Would you feel safe flying across the country now?

I think planes will be pretty safe – no problem with that.

My issue is with all the people walking down the airport concourse, standing in line to board, waiting at baggage, and so on.

^What he said.

I wouldn’t do it yet for pleasure. We skipped an annual fishing trip in September because of coronavirus. If I had a business reason I would go. I would research the best kind of masks first.

Would I feel safe? Not really. Would I fly if I felt it was important/necessary? Yes.

I have to go on a business trip in mid-February to Missouri. I could either fly into KC (from Atlanta) or drive the 11 hours.

Driving takes longer but is likely safer virus wise. Flying is faster but potentially not safer.

Decisions, decisions.

I would feel okay doing it, but only if necessary. My brother will be flying from North Carolina to California in a couple weeks to stay with us until the New Year.

@janbb I opted out of flying years ago UNLESS it was of vital importance, so I would be in NO bigger hurry to fly now than I was last year or the year before. IF I determined that it was a necessity, I wouldn’t opt out now.

@elbanditoroso Personally, I’d drive the 11 hours with minimal stops!!!

A friend flew from CT to Colorado about a month and a half ago and she didn’t get sick. She said the airline provides wipes and sanitizer.

That said, I wouldn’t do it. I wouldn’t feel safe that everything was sanitized, and I would find sitting for hours with a mask on to be uncomfortable.

No. I would only do it in an emergency, which to me specifically includes needing to be close to family or friends for my mental health. Wipes and disinfectant don’t soothe me one bit, and masks only really help if the patient in question is sneezing or coughing. Plenty of room for getting sick just from breathing in somebody else’s aerosols.

If I had a reason to travel, I would be okay with flying, provided it was the right airline.

Not all airlines are keeping the middle seat open.I would not get on a plane that was as crowded as they were last February.

My daughter flew from SF to Boston last week; coming home Wednesday. She will self quarantine at an airbnb in Oakland when she returns.

@LadyMarissa Unfortunately, my son’s family and my granddaughter live across the country so taking a CAPITALZED stand to opt out of flying is not really an option!!!

I don’t have to go yet but as it’s been over a year since I’ve seen them, it gets hard. I’m thinking of maybe seeing where things get to around March.

I wouldn’t say safe, but I would do it if it was the best option and I needed to travel. From what I have read very few cases are coming from airports and air travel. I know people who have been flying a lot over the past 6 months.

I’d wear a KN95, bring some hand sanitizer, and just do it.

I would avoid Thanksgiving Wed, Thur, and Sunday and December 18 thru Jan 3 if possible.

Driving you still have to deal with gas pumps, public bathrooms, everything has a little something.

Edit: I just saw you said March, I think that’s good to wait several weeks past Christmas, but remember March starts up spring breaks, so if it were me I’d try to travel early in March assuming cases are coming back down again. I expect a spike from the holidays. I hope I’m wrong.

No. The US just had the highest recorded day of new cases so far. We’re entering the second wave that will be much bigger than the first—if history is a good predictor. I think you’d have better odds of not gettting sick by licking doorknobs at a truck stop than getting into an enclosed cabin with an airborne virus. Masks are great for preventing droplet spread when having a short conversation with someone, they do nothing to prevent aerosolized particles that accumulate in enclosed spaces unless it’s an N-95 with a perfect fit.

@JLeslie I don’t think Spring Break is as much of an issue in terms of cross country flights as it would be for Florida flights.

Why risk it? The odds are probably with you, but as the bandit states above, it’s the huge expanse in the number of individuals with whom you must interact in a cross country trip. It’s equivalent to one of Trump’s mass infection rallies, only stretched out over several hours. I’m wondering what’s going to happen Thanksgiving through New Year. Actually, I don’t wonder. We’re in for the spike of a lifetime.

Is it possible to find out which airline has the fewest cases among their crew? I believe that might be a good indication of which airlines are the safest.

@Hawaii_Jake I would imagine not. But I’m just speculating for now; I’m not really ready to risk it. I’ll wait and see what the winter brings.

I wouldn’t. I hope nothing comes up that requires me to do it. I don’t like to fly in any case, and nothing about the present circumstances makes it more attractive.

No. If I felt every people were actually wearing their masks every time they were in public and doing all the right things then I would take the chance once Covid numbers were on a decline. But people are selfish and foolish, so no. Even in my husband’s family we have people who swear they are being safe while having weekly family gatherings from at least 8 different households without wearing masks. Who interact with their children and grandchildren who many work in public places and I’ve seen plenty of pictures of them without masks. At least before it was outdoors. Now it’s all indoors. People just don’t seem to understand what quarantine means. Now imagine thousands of families that are flying that are just like them.

I have so much free time now, with “working from home” and would love to take a trip but I am not going to risk it, plus with the quarantine restrictions, it’s too much of a PITA.

@janbb I agree about the spring crowd not flying across country. Just saying cases might start going up again during spring break and airports might have more traffic. Plenty of people will be flying NJ to FL.

I would feel uneasy flying across Canada right now,the States not at all wouldn’t do it no way.

@JLeslie Wait till you see the cases climb during Thanksgiving and Christmas. You know the airports will pack their planes and the airports will be packed to the gills.

I have had 5 friends who have had Covid & they ALL swear that they did everything right so they can’t understand how they got it…yet they make fun of me when I comment on wearing my mask. That leads me to believe that they don’t really wear theirs!!!

@Pandora That’s what I think. I said it on another Q where a Jelly said his school district is reevaluating going back to in-person classes in December. My response was why does anyone think the situation will be better in December?! Holiday season?

I don’t think that a herd of horses could drag me onto a plane any time soon

Absolutely not. Planes were always notorious germ incubators without Covid. It is simply not possible to truly socially distance inside of a plane, and any of the places leading up to boarding, and exiting.

No. Many of the airlines have gone back to pre-COVID levels of aircraft occupancy, i.e. packed. I would still be pretty uncomfortable flying one of the airlines that is limiting how full the planes can be but that would be the best option if one has to fly. I’d also wear a face shield along with a mask. A friend flying coast-to-coast wore a tyvek suit over her regular clothes and removed that at the destination airport into a bag for isolation and later cleaning.

Twenty-three passengers on an Air India flight from New Delhi to Wuhan have tested positive for Covid-19. Madness. It’s like a goddamn petri dish.