Hey, I tell you what. You can take a good look at a flight attendant’s ass by sticking your head up there, but wouldn’t you rather take her word for it?

(Written on 2021/08/29)(Permalink)

What about the people who can't get the vaccine due to medical conditions? Are they exempted? And are they going to do this for smokers? People who are obese? People who ride motorcycles? Skydivers? Etc.

(Written on 2021/08/26)(Permalink)

I can only speak for the 737, but I would guess most airliners are similar in that cabin air is exhausted though floor-level vents where it is then sent to the outflow valve(s) or recycled via the recirculation fan(s). So while some air will certainly be shared by several passengers it's only a small percentage. It's also been theorized that one reason covid transmission on airplanes has been unusually low is the very low humidity level brought about by the conditioned air from the packs. Less humidity means less droplets from breathing which is how the virus primarily spreads. I can't speak for the 787, I know it does have a system to raise the humidity, but I would assume it's also filtering the air which would trap most virus particles. And in any case the 787 represents a small fraction of the world's airline fleet.

(Written on 2021/08/18)(Permalink)

Holy hyperbole Batman! The Black Plague wiped out 30-50% of the population in Europe. And when you account for population growth between 1918 and now the fatality rate for the 1918 flu is at least 4 times greater than Covid. You also follow in the media's footsteps by failing to address the actual risks of Covid. This is a quote from the American Institute for Economic Research: "Covid-19’s severe outcomes almost exclusively affect the elderly and the immunocompromised, particularly those over the age of 65, which is also approaching the life expectancy of a human. Furthermore 94 percent of Covid deaths occurred with preexisting conditions. It poses virtually no risk to children, minimal risk to young adults, and only seems to kill more than 1 percent of victims with those over the age of 65." Here's one about the Spanish Flu: “Mortality was high in people younger than 5 years old, 20-40 years old, and 65 years and older. The high mortality in healthy people, including those in

(Written on 2021/08/16)(Permalink)

That sounds great in theory, but how to you manage it? Require a doctor's note? Because you know darn well many people will take advantage an claim "illness" anytime they want to change something. If you're that worried you can always buy a full fare ticket which AFAIK is always changeable or refundable with no fees. Or there's travel insurance which is usually only a modest fee as opposed to a higher fare ticket. Just have to read the fine print to make sure what's covered.

(Written on 2021/08/13)(Permalink)

Should smokers? Or motorcycle riders? Or anyone who engages in what society deems are "risky" activities? Maybe we should only treat people who are sick or injured through no fault of their own then?

(Written on 2021/08/13)(Permalink)

So am I correct in assuming you will apply this stance to all other aspects of your life as well? Restaurants, movie theaters, grocery stores, shopping centers, etc?

(Written on 2021/08/11)(Permalink)

Interesting. What are the long-term effects of the vaccine? Oh yeah, we don't know because they're less than a year old. Here's a quote from Johns Hopkins University: "A typical vaccine development timeline takes 5 to 10 years, and sometimes longer, to assess whether the vaccine is safe and efficacious in clinical trials, complete the regulatory approval processes, and manufacture sufficient quantity of vaccine doses for widespread distribution." But yeah, let's just go ahead and declare the trial period over and mandate vaccines for everyone without regard to side effects or natural immunity for people who have had the virus and fully recovered.

(Written on 2021/08/09)(Permalink)

If you read to the end of the article it says that in 2012 the FAA guidance was revised to “should be limited to the smallest practicable amount of material … that which is uniquely related to airplane safety or airworthiness.” In large part because airlines devise their own emergency procedures in line with the airplane flight manual. However since the FAA has no jurisdiction over foreign airlines they can’t verify that their procedures are adequate. So because both Max crashes were non US airlines and the feds and Boeing have much egg on their faces the FAA is now trying to act tough to (over)compensate.

(Written on 2021/08/05)(Permalink)

Like I said, I wasn't there and I'm not passing judgment. But there are plenty of ways to "secure" someone that don't involve taping them to a seat. To me that seems like punishment as opposed to security. Just because you're on an airplane doesn't mean it's "no holds barred", with the sole exception being an attempt to breach the flight deck or otherwise take over the aircraft.

(Written on 2021/08/04)(Permalink)