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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
The Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card went through a major refresh in 2026 adding new bonus categories, travel protections, statement credits, and remains one of the best travel starter cards in the market. It earns Premium Ultimate Rewards that can be transferred into over a dozen partners many of which are US based including Hyatt, Southwest, United, IHG, and Marriott. Note that Hyatt is now a 4:3 transfer partner
Welcome Offer
Earn 100,000 bonus points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
Annual Fee
$95
Points Earned
Transferrable Chase Ultimate Rewards
Earn
- 5x on all travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on gas and EV charging
- NEW ACCELERATED EARN CATEGORY: 3x points on vacation homes at top brands
- Cardmembers will earn 3x points on vacation homes at these top brands: Airbnb, Vrbo, Plu Guide, HomeAway, Homestay.com and Vacasa.
- 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)
- 2x on all other travel
- 1x on everyday purchases
- 5x points on Lyft rides Earn 5x total points on eligible Lyft rides including ride share, bike and scooter rides and subscription and membership products through September 30, 2027.
- 5x total points on Peloton equipment Earn 5x total points on eligible Peloton equipment and accessory purchases over $150 through December 31, 2027.
Benefits and Credits
- $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠
- NEW: $120 Global Entry, TSA PreCheck or NEXUS fee credit Cardmembers will receive one statement credit of up to $120 every four years as reimbursement for the application fee charged to the card.
- NEW: Complimentary Apple TV subscription for one year
- Points are transferrable to 14 Ultimate Rewards partners
- No foreign transaction fees
- Suite of Travel and Purchase Coverage
- Auto Rental Collision Damage Waiver is my favorite
- Complimentary DashPass which unlocks $0 delivery fees & lower service fees for a min. of one year when you activate by 12/31/27. Plus, a $10 promo each month on non-restaurant orders
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® Card is great 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: Chase Ink Business Cash® , Chase Ink Business Unlimited® you can combine the points into the Sapphire Preferred account and transfer into hotel and airline partners
Annual fee remains quite low at $95 a year and if you use the $100 Annual Chase Travel Hotel Credit via Chase Travel℠ you’ll wipe out that annual fee every year. It has great bonus categories and other useful statement credits to enhance your travel.
One thing that is a bummer is Chase lowered the transfer ratio to World of Hyatt from 1:1 to 4:3.
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