EBOLA What's happening with the airlines? Are travelers canceling their reservations?
- Thread starter Betty_Rose
- Start date
Panner
Veteran Member
Same on my flights on Saturday. There were also several people on my flight from Salt LAKE to Spokane that had other flights on other airline that had flights cancelled. My flight was with Delta, but when I got to the gate they also listed it as Alaska airlines and Air France. This flight originated in Salt Lake and was going to Spokane. It was a Skywest regional carrier plane, a Delta regional airline.
Another strange thing was the crew asked twice for the passengers to please pick up any trash on the floor or in the seat back magazine pockets saying that they were the plane cleaning crew for that plane and it would help them out.
hammerhead
Veteran Member
I'm checked in, and heading out tomorrow on my next trip. Any personal uneasiness aside, and aware of the myriad ways things could go sideways, there's absolutely nothing in the news to justify canceling a trip and torpedoing a career. Gotta go.
ainitfunny
Saved, to glorify God.
You are awfully naive if you actually think the authorities would TELL THE PUBLIC the truth about the risks!!
I hope you carry a zip lock bag of alcohol (or colloidal silver) SOAKED DIAPER WIPES and a bottle of hand sanitizer gel and one N-95 mask (with exhale valve ) a small bottle or three of colloidal silver ( to gargle or swallow) as needs dictate, WITH YOU (not checked!) in your carry on during the trip (JUST IN CASE)
Stick in at least ONE pair of rubber gloves also!
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hammerhead
Veteran Member
You're right: I would be awfully naive if I thought the authorities would tell the public the truth about the risks.
hammerhead
Veteran Member
I pick up hand sanitizer in the airport after security; then, what I haven't used before I have to pack up and fly again goes into the checked bag for the next flight; repeat. Thanks for the advice/concern.
Personally, I have gotten sick each time I have taken an airline flight in the past 5-7 years. Usually viral, but not necessarily the flu. It's been old for a while. IF I do fly again I will be wearing an N100 mask and gloves. In fact I wear a glove now when I go to work simply because I do not want to contact the door handles and elevator buttons that everyone has been pressing their hands onto (maybe even after wiping their noses with that hand too).
I fully understand what you are saying.
I'm in the same boat and have to travel a lot.
My gut stays in knots away from home, but what do you do?
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
Flying again Monday. I'll keep y'all posted.
Last Resort
Veteran Member
At 46 years I have over a million miles of driving behind me, and at least that much in airplanes. With the exception of flights where I was the pilot in a bug-smasher, every flight I've been on commercially had someone or many someones coughing, hacking, blowing their nose, etc. If you're looking at potential disease vectors, commercial air on EVERY airline is more risky than driving.
Driving takes longer, yeah. If your travel distance is over 500 miles driving is also largely untenable. BUT...if you drive yourself, you control your environment. You can choose where to stop or not. You breathe the ambient air and your exhalations, but not those of 150 other people. From an infectious disease standpoint, if you have to travel, travel by POV is the safer way to go.
Driving takes longer, yeah. If your travel distance is over 500 miles driving is also largely untenable. BUT...if you drive yourself, you control your environment. You can choose where to stop or not. You breathe the ambient air and your exhalations, but not those of 150 other people. From an infectious disease standpoint, if you have to travel, travel by POV is the safer way to go.
This is a really good place for taking preventative dose of elderberry for a day before and a couple of days after any flight. It doesn't cover all viruses, but works on influenza, and the enterovirus that is going around. Taking extra zinc...maybe 100 mgs a day for a couple of days on either side can really help, too. It upsets some people's stomachs, so take with food.
If I had to take public transportation these days, I'd be wearing gloves, and to heck with what people think.
Summerthyme
DH drives taxi in a world class ski town - the graveyard shift (5 p.m - 5 a.m.) - and it's just as busy in summertime for mountain-biking enthusiasts, canoers, rafters, and... you name it! There are the locals he's used to, but every week brings in (via airlines) tourists from all over the world.
He wears gloves, uses hand sanitizer, carries vodka-soaked wet wipes, and is internally loaded with antivirals, including 5 grams of powedered Vitmin C daily, plenty of zinc, bioflavonoids, resveratrol, and he uses a Zapper once a week. Drinks a healthy amount of '0' red wine too. He'd gotten out of the habit of zapping, but lately, neither of us would miss it. That's one of the best pieces of advice we've gleaned from this forum.
