Delta Air Lines holiday flying safety measures

ATLANTA - There have certainly been some kitchen table chats about whether you will fly this holiday season to either get out of town or to see family.  The CDC says stay home if you can. But if you can’t, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastion discusses the safety measures the Atlanta-based airline is taking.

"We have blocked the middle aisle. We are the only airline, the only major airline in the world blocking those seats and we will continue to block those seats through the end of March," he told me in an interview. 

I consulted with our Fox Medical Team about airline safety during this pandemic. There are no super spreader events coming from air travel as far as we know.  Because passengers and crew wear masks, virus spread is mitigaged. 

"We enforce masks. Masks are mandated. You can’t get on board our plane without a mask. You must keep your mask on while you are on a flight traveling," Mr. Bastion added. "The filtration system on board our plane is the highest quality air you can breathe anywhere. It’s the same filtration system hospitals use in operating rooms. I guarantee you it’s as clean as the air you and I breathe, as we speak."

So when you combine filtered air, mask wearing, and spaced seating, the risks of contracting COVID-19 from another passenger start to diminish. 

But let’s remember that you also will travel perhaps in a cab, or train, then walk through the airport. You need to be vigilante throughout the journey. 

Our Fox Med Team says the CDC has documented cases where infected people did not spread the virus on a flight because they were wearing a mask. Health experts have expressed to them they try not to eat or drink on the flight, or use the restroom.