To help revive the devastated travel industry, airline trade groups and aviation manufacturers are kicking off campaigns to convince travelers that the risk of being infected by the coronavirus on a flight is low thanks to improved cleaning efforts and sophisticated cabin ventilation systems.
Medical experts tend to agree, with one caveat: The risk goes up as more passengers are crammed into a plane.
Still, a group that represents several of the nation's low-cost airlines is seeking federal regulators' permission to pack passengers into cabins without having to space them out to reduce the risk of spreading the virus.
The National Air Carrier Association, a trade group for 18 low-cost passenger and cargo carriers, wrote last month to U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, arguing against any capacity limits, including a requirement that airlines leave the middle seat vacant.
The group wrote that imposing "arbitrary" capacity limits on carriers could lead to higher fares or even airline bankruptcies.
The trade group, whose airlines have some of the most cramped seats in the industry, wrote the letter in response to requests from the top Democrats on the congressional transportation committees, Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington and Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, that Chao require airlines to space passengers out to reduce the risk of infection.
Chao has not responded to the request.
Consumer groups have also chimed in on the debate.
The head of an airline passenger rights group says Chao and the U.S. Department of Transportation should impose rules to force airlines to space passengers out.
"If they don't do something, they are going to make us one big hot spot," said Paul Hudson, a member of an FAA rule-making advisory committee and president of Flyersrights.org, a consumer group with more than 60,000 members.
Hudson called the trade group's request to allow airlines to pack in passengers without adhering to the CDC recommendation of social distancing "ridiculous." He also wants federal regulators to require that passengers wear masks.
The nation's largest union of flight attendants has weighed in, asking lawmakers to require masks on all passengers and, for now, to prohibit leisure and nonessential air travel to reduce the risk of infecting flight crews.
The pandemic has revived a decades-old debate about the risk of being infected by a fellow passenger on a commercial plane.
Health care experts agree with the airline industry that the risk of being infected by another passenger is low.
"It's not risk-free to travel on a commercial aircraft, but the risk is relatively low," said Dr. Dean Winslow, an infectious disease specialist at the Stanford University Medical Center and a former flight surgeon with the U.S. Air Force.
Winslow and other health care experts say the air in a plane is frequently recirculated, mixed with clean outside air and filtered, making it difficult for germs and viruses to travel throughout a cabin. But the airflow system doesn't help much, they note, if you are seated shoulder to shoulder with a sick passenger on a long-haul flight.
"Flying on planes is relatively safe from transmission of infectious particulate if you are not near anyone else," said Dr. Timothy Brewer, a professor of medicine, division of infectious diseases at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine. "If they are going to pack the plane ... then there is a higher risk."
To boost travel demand, Airlines for America, a trade group that represents the nation's 10 largest carriers, recently launched a "Fly Healthy. Fly Smart" campaign to promote the industry's efforts to reduce the risk of infection on a plane. The campaign also emphasizes that cabin air is filtered through high efficiency particulate air -- HEPA -- filters to generate hospital-grade air for passengers.
The International Air Transport Association, a trade group that represents 290 airlines in 120 countries, jumped into the fray recently with a report titled "Restarting Aviation Following Covid-19." The report cites several studies that suggest that the number of passengers infected by the coronavirus on a plane has been minimal.
Meanwhile, Boeing announced the appointment of longtime executive Mike Delaney to lead a new Confident Travel Initiative to develop "solutions to help minimize air travel health risks amid the covid-19 pandemic and drive awareness of health safeguards already in place."
The initiative will study the use of new disinfectants, antimicrobial surfaces and ultraviolet light in plane cabins to reduce the risk of infection. In addition, Boeing is creating graphics, videos and website pages to help airlines promote the technology currently used on the planes, said Jim Haas, director of product marketing.
"We are trying to get the message out everywhere," he said.
Delta's chief executive, Ed Bastain, said he plans to test all employees for covid-19 as the carrier prepares for an increase in demand this summer.