Artie.
savurselvs
Veteran Member
we were to return from Houston via a plane change in Dallas on 10-14-14.
flight cancelled, rented a vehicle for the 10 hour drive.
We canceled on the 11th, got a email blast / SALE 49.00 one way!!!!!!!!!!! from southwest on Monday 11-12-14
me thinks i wasnt the only one cancelling
flight cancelled, rented a vehicle for the 10 hour drive.
We canceled on the 11th, got a email blast / SALE 49.00 one way!!!!!!!!!!! from southwest on Monday 11-12-14
me thinks i wasnt the only one cancelling
Dux
Veteran Member
I went from Denver to Minneapolis on 10/20, evening flight, packed. 2-3 others from Denver had their Frontier flights canceled, several days ahead, with no good alternatives so they had to miss a good part of the conference. Returning early on 10/25, the flight was very light. I saw some attendants use gloves to pick up trash, but not all.
I think an easy way to monitor this is to track a few flight paths on Travelocity. If the prices go really low, that would indicate to me that fewer people are booking.
I think an easy way to monitor this is to track a few flight paths on Travelocity. If the prices go really low, that would indicate to me that fewer people are booking.
evenso
Veteran Member
Since I have no idea how or where to check the stats, how about just telling us what you're referring to? How can traveling in a car where you choose where and when or if to stop...how is that as dangerous as flying?
This is an issue more and more of us will have to face, especially as the holidays are upon us.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
Sitting at the gate at OMA right now. Very, very slow for this time on a Monday. 12 TSA people at the check point and I was the only one going through the whole time I was in the area. On a side note there's an American plane at a USAir gate the integration of the fleets must be getting started. I'll let y'all know what I find on the flight to IAH and at the airport there.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
I think they're referring to the fact that you are much more likely to be killed or injured in a car wreck than on a plane. I would agree driving may be preferable from an Ebola stand point, but if you look at the over all numbers and you're traveling over a long distance you're safer flying than driving. Its a decision I have to make on a regular basis for work and while Ebola is terrifying statistically I'm safer in the air. At least until it becomes more wide spread here. JMHO
Doomer Doug
TB Fanatic
What we are seeing is a sequential effort by individual people to take rational and logical actions to reduce potential exposure to the Ebola virus. This rational, logical and individual response is based on the total collapse of faith in government, medical and media authorities relating to Ebola in the USA. If you think the powers that be are lying to you, people will respond in their own best interests. This means they will stop getting on planes where they may be exposed to Ebola infected people. People who the liberal, Marxist Obama allows in due to his PC mindset. People realize they can't do much about the leftist radicals and their PC open border agenda. What they can do is stop flying, stop going to places with large numbers of potential Ebola infected people.
People can take logical steps to reduce their perceived threat from Ebola despite what the radical leftists do.
This refusal to fly is the first gust front of the economic storm Ebola may cause in the USA.
People can take logical steps to reduce their perceived threat from Ebola despite what the radical leftists do.
This refusal to fly is the first gust front of the economic storm Ebola may cause in the USA.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
I certainly DO NOT believe anything the govt or msm tells me. I think the key word in your analysis is PERCEIVED risk. If ones fear of contracting Ebola (a statistically small risk at this point) is PERCEIVED as a greàter threat than their fear of idiotic \ drunk \ insane drivers on the roadways (statistically a much greater risk) they will act accordingly. If pour useless govt would get off their PC asses and take action to reduce the threat we wouldn't have this dilemma.
As for the economic impact you are absolutely correct. Not just loss of travel $$. But impact on companies with employees who travel.
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Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
Seat map just showed up on the gate monitor looks about 1/3 - 1/2 full a little light for this flight but not too far out of the norm. I'll let y'all know what I find in Houston.
If you add up all the passengers over the distance traveled, then the number of people who died per million miles of travel by commercial airliner is considerably less than the number of people who died per million miles of travel by vehicle. In today's world (even with ebola), according to the statistics getting on a commercial airliner is about the safest thing you could do if you're going to travel long distance. That's not even considering that you can die just as dead in an urban crash as you can in a crash on the freeway, but I'm sticking with long distance travel to make a point.
Of course, there are other considerations than just the number of dead people pulled out of vehicles every year. If there weren't, maximum speeds for vehicles everywhere would be 20 mph and people would wear crash helmets every time they stepped into a vehicle. As has been pointed out, when you're driving you can choose when and where to stop along the way, whether to instantly change routes if you feel like it, who you travel with, you're not as exposed against your will to sick people (and there are a myriad of other illnesses than just ebola to worry about) in an environment you can't get out of, etc. Fear is a very powerful thing, and the feeling of control (whether or not it's an illusion) is very important to some folks.
