![]() Selling only half or two-thirds of available seats doesn’t make for good economics when there are several initiatives to ensure passenger safety and aircraft sanitation already in effect. In fact, they’re 99.97% effective in trapping airborne particles and other bio-contaminants as small as 0.3 microns. Aircraft-grade HEPA filters, like those on every E-Jet, are extremely efficient. The smaller ones, however, can remain suspended. Onboard HEPA Filtersĭid you know that the most common droplets that people expel are between 4 and 8 microns in size? The heavier ones fall close by and collect on surfaces, like seats and clothing. It’s why we’re recommending passengers turn the nozzle on the gasper so that they always have a steady stream of air directed at their seat area. Forward-facing seats also minimize direct face-to-face passenger interaction. This minimizes cross-contamination between rows although the seat banks themselves serve as natural blocks to exhaled droplets. The cone-shaped flow pattern from the gasper directs particles to air return grills located near the cabin floor. We found that the correct positioning of the PSU gaspers in relation to a person’s head, and the resulting airflow, creates a kind of air curtain, or air barrier. In other words, droplets, like those generated by talking, coughing, and sneezing, are dispersed vertically and channelled away from other passengers as much as possible. Our objective was to ensure that airborne contaminants were effectively directed away from passengers by minimizing the number of axial flow components. We conducted a series of CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) tests and simulations of cabin air flow years ago during development of our E-Jets. The air circulates through strategically placed vents and upper and lower air inlets around the overhead bins. The air in an Embraer E-Jet cabin is completely refreshed at least 20 times every hour. In fact, most aircraft exchange their entire volume of cabin air 20 to 30 times more frequently than the air in an office, and 5 to 6 times more than hospitals. Yet it may surprise you to learn that cabin air circulation and ventilation are carefully engineered to disperse and re-direct contaminants. The rationale for keeping the same safe distance on an airplane as you would on the ground is understandable. Are fewer available seats and more expensive travel the only solution? The Air You Breathe Ticket prices would need to rise to cover operating costs. Reducing the number of seats carriers can sell on an aircraft, of course, impacts the economics of the flight, as IATA estimated in a recent press release. Airlines are addressing traveller anxiety by keeping adjacent seats vacant. Today, it’s seen as a critical buffer zone between passengers concerned about the spread of airborne bio-contaminants in the cabin. Before, an empty one represented the luxury of extra personal space. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |