience than coming down with something within a few days of travel.
You raise some interesting issues.
As a longtime fan of double masking do you normally mask up when flying?
I like your idea of airlines not allowing sick passengers to fly but that route is fraught with peril. The lawsuits alone would give the legal departments of the airlines nightmares.
I wanted to chime in here on this topic because this will be a very tricky situation to deal with because you can’t exactly stop travellers from traveling when they may be a little under the weather because such individuals could lash out and tell others to mind there own business/ nor do airline staff have any rights in trying to stop any travellers because any stupid policies could be thrown right back in their faces. As for the whole mask thing, I’m sorry to inform all out there that the mask that were pushed onto peoples to wear by their governments, I’m sorry to say here, but those mask don’t work worth shit because it’s been proven
Since Covid-19 I have worn masks when out of the house and have worn N-95 ones after they became available. The good news is that I don’t get colds like I used to. People can believe any bs that they want to believe about masks as it comes in all forms and from every direction. I have a non-productive cough that occurs occasionally. It started when taking the blood pressure lisinopril and continued to a lesser degree even after being changed to another medication for blood pressure (after complaining of the cough). I have been tested repeatedly for infections related to the cough and it is not related to any infection or being sick. I’m sure some other people have the same type of situation. A cough is not a certain sign of someone being sick.
@jns … A cough is a sure sign of breathing squirrel fur ; nothing to do with being sick . .
umm… @Alert, are you on some type of anti-psychosis medication? Are you skipping doses? Need to increase your dose?
In any event please see your health care provider before making further on-line comments. Thanks!
Good grief, was that screaming woman that man’s Doctor, did she know him and why he was coughing. Or was she just making an assumption that he was contagious? People cough for a hundred different reasons. Could be an allergy or COPD. Or could be a pesky feather in the throat. I have allergies too and last year as I took a good sip of water, I really suddenly sneezed just as I took that sip. The result was I aspirated the water and spent the next few weeks with a nasty cough before I finally cleared that episode. Stop judging other people and just take care of yourself. If you are comforted by wearing a mask then for heaven sake wear several if that makes you happy and leave other people alone.
Wait a minute, “Shouldn’t airlines be screening people for illness – workers and passengers – in order to protect others?” Well, maybe they should, but how in the world do you propose doing that. Offering every passenger zero fees for making change is a good option for passing the ball back to them, and definitely employees should not be penalized for sick days. But beyond that what is possible? Lining everyone up and taking their temperature before every flight, or even testing everybody again would be possibilities. But given how crowded air travel is like these days, and the mood of much of the public, both are measures which, ahem, will never fly.
Germaphobe Gary at it again with the flawed mask propaganda. Must be a slow day in Austin while the Fauci mural is being repainted on the side of Gary’s favorite coffee shop.
Brave to knowingly step on the anti tank landmine that is mentioning masking on planes; honestly abortion might be an easier topic to discuss like reasonable human beings not brainless ideological zombies at this point.
Sadly this will cause many to miss what is a very well thought out and rational argument. FWIW I would also pay up for travel providers that offer better health precautions ( as opposed to the current crop we have which heavily lobbied against every regulation aimed at making travel safer during the pandemic, all while investing in advertising that misleadingly claimed air travel was already safe).
@JamesN is spreading wrong information and Communist propaganda.
Masks are NOT worthless. Tell that to the brave men and women doctors and nurses who took care of Covid patients during the height of the pandemic and did not catch Covid themselves. Properly worn N95 masks are great protection. Paper masks also offer protection, albeit less than N95. Only bandanas and scarves over the mouth offer no real protection.
I used to catch a cold or flu every single time I flew transcon, transatlantic, transpacific. Long before covid I started wearing masks on these flights after a colleague from Asia told me he hadn’t gotten sick since wearing them on planes. Wouldn’t you know, I haven’t gotten sick from flying since.
Anyone worried about getting covid while flying should not be flying. If i have a cough I’m not testing and I dont care.
Masks are so worthless that you want invasive surgeries done by people in the surgical theaters to perform their jobs without masks? You should check your misanthropy and thank your lucky stars that you weren’t bred out of existence by evolution for the betterment of the human species.