I never said NOT to dump your plans to fly. I only said that you should be aware that if your potential death is your biggest concern, then driving the same long distance instead of flying is a bad decision. It's akin to deciding to walk through the known minefields on either side of the road just because you're afraid there MIGHT be an IED on the road.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
^ Perception is a powerful thing. Just landed at IAH. I'll post an update onn what the terminal looks like.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
Houston seems pretty slow for this time of day. At least C and B terminals. Atmosphere here seems !more subdued !Han normal. No one in PPE or anything, but it seems like people are concerned. Of course IAH to MSY is usually a lot of oil field / boat workers so a higher percentage points of people going to work and less wingnuts headed for bourbon street.
Had a couple Drs in scrubs on flight out of OMA which is not that unusual. But a bit of a pucker factor considering Nebraska medical center is in OMA.
I'll let ya know what I find in Nawlins.
Had a couple Drs in scrubs on flight out of OMA which is not that unusual. But a bit of a pucker factor considering Nebraska medical center is in OMA.
I'll let ya know what I find in Nawlins.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
Full flight from IAH to MSY.
Last Resort
Veteran Member
Air travel is indeed the safest way to travel when judged by fatalities per million miles. I will not contest that. The contagious disease that HAS BEEN ALLOWED TO ENTER THE UNITED STATES VIA AIR TRAVEL is the wild card, because only God knows how infectious those planes are now. If you get the flu on a plane flight, the chances are very good you'll get better and the time saving is worthwhile. If however you contract Ebola on a plane flight and you are in the 45+ age range, there's A 97% FATALITY RATE potentially! http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?458185-The-Ebola-age-divide-Fatality-rate-in-over-45s-is-94-for-those-aged-up-to-21-is-57
That's a game changer and why I'd rather drive or use GoToMeeting.
EDIT crap there's a lot of news a popping. I had to go five pages into the main forum to find a post updated two days ago!
That's a game changer and why I'd rather drive or use GoToMeeting.
EDIT crap there's a lot of news a popping. I had to go five pages into the main forum to find a post updated two days ago!
AMTRAK recommended for you..........
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
Looks like about 1/3 oil field people of one variety or another (we're pretty easy to spot if you're one of us).
LilRose8
Veteran Member
I just talked to my friend in Australia, another nurse, and she has decided not to buy her plane tickets to come visit me next year because she is not sure how the Ebola thing will play out....plus she said, 'Who wants to fly now? Kinda dicey these days'....so, it isn't just the Americans that are worried.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
OK convince me why would being in a metal tube on the ground be better then being in a metal tube in the air?
Less distance to fall when the engine fails?
evenso
Veteran Member
I talked with a very close friend who is a Delta attendant and asked what they were being told about Ebola. I was sickened to learn that "Just public information that they forward from the CDC. Nothing individual. I was on a plane the other day leaving Atlanta for JFK and it was full of connections of people from west Africa."
Sigh
Sigh
Sleeping Cobra
TB Fanatic
Currently as i stated before over 50% of the flights in the lower 48 are used by Regional Jets. 76 Passengers and smaller. Because economic wise, TSA wise, many people stop flying wise and so on.
Sleeping Cobra
TB Fanatic
Updated:
I'm nervous and I'm changing my travel plans 42.39% (262 votes)
Ebola is making me nervous about traveling 40.29% (249 votes)
I'm traveling as usual and it's all overblown 17.31% (107 votes)
Total Votes: 618
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
New Orleans airport was typical for a Monday night. Normal amount of traffic. No one seemed concerned in the least about Ebola.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
I'm at MSY now waiting for flight home. Seems about normal for Tues morning. Maybe a little slower then normal considering Monday Night Football game last night in Super Dome. I'll let y'all now how full the flight to IAH is
I think the annual Thanksgiving holiday migration might reveal whether Ebola has had any real impact on travel by airlines. Of course, the Nor'easter barreling up the East Coast might cancel a lot of plans, so it behooves us to identify MOTIVE for large numbers of cancellations.
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
Flight from MSY to IAH was full. Houston is a zoo and no one seems to have a care in the world about Ebola
Capt. Eddie
Veteran Member
IAH to OMA is oversold. Offering $400 travel voucher. They're not going to sucker me with that one again. Looks like Ebola isn't having much effect on thanksgiving travel.