Press release
United Airlines to Maximize Ventilation System During Boarding and Deplaning
New procedure will maximize air flow volume and recirculation of cabin air for passengers United's HEPA filtration system recycles air every 2-3 minutes and
About this update from United Airlines Holdings, Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"New procedure will maximize air flow volume and recirculation of cabin air for passengers\n United's HEPA filtration system recycles air every 2-3 minutes and removes 99.97% of particles making an aircraft a cleaner environment than restaurants, grocery stores, schools or some hospitals\n\n\nCHICAGO, July 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- United Airlines today announced that the carrier will now maximize air flow volume for all mainline aircraft high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration systems during the entire boarding and deplaning process, helping further reduce the spread of COVID-19. In combination with the HEPA filters, the air conditioning and pressurization system onboard United's mainline aircraft recirculates the air every 2-3 minutes and removes 99.97% of particles – including viruses and bacteria during both ground and air operations – making the air onboard a plane significantly cleaner than what people typically experience in restaurants, grocery stores, schools or even some hospitals. United pilots and ground staff are working to implement this new procedure for mainline aircraft beginning July 27.\nTo see an animation of how air flows throughout the cabin click here\n\"We know the environment on an aircraft is safe and because the air flow is designed to minimize the transmission of disease, the earlier we maximize air flow over our HEPA filtration system, the better for our crew and our customers,\" said Scott Kirby, United's chief executive officer. \"The quality of the air, combined with a strict mask policy and regularly disinfected surfaces, are the building blocks towards preventing the spread of COVID-19 on an airplane. We expect that air travel is not likely to get back to normal until we're closer to a widely administered vaccine – so we're in this for the long haul. And I am going to keep encouraging our team to explore and implement new ideas, new technologies, new policies and new procedures that better protect our customers and employees.\"\nOn commercial aircraft, fresh air flows downward into the cabin from ceiling vents and exits the cabin at the floor and sidewalls. That air is then routed through the HEPA filters and mixed with fresh, outside air before returning back to the cabin. According to Boeing, that top-to bottom pattern, and frequent air exchange helps minimize front-to-back air movemen...