BBC: Covid-19: First UK airport coronavirus testing begins. “Passengers flying from Heathrow to Hong Kong and Italy on Tuesday will be the first to have the option of paying for a rapid Covid test before checking in. The test will cost £80 and a result can take a mere 20 minutes. The aim is to help people travelling to destinations where proof of a negative result is required on arrival.”
air travel
Reuters: Coronavirus exposure risk on airplanes very low, U.S. defense study finds
Reuters: Coronavirus exposure risk on airplanes very low, U.S. defense study finds. “When a seated passenger is wearing a mask, an average 0.003% of air particles within the breathing zone around a person’s head are infectious, even when every seat is occupied, it found. The testing assumed only one infected person on the plane and did not simulate the effects of passenger movement around the cabin.”
CNN: Airlines ‘disheartened’ by Trump ending stimulus talks
CNN: Airlines ‘disheartened’ by Trump ending stimulus talks. “Major US airline stocks fell sharply when Trump tweeted that the Senate would no longer consider the $2.2 trillion stimulus bill proposed by House Democrats. The bill included $25 billion for airlines—new relief that airlines say would have allowed them to bring the roughly 50,000 workers they furloughed on October 1 back on the job.”
SunHerald: Delta investigates maskless Sen. Wicker as other senators test COVID-19 positive
SunHerald: Delta investigates maskless Sen. Wicker as other senators test COVID-19 positive. “Delta Airlines says it is investigating after a fellow passenger posted a photo on Twitter of U.S. .Sen. Roger Wicker, Republican-Mississippi, on a flight with his mask tucked under his chin while he looked at his cell phone.”
Minneapolis StarTribune: Minnesota Republicans fly Delta home from D.C. after COVID-19 exposure
Minneapolis StarTribune: Minnesota Republicans fly Delta home from D.C. after COVID-19 exposure. “Minnesota’s three Republican congressmen flew home on a Delta flight from Washington, D.C., Friday night, despite airline restrictions on passengers recently exposed to COVID-19-positive people such as President Donald Trump. U.S. Reps. Pete Stauber, Tom Emmer and Jim Hagedorn all tested negative for COVID-19 on Friday after traveling with Trump on Air Force One to and from a Duluth rally on Wednesday.”
Reuters: Lufthansa plans rapid COVID-19 testing starting October -executive
Reuters: Lufthansa plans rapid COVID-19 testing starting October -executive. “Deutsche Lufthansa AG plans to start making rapid COVID-19 antigen tests available to passengers in October and is weighing the option of opening test centres at airports in the United States and Canada, a company executive said on Tuesday.”
BBC: Extra facility opened for planes grounded by Covid-19
BBC: Extra facility opened for planes grounded by Covid-19. “An aircraft storage facility in Central Australia is now so full that its owners have had to seek out more space. Many carriers haven’t had enough passengers to justify flying during the pandemic, and have opted to store their planes. Asia Pacific Airline Storage is storing 94 planes at Alice Springs, and will store more in Southeast Queensland.”
Seattle Times: If you absolutely have to fly, here’s how to minimize risks of coronavirus
Seattle Times: If you absolutely have to fly, here’s how to minimize risks of coronavirus. “There are reasons some people might still need to get on a plane, like caring for a family member in a medical emergency, or relocating for a new job. A recent study showed how the novel coronavirus had spread on two international flights earlier this year. But both incidents took place before airlines implemented mandatory mask-wearing. Traveling by plane is likely safer now — but not without risks. If you absolutely have to fly, here are tips from experts on how to do it as safely as possible.”
New York Times: The Flight Goes Nowhere. And It’s Sold Out.
New York Times: The Flight Goes Nowhere. And It’s Sold Out.. “At a time when most people are stuck at home and unable to travel, and the global airline industry has been decimated by the pandemic, flights that take off and return to the airport a few hours later allow airlines to keep staff working. The practice also satisfies that itch to travel — even if it’s just being on a plane again. Although most people may think of flying as a means to an end, existing solely to get them from one place to the next, some say that it is an exciting part of the travel experience. For those people, flights to nowhere are the salve for a year in which just about all travel has been canceled and people have been fearful of airlines not enforcing social distancing and mask-wearing rules.”
BBC: WestJet cancels flight because of mask dispute with child
BBC: WestJet cancels flight because of mask dispute with child. “A Canadian flight was cancelled and police were called because a child was not wearing a mask. Safwan Choudhry says WestJet wanted his 19-month-old to wear a mask, but the baby girl would not stop crying. The airline says the issue was not with the infant, who is below the age required to wear a mask, but with Mr Choudhry’s three-year-old.”
Covid vaccine: 8,000 jumbo jets needed to deliver doses globally, says IATA (BBC)
BBC: Covid vaccine: 8,000 jumbo jets needed to deliver doses globally, says IATA. “Shipping a coronavirus vaccine around the world will be the ‘largest transport challenge ever’ according to the airline industry. The equivalent of 8,000 Boeing 747s will be needed, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has said.”
Input Magazine: ‘Airplane Mode’ simulates a 6-hour flight in coach because that’s how grim reality is now
Input Magazine: ‘Airplane Mode’ simulates a 6-hour flight in coach because that’s how grim reality is now. “Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 is having such a moment right now that people are apparently buying up all the supply of flight stick controllers, leaving plebes to use a keyboard and mouse or — *gasp* — gamepad like some kind of monster. Screw that hoity-toity front-of-the-plane-you’re-a-captain simulation because Airplane Mode is clearly the more realistic flying experience. The One True Flight Simulator.”
CNN: Virgin Atlantic files for bankruptcy in the US to secure its rescue deal
CNN: Virgin Atlantic files for bankruptcy in the US to secure its rescue deal. “Virgin Atlantic has filed for bankruptcy in the United States as it races to finalize a $1.5 billion plan to rescue it from the aviation industry’s worst crisis. The company, which is based in the United Kingdom, filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy protection in New York on [August 4], which shelters the US assets of foreign companies undergoing restructuring proceedings in their home country.”
BBC: Coronavirus-hit Qantas reports £1bn annual loss
BBC: Coronavirus-hit Qantas reports £1bn annual loss. “Qantas has reported an annual loss of almost A$2bn (£1bn) as it deals with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Australian flag carrier’s boss says trading conditions are the worst in the airline’s 100-year history. The firm also says around 4,000 of its 6,000 planned job cuts are expected to be finalised by the end of next month.”
NBC New York: JetBlue Deploys Ultraviolet Cleaning Robot at JFK Airport in Fight Against Coronavirus
NBC New York: JetBlue Deploys Ultraviolet Cleaning Robot at JFK Airport in Fight Against Coronavirus. “Honeywell’s new UV Cabin System is being used as part of a pilot by JetBlue Airways marking the first time a U.S. airline has implemented the technology. The robotic system can traverse an aircraft cabin in less than 10 minutes. The Honeywell UV Cabin System is roughly the size of an aircraft beverage cart and has UV-C light arms that extend over the top of seats and sweep the cabin to treat aircraft surfaces.”