COVID Risk Increases By 50% If Passengers Board Airplane Back To Front; Says Study

by Tania Tarafdar
COVID Risk Increases By 50% If Passengers Board Airplane Back To Front; Says Study

Did you ever give it a thought whether you should board an airplane from the front to ensure that you are safe? No, never right? So did we. But this recent survey has got us thinking about everything wrong we were doing while boarding an airplane. According to the study, boarding an airplane from the back can increase your chance of catching the virus by 50%. Passengers allotted the last seats should be seated first policy does not really work to reduce COVID transmission.

The Risk Of Transmission Comes From Close Contact Of Passengers In Aisle Seat

According to the study published in the Royal Society Open Science journal, back-to-front boarding can be twice as risky as letting passengers board randomly in the plane. That said, back-to-front boarding does reduce exposure between the seated passengers and those walking down the plane. But the higher risk of transmission comes from closer contact between passengers clustering in the same rows as they stow their luggage in the aisle seat. Here’s How Coronavirus Spreads On A Plane & The Safest Place To Sit.

Blocking Out The Middle Seats First Can Be A Safer Option

Many airlines have adopted back-to-front boarding to minimise contact with other customers but does it really work? Many other airlines board just ten passengers at a time and this is a policy that could be safer for passengers. Many airlines also block out the middle seats first, as it then becomes safe for rear-seat passengers to get on a plane. Short Haul Domestic Flights Barred From Serving Food And Drinks In Airplanes.

Not Using Overhead Beans Can Reduce Transmission Risk

Scientists from institutions including the University of West Florida and Florida State University studied 16,000 passenger movements and concluded that the risk of virus exposure could be significantly reduced if passengers could avoid using the overhead beans. Also, boarding passengers in window seats before those in aisle seats could cut down the risk of transmission.

Also read: Flight Attendant Warns People About Gross Aeroplane Water In Viral Tik Tok Video

Picture Credit: Youtube

Conclusion: Passengers in the window seat should be seated first to reduce the risk of transmission by 50%.