Delta Air Lines: Our Aircraft Are Safer Than Hospital Operating Rooms

U.S. carrier Delta Air Lines has claimed that the company's aircraft are safer than hospital operating rooms and homes.

According to the Airline, the HEPA-filters fitted to most commercial aircraft, along with the downward ventilation system, there is a 99.7 percent reduction in the risk of coronavirus transmission through air onboard.

According to the reports and the tests conducted on rival United's 777 and 767 aircraft “The 767 and 777 both removed particulate 15 times faster than home and five to six times faster than recommended design specifications for modern hospital operating or patient isolation rooms.” according to the report.

Delta’s focus on keeping the onboard air clean and safe is a key layer of protection Delta works to provide to its passengers and staff. The air on Delta aircraft is completely refreshed 10 to 30 times per hour (every 2 to 6 minutes) with fresh outside air or air that has been recirculated through industrial-grade HEPA filters, which extract more than 99.99 percent of particles, including viruses.

Apparently, Delta says it replaces its HEPA filters twice as often as recommended and is installing LEED Platinum MERV14 filters to provide cleaner air while aircraft are parked, which can result in a significant reduction in air particles and cleaner air in jetbridges. However, some maintenance staff based in Atlanta have disputed that, saying there is a backlog in changing filters on the fleet.

Delta's Chief Customer Experience Officer Bill Lentsch said, “In addition to continually innovating and setting the new standard of cleanliness, it’s also our job to share science-based facts and research with our customers to help them feel informed and comfortable when they return to the skies.”

The airline has implemented layers of protection from check-in to baggage claim to deliver a new standard of cleanliness, more space, and safer service and care for customers and employees alike. Delta’s comprehensive list of more than 100 safety actions is collectively known as the Delta CareStandard which involves sanitizing aircraft surfaces with electrostatic spray before every flight, blocking middle seats while capping aircraft capacity, enforcing mask-wearing requirements, and changing aircraft HEPA filters twice as often as recommended to help curb the spread of coronavirus.