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United Airlines Prides Air Filtration System As Travelers Grow Comfortable With Flying Again

DENVER (CBS4)— One year after the COVID-19 pandemic brought the airline industry to a screeching halt, some have said flying has never been so clean. Though Denver International Airport is still operating at a drastically reduced capacity compared to pre-pandemic numbers, United Airlines said they're slowly but surely returning as time continues.

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Matt Miller, Vice President of the United Airlines hub in Denver, said United is currently operating at around 50% regular capacity. That number continues to rise as vaccines are distributed and Americans grow more comfortable with domestic travel. Compared to the start of the pandemic, 50% is welcomed progress for the business.

"We are at the one-year anniversary of when the coronavirus started to impact the travel industry," Miller told CBS4's Dillon Thomas. "This time last year we saw over a 95% decrease in volume of customers traveling through our airports."

Many Americans were concerned flying confined them in tight spaces where social distancing was difficult. Some suggested the air was also dangerous to breathe within the aircraft.

However, United Airlines gave CBS4 a tour of one of their jets to show how the company is squashing health misconceptions and promoting safe traveling.

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Aboard the airplanes are HEPA ventilation systems. Large filters below the cabin constantly filter the air aboard the aircraft. The ventilation system now runs from boarding to deplaning, whereas before the pandemic that system was shut off unless the aircraft was moving.

While some have suggested the cabin's oxygen isn't clean, Miller debunked those claims by explaining how the aircraft works.

New air is brought into the plane 20-to-30 times per hour. That means every two-to-three minutes the plane has cycled out old air, intaking and warming new clean air for the passengers.

"What this does is provides a continuous source of fresh air to the cabin to keep the people safe," said Joe Rundell, aircraft mechanic for United.

That air is then circulated from above, and sucked out for filtration at the foot.

"(The plane) pulls all the air down to the floor, and that's what creates the safe environment," Miller said.

Crews clean the aircraft between every flight. Platforms are wiped down with sanitation wipes. Between every flight, an electrostatic spray sanitizes each seat aboard the flight.

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"It is really one of the safest places you can be indoors," Miller said.

United partnered with the Department of Defense to study the safety of flying amid the pandemic. The study found even when the plane is full, on average only 0.003% of infected air particles could enter the breathing zone of seated, masked passengers.

Some airlines have also transformed the check-in process in the year following COVID-19's emergence. Touchless check-in at DIA is offered by some companies. By downloading an application some airline travelers can now check-in for their flight, change their seats and even print their baggage tag without ever touching the kiosk or speaking directly to an employee.

"The various steps we started to make the travel journey safer for our customers, that is when we started seeing folks feeling comfortable about coming back and traveling again," Miller said. "When they do come back and fly again they will feel safe and comfortable to know we have taken every step to ensure their safety."

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