This is a tale of two travelers. They both started out making a smart decision about their flying during the pandemic: they’re flying Delta, which limits the number of seats they sell on an aircraft.
Delta isn’t the only one that does this. Southwest, JetBlue, and Alaska do it too (United and American do not). That means even if you don’t think a blocked middle seat is meaningful for social distancing that Delta is offering a lot more value right now than their two main legacy competitors. (I wouldn’t necessarily take a connection on Delta over a non-stop on United or American to have that extra airport Covid time, however.)
Let’s take a closer look at the travelers:
The difference between these two travelers is remarkable. #america. pic.twitter.com/j7ixNrOZnX
— Kim Severson (@kimseverson) July 22, 2020
I know what you’re eyes are immediately drawn to, but wait on that just a moment. This is a domestic first class cabin on Delta. Do you notice the seat back TVs, that American and United are moving away from? That’s not what’s most striking here, though it does make the cabin a lot more aesthetically appealing.
The airline limits the number of seats they sell on each flight, and that’s usually talked about as “middle seat blocking” but they’re actually only booking first class half full so that every passenger can have the seat next to them open. Both passengers in this photo have two seats, not just one. Delta is the exception to the rule that you want to decline an upgrade on an empty flight these days, taking multiple seats in back instead of cramming right next to someone in first class.
Now let’s focus in on what makes these two passengers different. They’re both flying Delta. They’re both in first class. They both have an empty seat beside them. And they’re on the same plane, so they’re headed to the same place (at least for now, they may well connect onward).
One is wearing a mask off the nose, the other is in a homemade plastic wrap hazmat suit and pink gloves. Now let me be clear, they’re both doing it wrong but the guy is doing it wrong in a way that’s bad for others.
Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian today said his airline has already issued bans against over 100 passengers who refused to wear masks. Delta also now requires passengers seeking a medical exemption to the mask requirement to show up at the airport early for a medical consult.
However this guy is wearing a mask he just isn’t wearing it properly. Unfortunately there have been a steady stream of passengers creating their own definitions of what consitutes a ‘mask’ and also what it means to ‘wear it’ on their face. Ladies underwear as a mask? A mask with a hole for the mouth? A mask over the eyes? Check, check, and check. People will find a way to follow the rules, but still do what they want, regardless of the consequences for anyone else.
But our hero seated in front of him is wearing gloves, while using her phone. Anything she’s touched with her gloves is now on her phone. Will she disinfect the phone at her destination before touching it again? For most people frequent hand washing and sanitizer is a better solution than gloves which probably aren’t being changed frequently during the trip. People see their neighbors and seat mates going over board, scoff at how silly it looks, and dismiss the need for taking precautions altogether.
Is it just the guy who’s in the wrong here, are these two passengers illustrating both ends of the spectrum of American reactions that helps to explain why we’re so polarized and cannot seem to get anywhere?
(HT: Jonathan W.)
Biggest risk in air travel right now = the ticketing counter.
This morning I checked a bag, the ticketing agent asked me to remove my mask so he could match me with my photo ID. The TSA officer at the podium did not ask me to remove my mask.
Also, rude as [redacted -gary] ticketing agents are hassling people without leaving enough space between passengers checking in. What’s really hilarious (if it weren’t sad) is that there are signs — and the agents follow them — behind the counter, on the luggage belt, saying that bags should be placed on the belt 6 feet apart.
TIP FOR TICKET COUNTER AGENTS: wait for passengers to actually leave the counter before you call up the next passenger in line
What does bags on the belt 6 feet apart accomplish
You had a rude agent but that bag rule seems overkill
AA and UA flights are running 45-50% full so the “fake safety” DL and others is presenting is just that. . fake. The HEPA filter and mask will do more than an empty middle seat. We are 6 months into this and have yet to hear of a passenger who GOT Covid-19 on a plane.
Clean plane, respectful passenger, wearing a mask. . .your risk of COVID-19 is low, lower than the produce department at the grocery store on a Saturday afternoon. If your that worried, don’t fly.
@sunviking here you go: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1477893920303124 “A total of 16 COVID-19 patients were diagnosed among all passengers; the overall attack rate was 4.8%. The attack rate among passengers who had departed from Wuhan was significantly higher than that among those who had departed from other places. One passenger without an epidemiological history of exposure before boarding developed COVID-19. During the flight, he was seated near four infected passengers from Wuhan for approximately an hour and did not wear his facemask correctly during the flight.”
@sunviking82
Someone claims they got it on the flight: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/virologist-hospitalized-coronavirus-believes-he-got-it-through-his-eyes-n1206956
My personal impression and guess (speaking for myself) is that being aware you’re wearing gloves keeps you from inadvertently touching your face. Gloves or no gloves is meaningless when touching your phone. The only way to keep your phone clean is by keeping it in a zip lock bag. This is what my wife does at work (she’s a doctor). Otherwise it should still be wiped at your destination.
Yes ,we need to do EVERYTHING exactly the way the government and the completely moral and honest cdc says because they really care about us and know whats best for us, trust them and the government and lets rat our friends and family out for not conforming to the orders we are given…. absolutely unbelievable
We are polarized about masks because the national jackass, would not wear one and told the public he was not going to enforce wearing one. As long as there is multiple messaging, the virus will rule. We have earned this because we elected idiots!
@Ed:
The virologist who said that he was “infected through the eyes” while on the plane was never tested positive for Covid-19:
https://freebeacon.com/media/nbc-contributor-reveals-he-never-had-coronavirus-after-network-documented-his-recovery/
so, who knows…
It is actually rather difficult to pinpoint who one gets infected. It is not like you open a wrong email attachment.
The purpose for bags 6 feet apart is for screening. When the bag travels through the x-ray machine it is hard is screen them one after the other. Just like people passing through security we don’t all go at once.
TIP FOR JASON: Get your information correct before you post an insult.
The biggest risk of the virus is buying into the media hype about it. Let people who are very worried about it stay home sealed for 12 months. Let the people who are healthy live their lives. If you want to wear a KN95, wear one (I always do). But realize if you travel on a plane you are taking a higher risk as it is impossible to avoid people. People need to take their masks off to drink water or eat. People can’t keep a mask on for hours without removing it once in a while to get comfortable. More people are probably getting bacterial pneumonia from the mask than are getting coronavirus by not wearing one. If you feel very concerned about flying during coronavirus, don’t fly. It’s impossible to eliminate the risks. 98% of people under 50 who get coronavirus have mild symptoms. We can’t shut the world down for 2 years because of a virus that is slightly more deadly than the flu. Mexico, Indonesia, South Africa, Chile, Iran, Colombia, and the United States are seeing a surge. It’s just something we have to live with.
@Jackson – great Trump talking points. Amazing the company we are “keeping with” that you just blow off.
It’s actually shocking how few claims of COVID are associated with airplane flights. We have almost 5 million Americans flying every week now. As we all know, thanks to social media, we are bombarded with stories of all sorts of bizarre are improbable airplane incidents. Just random chance would suggest there should be more airplane infections. Especially since EVERY media outlet in America would love to run such a story, even if there was no real evidence to support it.
At least one person is trying. The other just figures he’s safe for whatever reason and doesn’t care about anyone else. To be fair, the person wearing the mask wrong might just be insanely stupid rather than indifferent but indifferent to anybody else’s safety is the more likely of the two.
@ chopsticks, I would imagine that many of the first wave of infections were from airplanes and airports – as most cases came to the USA from Europe, via air travel.
The comments on here just show why we are such a mess. Masks don’t make you sick and you are not likely to get a bacterial infection from wearing them. Surgical nurses and doctors wear them all day everyday. Right now my sister who is a surgical nurse works 10 hours a day in a surgery center. They wear N95’s, face shields, gloves, and gowns all day long. None of them are sick from it – sick of them, yes, sick from them, no. How many doctors and nurses do you hear of who change professions because masks make them ill?
The problem in our country is it’s all about “me”. Many among us are self-centered and need everything to be all about them – how dare we infringe on their “rights” and demand a simple mask for the well being of our country. Well, I’d like to get back to my normal life to. That includes traveling abroad but since we can’t get a virus under control because some people don’t believe the virus exists, some believe its like or less than the flu, and some just don’t care because of their “rights”, I can not live the life I was living! Get over yourselves! If a store says no shoes, no shirt, no service – bet you do it. When the government demands an id and TSA screening to go in an airport or a federal building, bet you do that. I bet you have car insurance because they say you have to. I also bet your kids have vaccinations because they have to. Most all of those things are for the good of all of us, not just all about you but a mask for a few months will kill you!
