Business Travel Executive, July/August 2020

43 Business Travel Executive askBTE com July August 2020 exits out and there is continuous ventilation in the cabin Cabin air is exchanged every two to three minutes which is much faster than office buildings and other interior spaces where people go We designed it specifically to do this And it is one of key points we want people to understand Aircraft makers including Boeing Airbus and Embraer are working together and sharing notes on what is working and what is not to optimize the air quality in flight Haas notes that this part of the business is not a competition There is too much at stake But he also notes that the systems have been in place for some 25 years so it is not the technology that is new when it comes to air filtration What is new is the disinfecting practices ahead of boarding coupled with the temperature monitoring of passengers at the gate Coating the Cabin To that end airlines are looking at disinfecting practices and devices that could be instrumental in killing bacteria and viruses from all surfaces passengers touch giving each passenger a completely sanitized environment on takeoff Among those approaches are the use of sanitizing chemicals including Purell like liquids proven to be safe for humans non toxic and not harmful to furnishings and equipment while being completely deadly to viruses bacteria and fungi Periodic spraying of an anti microbial coating is also necessary to create a hostile environment for lingering germs that may not die so quickly Then new ways of dispatching ultraviolet light have been deployed to destroy lingering unseen enemies on textiles and other surfaces Boeing has been beta testing a portable wand that evenly radiates the deadly to viruses UV rays on a front to back sweep of the empty aircraft before passengers board A built in UV technology for disinfecting bathroom areas is now in the prototype stage as well but because that involves a structural change for inflight use regulatory approvals are necessary and likely years away We are working with a variety of industries such as IATA and other airline manufacturers the ICCAIA International Coordinating Council of Aerospace Industries Associations and we are working with airports what happens at the airport is one of the first layers of travel It is important for travelers to have a consistent experience country to country We are also working with researchers and academia to check our modeling and make sure the way we understand the virus lines up with what everyone else understands Haas says We see the necessity of having a multilayered approach to protect the passenger during the entire journey From home to airport to departure to the cleaning and disinfecting and all the tech in place and then there is the cabin experience inflight Air cleaning and filtration arrangements of seats and role of face masks all put together makes flying safe Haas notes that HEPA filters can only clean the air that circulates through them so if a passenger sneezes and there is no filter between the person and other passengers the filter cannot clean that air That is why during the current health emergency its important to work across the industry on the use of additional protections such as face masks that further mitigate risks he says While each airline must adopt its own policies airline manufacturers like Boeing and Airbus do much of the heavy lifting to make sure the craft interior has all the structural advantages required for flying safely during COVID times and that airline customers have the research and tested recommendations by which to model their travel policies For instance Singapore Airlines is making sure all lavatories feature contactless faucets and have anti bacterial hand wash SIA is also looking at a trial of an ultraviolet light cleaning procedure on the ground for its lavatories before every flight To give passengers added reassurance the airline now provides all passengers with a Care Kit that includes a surgical mask anti bacterial hand wipes and hand sanitizer TSA Announces New Rules Heres a brief look at some of the recently enacted changes to the Transportation Security Administrations security screening procedures Boarding Passes Place your boarding pass on the document reader yourself instead of handing it to the TSA officer Then hold the boarding pass up so the officer can visually inspect it Food Place carry on food items in a clear plastic bag and put it in a bin to reduce touch points TSA Precheck members do not need to remove items from their bag Liquids TSA is allowing each passenger one container of liquid hand sanitizer up to 12 ounces but other liquids gels or aerosols more than 34 ounces are still prohibited in your carryon The hand sanitizer will need to be removed from the carry on bag before it goes through X ray screening If a bag contains a prohibited item or items that should have been taken out for screening laptops liquids etc you may have to go outside of security to remedy the oversight before going back through screening Social Distancing You may see increased distance between individuals as they enter the security checkpoint and see visual reminders on checkpoint floors Facial Protection TSA officers at checkpoints are now using facial protection Travelers should do the same Pack items such as belts wallets keys and phones in your carryon bags to reduce touch points