United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby on Tuesday said that planes are safe for passengers who don’t want to wear masks, adding that it is the safest indoor environment for people.
“It literally is the safest environment you’re gonna be indoors anywhere that you are,” Kirby said while making an appearance on “CBS Mornings,” adding that the second safest place for an individual would be a hospital ICU. He noted, however, that airplanes have 10 times more airflow than an ICU.
“That’s why being on an airplane next to two people in a middle seat is the equivalent of being 15 feet away from someone in a building,” Kirby said. “You’re safer sitting next to me on an airplane that you are sitting across from me right now.”
Kirby pointed to the airflow on planes, saying that it recirculates every 2 to 3 minutes through HEPA grade filters, or high-efficiency particulate air filters, which he said removes at least 99.97 percent of dust, pollen, mold, bacteria, and any airborne particles with a size of 0.3 microns, according to the Environmental Protection Agency…