Vaccinations are to protect us all, not just the person vaccinated. Do you have no sense of community? I guess we should just say no more vaccinations at all. The healthy might live through these diseases and viruses and you sickly people stay home, I mean not that many kids die from chicken pox, mumps, measles, maybe 1% and hell, just hope it isn’t your kid. Bless your hearts. Twisted, self centered thinking.
Addressing the TVs on the seat back. They’re a way for the airline to pump into you :30 minutes of advertisements and credit card promos. I lower the brightness til the picture is off and still I’m forced before and after the safety video – a small timeframe of ads. Still in my peripheral the views of the untrained travelers that have not a clue about the brightness choice.
I’m thrilled when I get on board a domestic flight that only offers PDEs. Not having the extra weight (30% less) on the airplane achieves “greener” and less costly (millions saved) flights.
my point, why do you purport to address the mask as a safety issue, but digress into the entertainment amenities – then bash the air carriers that are not DL? I feel like your blog posts are as balanced as an Inc. story written by Chris Matyszczyk
@John B – “We” over 3 million more people chose not to accept the idiot in charge. The broken vehicle which accomplished the feat in question is our electorate.
Sorry about the political rant. Mostly here for the food.
The woman is perfectly fine with what she is doing if that is what she wants to do. She doesn’t need some travel blogger critiquing her choices. She isn’t doing anything that puts others at risk so what’s the problem? Chances are if she is taking all those steps she is cleaning off the phone before handling it ungloved. Again though what does it matter to you? You come off sounding like a jerk in this article. The guy isn’t wearing a mask properly. Mouth and nose need to be covered.
What really matters is that people take the risk of exposure seriously. It is not a hoax. Diligence, recognition of the threat, and meaningful remediation through social distancing, masks, and realizing the return to normal can only occur after the risk of exposure becomes minimal.
The sooner it can be done, the sooner our lives can get back to normal.
It’s just the idiot guy in the wrong. Agree with @Angela. I’m still struggling to understand how mask-wearing is a political issue, and how wearing one correctly is so difficult for people.
Trumptard in row 2 on holiday from Hillbilly Land. Ain’t “murica just wonderful?
In one respect the guy is testing the effectiveness of the airplane’s hepafilter by not breathing through the mask. Being a surgical mask, the point of wearing it is to protect others from any of your spewing liquid particles. So unless he’s snorting out droplets through his nose, there’s little danger to others and maybe some risk to him. It’s the N/KN95 masks that effectively protect ourselves from others’ droplets. I always carry two masks, the surgical for most purposes and a KN95 when I’m in lengthy close contact with people (or my cloth mask with a K95 filter). I often pull the surgical mask down when outdoors and few or no others are nearby. So the man is only jeopardizing his own health by not filtering the air he breaths in. As for the woman, on a full 10-across 777 in coach, fine but in this case she’s crazy unless she suffers a severe immunity issue.
How many commenters here have any kind of medical degree- raise your hands.
Never overestimate the intelligence of the average American.
@Marv: “Trumptard”? “Hillbilly Land”? You do understand that you are a bigot, correct?
@cam Of course you do understand chump supporters are not bigots, right?
@Rog @ Marv: I wasn’t referencing Trump supporters or even Trump critics. I was referencing the use of derogatory language based on an insulting slur for individuals born with cognitive impairments (“Trumptard” as a spin on “Retard”), as well as an implied slur on an entire region and demographic of people.
Yes, politics aside, calling people “Retard” or “clever” variations of this *is* bigoted. And yes, the same applies to those who use the term “Libtard”.
What a bunch of Paranoid Covid Zombies..Do us all a favor and lock yourselves in your basements.
To all of you once again turning a blog into your political rants please give it a rest. This was a commentary on wearing masks the right way not an essay on politics. Go to another site with your left wing garbage. The current POTUS was elected democratically and is here for the remainder of the year whether or not you like it.