It is very interesting as we watch the many negligent airline ‘Executives’, who for decades had the opportunities to require airframes to make their Environmental Control Systems [E.C.S.] of the aircraft they wanted to purchase, Influenza resistant; they did not. Instead, they allowed mediocre filtration systems inside aircraft to be installed. Influenza has existed for a very long time and methodologies such as UVC, for example, which destroy the viruses, have been available for decades. Even electric grid systems can assist on this regard.
Since the late 1960’s, when the E.C.S. systems were being designed for effective filtration, through the use of such technologies, the E.C.S. makers refused to improve their products because: “It would add additional costs to the aircraft” or, “Added weight to an aircraft is bad”, or “It is hard to kill small germs”. These feeble excuses were also stated by the airframes as rationales for non-improvement in E.C.S. efficiencies for the public’s health. The opposite of the aforementioned occurred due to the inept thinking of Airline ‘Executives’ and airframe ‘Executives’,: they stuffed aircraft with more seats, smaller width seats, and narrower ‘pitch’ between the seats. This certainly has the health effect of possible contaminating more passengers per flight. While it improved the airlines ticket sales and profitability, it endangered their customers. Yet, airline after airline bragged about how many passengers they were ‘stuffing into each ‘bird’; the public ‘be damned’.
Today, people are not flying because they are beginning to understand how, for DECADES, they had been treated as mere sheep. Health concerns of passengers were NOT, and presently are NOT, airline ‘Executives’ concerns. These same ‘Geniuses of Flight’ in airlines and airframes do NOT MENTION E.C.S. systems inefficiencies, because they are aware of legal liabilities due to their negligence. This E.C.S. contamination problem which exists in ALL COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT, may not be as ludicrous as “Learning to fly a commercial aircraft with an ‘I-Pad'”, but it is much more dangerous to more people, since it effects all of those who fly; both crew and passengers.
We are of the opinion that due to the decades of non-concern for passengers’ physical health and comfort, by both the airframes and airlines, they should NOT be bailed out by monies coming from the governments; Victims should NOT pay their violators. Instead, the ‘Executives’ should: Admit their historic avarice and stupidities; Install virus-stopping systems; and Return to less cramped seating for the passengers. If some airlines go broke, then ‘survival of the financially fittest’ is being maintained. The inept bunglers certainly did NOT deserve to contaminate their passengers as they have.
Reality: Forget the “Marketing Hype and Smiles”, instead assess sitting in a confined space, for hours, with the ‘horde’.