New public opinion research from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) suggests travelers are much more worried about crowds and dirty lavatories than masks onboard airplanes.
Survey: How Passengers Are Concerned About COVID-19
The survey took place in early June 2020 with passengers who had taken at least one flight in the last year interviewed from 11 nations. Passengers were asked their primary concerns both at airports and onboard aircraft and allowed to choose multiple items from a list of choices.
At the airport
1. Being in a crowded bus/train on the way to the aircraft – 59%
2. Queuing at check-in/security/border control or boarding – 42%
3. Using airport restrooms/toilet facilities – 38%
Onboard Aircraft
1. Sitting next to someone who might be infected – 65%
2. Using restrooms/toilet facilities – 42%
3. Breathing the air on the plane – 37%
Note the call of the question: once the pandemic has subsided, how concerned would you be about each of the following at the airport / on board the aircraft?
Passengers were also asked their willingness to engage in the following safety procedures once COVID-19 subsides. The results suggest most hope they will not have to wear masks indefinitely:
- Undergoing temperature checks – 43%
- Wearing a mask during travel – 42%
- Checking-in online to minimize interactions at the airport – 40%
- Taking a COVID-19 test prior to travel – 39%
- Sanitizing their seating area – 38%
Furthermore, when asked about whether masks would should be mandatory, only 34% said this was a top concern. A slightly higher 37% said mandatory COVID-19 screenings would make them feel safer while 33% said mandatory social distancing onboard would make them safer.
Still, 82% of survey respondents either “somewhat agreed” or “strongly agreed” that wearing a mask onboard prevents the spread of germs.
You can review the survey results here.
CONCLUSION
I find the results a bit surprising. Honest, in the sense that IATA has tried to downplay the benefit of social distancing onboard yet still reports polling results showing this is a primary concern. Odd, in the sense that I am surprised that only about 1/3 of passengers believe masks should be mandatory onboard once the virus is under control (though I also hope masks won’t be forever…).
If airlines are reading this survey and looking at ways to calm passengers to lure them back, it appears they should focus distancing where possible and ensuring lavatories are clean.
I really don’t understand the big deal people are making about wearing masks. I have been doing since day 1 of this pandemic and it is not that bad. All you need is to find a mask that you feel comfortable with and wear it. I started wearing the N95 masks and they are very difficult to breath so I found a cotton fabric one that covers my mouth and nose but it is very easy to breath and I use all the time when I am around people. Is it ideal? No. But it is the price I am willing to pay to protect myself and others.
Because it somehow infringes on your personal freedoms, makes you less ‘Murican, makes you look less manly, or any of the other garbage excuses put out there
It’s literally pretty much the least we can all do, and has a high ROI…somehow it’s only controversial in the US
PLEASE don’t use an N95 mask when doctors are reusing the same disposable masks for four days at a time. Donate your mask to a hospital, and don’t be an entitled, selfish, and arrogant idiot.
@Allen: just to inform you that N95 is back on availability for doctors and dentists. My sister is a dentist and she can access it. I don’t think anyone wants to use my already used single N95 that I keep for working with paint at home.
“Odd, in the sense that I am surprised that only about 1/3 of passengers believe masks should be mandatory onboard once the virus is under control.”
Doesn’t seem odd to me. You can feel that masks are helpful to prevent the spread of CV, but also that wearing one all day to go on an airplane (or for anything else for that matter) sucks, and should therefore the mandate should be limited in duration to only what’s necessary. Given that 82% of respondents “either ‘somewhat agreed’ or ‘strongly agreed’ that wearing a mask onboard prevents the spread of germs”, it appears that’s exactly the dynamic at play here.
I’m not sure I really see the value of masks, to be honest. Unless you are a total moron, you should be able to anticipate a sneeze or cough and use a tissue or elbow to prevent respiratory droplets from spreading. And nobody talks on planes anyway, so it’s not like you get a lot of respiratory droplets from talking. I really hope airlines will stop requiring them sooner rather than later, because I find them incredibly depressing. (That said, I comply and where one on flights the entire time, but mostly as an act of social solidarity.)
Temperature checks can “raise the alarm” for nothing. I mean, there is a lot of things that can cause a little fever, and not only Covid-19. So if you are being stoped because of a slightly higher temperature, your trip would most certainly be over and I doubt you would get any refund. And all that because you had eaten something bad or just had lack of sleep that showed in your temperature