Wearing Masks At Airports & On Airplanes: My Approach

I’ve been doing a lot of traveling lately, including review trips, which can be pretty intense in terms of the amount of time spent at airports. Along those lines, a reader asked me whether I’m wearing masks nowadays when flying.

In this post I figured I’d share my current approach. I’m not suggesting anyone else should take my approach, but for those who are curious, here’s my thought process…

More from OMAAT Global Airlines Liquidating: The Senseless A380 Dream Finally Dies Read more

My current approach to masking while flying

Let me start by saying that I’m happy that the mask mandate for travel is a distant memory at this point, and I don’t judge anyone for their choice to mask or not mask (okay, I’ll admit that I’m puzzled by people who voluntarily wear cloth masks, but that’s besides the points).

Personally I do still choose to selectively wear a mask when traveling. My current system is to usually wear a mask during the highest risk phases of travel, and I don’t generally wear one otherwise:

• At airports, I generally wear a mask when in crowded spaces, whether it’s while passing through security, walking through a busy terminal, during boarding, or while waiting at immigration
• On airplanes, I generally wear a mask during boarding and deplaning (assuming it’s a plane where a lot of people are walking past me), or sometimes if I’m seated in economy very close to strangers

I won’t typically wear a mask if I’m in an airport and it’s not terribly crowded, whether I’m walking around, or just not sitting close to others. I also generally don’t wear a mask while inflight if I’m in a premium cabin, with a good amount of personal space.

Currently this is my mask of choice — it’s a KN-95 that I find to be pretty comfortable and breathable.

I should mention that I adjust my approach based on a couple of additional factors:

• I consider the overall seasonality of viruses, so tend to be more vigilant in winter than summer; I also feel like there are some periods where I travel and it feels like everyone is coughing, while other times I don’t notice that as much
• I also consider how invested I am in not getting sick on a particular flight; for example, if I’m heading on some amazing, very special trip, or if I have a big commitment upon returning home, I try to be more careful not to get sick

Why I take the approach that I do toward masking

My decision to often wear a mask while flying isn’t about coronavirus as such, but rather it’s about the lessons I’ve learned from the pandemic. I think many of us have a new understanding of how people get sick, and how it can largely be prevented.

Back in the day I’d get sick several times per year, especially when taking review trips where I spend several days straight in airports and on airplanes. I thought it was more or less unavoidable. Since the start of the pandemic I’ve been sick less than ever before, and that’s something I’m grateful for.

Look, I’m a healthy and (fairly) young person, so I’m not personally scared of serious side effects for anything that I could catch (at least compared to all the other risks I take on a daily basis, like driving in South Florida). However:

• Getting sick is really inconvenient and unpleasant; this is true whether you get sick prior to a very special trip, or upon returning home
• I don’t want to get other people sick, especially those more vulnerable than me

When I travel, I’m already putting a burden on my loved ones in terms of them taking care of our son. The last thing I want to do is then get them sick, or be out of commission for a week when I get home, and not be able to help.

Bottom line

Mask wearing tends to be a polarizing topic, with the extreme voices most commonly amplified (including those who argue masks don’t work, and those who argue everyone should be forced to wear masks, with no end in sight).

I’m someone who thinks that masks (when worn properly) do work, and that people should be able to make their own choices, especially since high quality masks offer protection to the person wearing them. I continue to typically wear masks in the highest risk situations when traveling.

I mask up primarily because it’s never fun to be unwell, and wearing masks has helped me greatly in the past several years with avoiding getting sick. It’s not about virtue signaling or anything else, but I’m so grateful to get sick a lot less than in the past.

I’ve gotta say, I’m kind of dreading when our son starts going to school, because it seems like at that point all bets are off, as kids seem to be sick constantly (and bring that home). At that point I might just have to rip the band-aid off, and acknowledge that my era of not getting sick much is over…

Anyone else still wear masks in some capacity when traveling? If so, under what circumstances?