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National Geographic has a fantastic article
I recently flew through LAX and was one of many people who put on a facemask. I realize that this only reduces my chances of contracting any disease somewhat, but any reduction is beneficial in my mind.
What we currently know about coronavirus is limited, but we do know that it is far more severe ( estimated 30 times ) than the flu which has already claimed over 8200 peoples’ lives, just in the US. Some experts fear that 100k-350k people may be infected with the coronavirus in the Wuhan area alone.
While nothing is definitive at this moment, it’s not only contractable by inhaling a droplet dispersed by the infected, but also by that droplet landing on you, or landing on something that you ultimately touch, which is why I also carry antibacterial gel and wipes. You really should be wiping down your tray table, window, armrest, etc anyways, but that’s even more important now.
So, whether you take the following information as a means to reducing your chances of contracting the flu, a cold, coronavirus, or any transmittable disease, I found a National Geographic article that highlighted research on plane transmission of disease.
It’s fascinating, and also refutes claims by the WHO that say it’s only contractable by people sitting within 2 rows of the infected.
Windows are best
I don’t have means by which to reproduce their images ( they’re copyrighted), but if you go to this link, you’ll find they’ve created an example of an infected patient sitting in the exact middle of the plane.
Passengers within a couple of rows are most likely to contract the disease, along with the flight attendant, as they are in “direct” contact, or within 6 feet of that individual. The further away you move, the lower the odds get.
The biggest variable is the non-static nature of passengers. They move, stretch, etc and in order to calculate odds, you need to understand how much exposure each passenger may have to the diseased individual. Fascinating stuff.
Middle and Aisle seats are in close contact up to 50 or 60 times during a flight
The first two seats in a row are within a meter to the aisle, meaning, if that sick individual gets up and goes to the bathroom, voila – you’re in contact.
The article references data that indicated those seated in window seats only come into contact with other passengers 12 times during a flight; whereas those in a middle or aisle are racking up 50 to 60 points of contact.
Another piece of information that was eye opening is that a single sick flight attendant can infect 4.6 people per flight. I didn’t see what flight time they were using as an assumption, but I’d guess it isn’t a 15 hour flight from China – you could could probably increase those numbers for ultra long haul flights.
Go here if you’d like to read the entire article
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Welcome Offer
Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
- Earn 60,000 bonus points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening.
- That’s $750 when you redeem through Chase Travel℠
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- 3x on dining, including eligible delivery services for takeout & dining out
- 3x on select streaming services
- 3x on online grocery purchases
- (excluding Target, Walmart and wholesale clubs)
- $50 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- The begins immediately for new cardmembers and after your account anniversary for existing cardmembers
- 2x on all other travel
- 10% Anniversary Bonus
- Every year you keep the card, your total spend will yield a 10% points bonus. If you spend $10k in a year, you’ll get 1k bonus points
- Chase Sapphire Preferred continues to redeem at 1.25c in the Chase Travel℠ and the slew of other benefits remain in tact including Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver ( primary ), purchase protections, etc.
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- Redeem in Chase Travel℠ for 1.25 cents per point
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Get complimentary access to DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees and lower service fees for a minimum of one year when you activate by December 31, 2024
- $95 Annual Fee
We keep an up to date spreadsheet that lists the best ever offers: You can find that spreadsheet here.
Historically 80k is a very, very good offer and hit in both 2022 and 2023. In 2021, we saw the offer hit an all time high of 100k. Who knows if that will ever come back.
Main Cast:
Cards that earn flexible points and should be used on the bulk of your purchases.
Supporting Cast:
Cards that earn fixed points in the currency of the airline/hotel and can not be transferred at attractive rates. These cards yield benefits that make it worth keeping, but not necessarily worth putting a lot of your everyday spend on.
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® is exceptional starter card and offers transferrable Ultimate Rewards, and pairs well with other Chase cards.
If you carry this card alongside Chase’s cashback cards like the Chase Freedom Flex® and Chase Freedom Unlimited® or the business versions: Ink Business Cash® , Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee is quite low at $95 a year + you get a 10% anniversary bonus on points + $50 hotel credit in Chase travel.
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