Comments on: A pox on the passengers http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/a-pox-on-the-passengers/ Consumer advocate Christopher Elliott's site. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 05:25:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: abigail@ west bengal travel http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/a-pox-on-the-passengers/comment-page-1/#comment-35863 abigail@ west bengal travel Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:59:43 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/a-pox-on-the-passengers/#comment-35863 “There’s an increased risk of infection in an aircraft cabin, because the air is in a confined location,” So airline people have to be more strict about that. they should not allow people with swine flue or pox. “There’s an increased risk of infection in an aircraft cabin, because the air is in a confined location,” So airline people have to be more strict about that. they should not allow people with swine flue or pox.

]]> By: Sharon Miller http://www.elliott.org/the-travel-critic/a-pox-on-the-passengers/comment-page-1/#comment-1307 Sharon Miller Thu, 20 Apr 2006 16:25:17 +0000 http://beta.elliott.org/photos/a-pox-on-the-passengers/#comment-1307 My co-workers tease me, prior to departing for Alaska or Hawaii, that they will see me after my sick leave, the sick leave usually follows an extended period of time on an airplane. I am particularly susceptible to upper respiratory infections. I found it upsetting prior to boarding an American Airlines flight to hear a flight attendant tell the gate agent that she had the flu. (She looked sick!) And, as "luck" would have it, she was not only on our flight but doing the beverage service in our section of the cabin as well. When I told my husband that we were going to forego the beverage service and why, he agreed. We now carry bottled water and forego the beverage service entirely. On the return trip we got stuck on a plane with a large group of people from the same company who coughed and sneezed for the duration of the flight. I don't know if I was infected by the flight attendant on my outbound flight or the passengers on my return flight, but I ended up in bed with the flu shortly after we returned home. I suspect the latter because of the incubation period. I was unable to get my flu shot that year because of the shortage of vaccine. UGH! In addition to airborne bacteria and viruses, passengers are put at risk from those who either don't wash their hands at all, or those who "token" wash - you know the type - the person who wets his/her hands for a second to give the appearance of having washed those five-fingered disease spreaders. Many flight attendants do not wash their hands! Are they stupid, extremely lazy, or are they protecting those petri dishes under their long, fake fingernails? ...makes me ill to think about the microbes multiplying under those nails! I have actually been considering wearing a surgical mask and white gloves when I fly. I would look rather odd, but stares from people whom I will never see again is preferable to getting sick. And, no, I am not a "germophobe", just a clean person with common sense who doesn't like to get sick! Maybe airlines should make surgical masks available on all of their planes for those who are coughing and/or sneezing. Our local hospital requires that people in the waiting are of the ER put on masks for the reasons I cited above. In addition, wall-mounted waterless hand sanitizer products should be located in galley and lavatory areas of all aircraft. The flu is a serious issue but most people survive a bout of the flu, but such diseases as TB have the potential to destroy lives. Sharon Miller Gardner, Massachusetts My co-workers tease me, prior to departing for Alaska or Hawaii, that they will see me after my sick leave, the sick leave usually follows an extended period of time on an airplane. I am particularly susceptible to upper respiratory infections.

I found it upsetting prior to boarding an American Airlines flight to hear a flight attendant tell the gate agent that she had the flu. (She looked sick!) And, as “luck” would have it, she was not only on our flight but doing the beverage service in our section of the cabin as well. When I told my husband that we were going to forego the beverage service and why, he agreed. We now carry bottled water and forego the beverage service entirely.

On the return trip we got stuck on a plane with a large group of people from the same company who coughed and sneezed for the duration of the flight.

I don’t know if I was infected by the flight attendant on my outbound flight or the passengers on my return flight, but I ended up in bed with the flu shortly after we returned home. I suspect the latter because of the incubation period. I was unable to get my flu shot that year because of the shortage of vaccine. UGH!

In addition to airborne bacteria and viruses, passengers are put at risk from those who either don’t wash their hands at all, or those who “token” wash – you know the type – the person who wets his/her hands for a second to give the appearance of having washed those five-fingered disease spreaders. Many flight attendants do not wash their hands! Are they stupid, extremely lazy, or are they protecting those petri dishes under their long, fake fingernails? …makes me ill to think about the microbes multiplying under those nails!

I have actually been considering wearing a surgical mask and white gloves when I fly. I would look rather odd, but stares from people whom I will never see again is preferable to getting sick.

And, no, I am not a “germophobe”, just a clean person with common sense who doesn’t like to get sick!

Maybe airlines should make surgical masks available on all of their planes for those who are coughing and/or sneezing. Our local hospital requires that people in the waiting are of the ER put on masks for the reasons I cited above.

In addition, wall-mounted waterless hand sanitizer products should be located in galley and lavatory areas of all aircraft.

The flu is a serious issue but most people survive a bout of the flu, but such diseases as TB have the potential to destroy lives.

Sharon Miller
Gardner, Massachusetts

]]>