United Airlines will clean flight decks with UVC lighting and ban face masks with vents or other openings in a pair of new safety initiatives.
United Now Cleans Flight Decks with UVC Lighting
Spraying cockpit instruments with electrostatic spray, as United does in passenger cabins, may not interact well with sensitive flight instruments. Instead, United will use Ultraviolet C (UVC) lighting technology to disinfect and sanitize flight decks.
As Bryan Quigley, United’s Senior Vice President of Flight Operations, noted:
“Flight decks have many working parts, screens and components that are challenging to clean with traditional hand wipes and liquids, especially for someone who isn’t a pilot. The UVC lighting gives us a faster, more effective disinfection of one of the most important areas of the aircraft.”
The addition of UVC lighting comes in consultation with the Cleveland Clinic, United’s CleanPlus partner.
United Bans Face Masks With Vents Or Openings
Effective Friday, Aug. 7, United will ban the use of face coverings that have any kind of opening or vent in the areas that cover the nose and mouth. This policy update covers both customers and employees. If a customer arrives at the airport with a mask that has an opening, a United employee will provide a complimentary disposable mask they can use instead.
When the pandemic first started, I thought those vents/valves were high-powered filters. Little did I know, until a very helpful tweet from Zach Honig, how dangerous these masks potentially were to those around you.
Have you seen this version of the N95 mask, with a built-in valve? Be VERY careful if you’re near somebody who’s wearing one. pic.twitter.com/psU5cEJCSb
— Zach Honig (@ZachHonig) May 11, 2020
In addition to vents, masks which have nose and mouth openings (like, seriously? But I’ve seen them…) are also banned.
CONCLUSION
As airlines attempt to find a multi-layered approach to safety onboard, these two small measures won’t move the needle alone, but create a safer flying experience as part of a comprehensive approach to safety.
This further reaffirms my decision to stop supporting the airlines moving forward. They refuse to acknowledge the actual science behind the ignorant use of face masks, and double down at every chance they get. When it’s clear people are still refusing to fly regardless of these policies and they are running off people like me who had been spending between 500-1k monthly between our homes and work. It’s just a shame we have no say in the bailouts due to their own stupidity.
Can you enlighten us with the actual science behind masks?
Cloth masks have proven to not be effective for stopping or slowing the transmission of viral material. N95’s work slightly, but the particle size is still below the threshold in which the N95’s filter. The only masks that protect against anything are P100 respirators, but those aren’t required.
Thanks, President Putin, for your excellent scientific input (and your needed help with our elections)!