Airlines Woo Travelers With Sanitized Planes
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Here's your Money Briefing for Wednesday, September 30th. I'm J.R. Whalen for The Wall Street Journal.
How are airlines changing cleaning routines to reassure travelers during Covid-19?
Airlines are working hard to convince travelers it's safe to fly during the pandemic, and they're taking aggressive steps to sanitize their planes. But some of the chemicals that the airlines have been using for years, even with EPA approval, come with toxicity warnings, and they're being used a lot.
Airlines are going around and spraying cabins between every flight. So it's not a once a week cleaning. It's not a once a day cleaning. It's in some airplanes that may be three, four or five times a day.
So what does this mean for you if you're flying either for business or pleasure? Our Middle Sea columnist Scott McCartney explains after the break.
Which disinfectant chemicals are airlines using and why are experts concerned?
Airlines are stepping up their efforts to clean the inside of planes to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and to give their passengers peace of mind. But our Middle Sea columnist Scott McCartney says the strong chemicals that are being used are raising a whole other set of safety questions. And he joins me now to talk about it. You know, Scott, passengers have no doubt cut back on their travel spending, but to win back their confidence, it's really become a priority of the airlines to convince people that it's safe to be in such a confined space.
Well, it has, but it's also become a competitive issue. They're trying to sort of outdo each other, showing that they are cleaning their airplanes and removing any virus that might be on surfaces, which obviously is still a large concern to people.
You know, some of the chemicals airlines are using to clean the inside of planes are, as household labels might say, extra strength. But some might say a little too extra strength.
It's a really interesting question. And there are some environmental scientists, some public health folks who are starting to raise questions about this. It turns out we went around and got from each airline what chemicals they were using. Spirit decline wouldn't tell us. But everybody else, for the most part, did. And it turns out a lot of them are using the same thing. The three largest airlines, for example— are using a product that contains some chemicals that have toxicity to them, that have raised concerns in studies with possible lung damage and asthma.
How often are cabins being sprayed and what are the potential long‑term effects?
And they're being used in ways that we really haven't seen before because airlines are going around and spraying cabins between every flight. So it's not a once a week cleaning. It's not a once a day cleaning. It's in some airplanes that may be three, four or five times a day. And so the long term effects of that have not been studied. And even questions of whether there's buildup in residue that might affect passengers. I think there's still study that needs to be done on that.
So should passengers be concerned?
I think the best advice I got from scientists was that the occasional traveler probably doesn't need to worry about this too much. If you are concerned, you're probably better off waiting to board the toxicity issues for lungs. You have to breathe in vapors. You have to breathe in an aerosol from these products. But I think that's a long-term concern. and also concern for crews. So the folks that apply the chemicals, they actually wear protective clothing, hands, eyes, in some cases, respirator-type things.
Well, for airline workers like flight attendants, the inside of the plane is, you know, their workplace. What are the unions saying about the use of these chemicals?
Should occasional passengers worry about exposure to cleaning chemicals on flights?
So the union, largest flight attendants union, initially got some questions from members about the products that were being used, about the chemicals, but they haven't had any complaints of illnesses or other problems. They have worked with some airlines to make sure that there's 10 minutes between treatment and actual boarding by the flight attendants. Flight attendants have to be on the airplane before passengers. So I think this is one that they're watching really closely. For the flight attendants union, the main concern is coronavirus.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:05–0:10
2
How are airlines changing cleaning routines to reassure travelers during Covid-19?
0:10–0:53
3
Which disinfectant chemicals are airlines using and why are experts concerned?
0:53–2:28
4
How often are cabins being sprayed and what are the potential long‑term effects?
2:28–3:49
5
Should occasional passengers worry about exposure to cleaning chemicals on flights?
3:49–5:04
6
What are flight attendants and unions saying about workplace chemical exposure?
5:04–6:30
7
Were these disinfectants used before the pandemic and how has usage changed?
6:30–8:11
8
What alternative cleaning methods (SurfaceWise 2, UV) are airlines testing and what questions remain?
8:11–8:44
Speakers
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