The rapid speed at which this latest round of Swine Flu is spreading around the globe begs the question: Is air travel worsening the situation and turning this into a pandemic quicker than it would normally?
I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of flying in an airliner with obviously sick people onboard, and then of course becoming sick ourselves within days. The re-circulated air in the cabin almost guarantees it. Airlines are stepping up their efforts to try to detect the infected, and even waiving cancellation fees for those fearful of heading to Mexico.
Here is an updating map of cases of Swine Flu H1N1 around the world, which can be found at http://healthmap.org/swineflu
.jpg)
Bloomberg News also did a report of aviation and Swine Flu
The airline industry worldwide is bound to suffer from this situation, but one airline, Irish budget carrier RyanAir, is taking a different approach. The head of their airline said swine flu is only a risk for “slumdwellers”. In a TimesOnline article, Michael O’Leary went on, “Are we going to die from swine flu? No. Are we in danger of SARS? No. Foot and mouth disease? No. Will it affect people flying short-haul flights around Europe this summer? Thankfully, no. It is a tragedy only for people living ... in slums in Asia or Mexico. But will the honeymoon couple from Edinburgh die? No.” So what do you really think, Mr. O’Leary?
Luckily, RyanAir doesn’t fly to Mexico.
Meanwhile, people wearing surgical masks worn on flights in and out of Mexico, and possibly beyond soon, are more and more visible at airports lately. Many airlines are now charging for food, soda, and even water – RyanAir even toyed with the idea of charging to use the restrooms – what will be the going rate for surgical masks? How about they just drop the oxygen masks for the entire flight?
Yet another reason why personal travel via General or Business Aviation is the better alternative.
Comments