@Alert – Are you still sniffing live animals? I thought you gave that up after the incident with the badger.
I worked as a ramp agent at Southwest, under a CBA with sick time. I promoted into a non-union position and all my time off was moved to PTO. It was great, I never called in sick unless I actually was because my time could be used for vacation. Unfortunately union contracts don’t do PTO, but they should.
I am surprised that not one of you so-called aviation experts have mentioned how effectively airplane air circulation systems remove viruses from the air. If you stay in your seat you are exposed only to the air of the people in your seat set and to a lessor extent to the air of the passengers in the rows immediately in front and behind you.
You mention people who go to work when sick because that suits their needs, well the same people will fly when sick when it suits their needs. I suspect that even people that always take a sick day when ill will fly when sick because they believe they need to get where they are going.
And if the airlines allowed passengers to “get out of jail free” with a sick note how many healthy people would cheat?
Sorry, GUWonder, but the reason surgeons wear masks has nothing to do with spreading respiratory germs. I can’t believe you’re advancing that fallacy.
Nope, Derek, I’m spreading the truth and anyone who does the research knows I’m right.
The FAA should make a rule. If a flyer is coughing, he is handed a mask by the flight attendants and if the cougher refuses to mask up he is banned from flying for a set period of years. Take the pressure off of the airlines to manage this, have it be that they have their hands tied and are simply enforcing an FAA rule.
Why should the healthy people around the coughing flyer have to mask up, the person coughing should be the one to mask up.
I read an article about Japan years ago, and the Japanese mask up when they have a cold/cough. It is their social custom, if you are on public transportation and coughing and blowing your nose and not wearing a mask those around you give you the side eye to the point where everyone in Japan simply behaves this way, cough? Cold? they wear a mask. It is so sensible to me. It is simple common courtesy and I admire the Japanese people for their shared common courtesy.
@Walter, really? @all you mask wearers, I will happily spend the rest of my life unmasked. I promise not to complain if I get a serious illness that might have been prevented by masking. Since the only illness I’ve had in the last decade plus is Covid (I caught while masked), you need not fear me. Quality of life matters.
I had Covid two years ago and ended up in the ICU. I’ve always been healthy. Last flu (besides Covid) was in the 1970s. A cold about every 10 years.
I’ve had a cough from covid for the past two years. I’m currently on 3 meds to heal my epiglottis. I see people looking at me when I cough. Especially when I cough two or three times in a row.
I’m not sick.
Seeing James N is here, I just have to get in on this. That dude is a conspiracy spreader who is on this site anytime Gary mentions masks. That’s his shit to spread anti science and medicine. Look it up he says. Yeah, the dude is smarter than anyone regarding medicine and science. Who cares if he doesn’t wear a mask he just wants you to believe he knows better because he “looked it up.”
Allowing sick passengers to cancel without penalty would work in an ethical, honest society — which we clearly do not have now, and will never have. Want proof? Look at the rampant abuses we now have with pets masquerading as “emotional support” or “service” animals. Or Southwest passengers masquerading as “disabled” for pre-boarding, then ably walking off the plane on disembarkation. The same will occur when you allow people to “identify” as sick to get free cancellation of a flight they’ve changed their mind about taking. Doctor’s note?!?! Hello, it’s 2024! Any middle schooler can create a “doctor’s note” with their Macbook and a printer, just as people now create fake ESA or service animal documents. Get real!
Suggesting that airlines screen passenger before boarding, is impractical. For one thing, airlines would never approve it. Leaves them wide open for lawsuits. Flying would be even worse with concourses/gates being owerwhelmed with humans. Conscientous passengers would need to protect themseleves from airborne diseases. Most passengers (ie:Americans) are particularly selfish, so it behooves the cautious person to protect themselves.
Emirates is terrible as well. I was travelling to Geneva on a Business Class. the damn terrible 2-3-2 doesnt work cause he’s sitting next to me. So I agree on this
I wear a mask on planes because I travel so much and can’t afford to get sick on my international trips. It helps and it’s my choice. Japan has had a culture of mask wearing when you are sick for ages. I am not sure why more countries don’t follow suit.