Airport Business - 35

TOTALLY BOGGUS
AUTHOR Roddy Boggus

Clearing the Air
NORMAL. A word that has come to mean that everything
is usual, typical, expected or conforming to a standard.
We use that word a lot these
days when we talk about "The New
Normal" (TNN), meaning postCOVID-19. But when does the new
normal start? Who decides that? Are
we already in it? Are the elements of
the pandemic we are currently dealing
with the new normal?
The Institute of Boggus Talk (IBT)
has never been shy about stepping in to
provide guidance in a vacuum. In this
day where we often hear leaders speak
things or ideas into existence, it seems
the perfect time to deploy our Keeping
It Real (KIR) initiative.
So, let's start out with the easy ones.
Drinking and/or injecting bleach or
disinfectant is detrimental to your
health. Sure, it might kill what ails
you, but that process may be a result
of your death as well.
And, speaking of good intentions
- and how the road to hell is paved
with them - Italy has now banned
the use of overhead bins on planes to
prevent overcrowding during boarding
and deplaning the aircraft. This is great
for inside the aircraft, but doesn't it
just relocate that "crowding" issue
to ticketing and check-in now that
everyone must check their bag?
So, let's get back to KIR and how
the IBT can provide some guidance. In
the U.S. we have all seen the problems
with requiring passengers to wear
facemasks when in our terminals as
well as on the aircraft. We have seen
airlines requiring passengers to wear
masks but then instructing their
onboard employees not to police it.
The whole COVID thing has
become totally politicized and the
health requirements needed to combat
it have become strong argumentative
fodder for all sides. Well, the IBT,

using crack scientific pontification
and extreme amounts of Zoom
Video Conferencing, has developed a
surefire method to ensure passenger
compliance for facemasks inflight.
That surefire method? Oxygen
masks.
Oh yes, if the air carriers were
to modify their cabin altitude to
11,000 feet, then oxygen masks
would be required on the f light to
prevent hypoxia - sluggish thinking,
dimmed vision, loss of consciousness,
etc. - altitude sickness, decompression
sickness and barotrauma.
And yes, we do agree that many
of today's passengers seem to exhibit
hypoxia as soon as they enter our
airports and aircraft. One can only
imagine what they would be like if
the effects were worse due to actual
physiological problems brought about
by low outside air pressure.
In this COVID environment,
where the wearing of masks in an area
that does not allow social distancing,
how better to force masking than with
the threat of loss of consciousness?
In fact, for many passengers, loss of
consciousness could be the preferred
method of travel and not all that
different from what we normally see.
Sure, commercial aircraft would
have to supplement their existing
chemical oxygen generators to cover
the f lights, to have enough oxygen.
However, the anti-maskers out there
would probably be less apt to make
a scene over wearing a mask when
hyperventilation, alkalosis, nausea
and even pulmonary oedema is the
result of going 'commando' from a
mask point of view.
There is a potential side benefit of
preventing airborne exposure of COVID-

19 or really any other virus as a result.
Having masks will allow the pressure
resistant cabin windows removed from
the front and rear of the aircraft allowing
free flow of outside air through the cabin
throughout the flight. That rush of outside
air continuously bathing the passengers in
rapidly moving currents would help quickly
remove any airborne contaminates from the
aircraft during flight. To prevent the risk of
hypothermia or frostbite from exposure to
high-altitude air, we could limit the flight
altitudes to between 8,000 and 10,000 feet
even though, technically, oxygen might not
be required at that altitude.
As you can see, the IBT has
done the critical thinking on how
to protect the f lying public during
these pandemic times. Many times,
people just need a little incentive to
do what is necessary to protect them
from themselves. It appears to us that
this option provides that little kick
to incentivize passengers to remain
masked for the duration of the flight.
As to TNN, we are beginning to
wonder if we are already in it. In these
past six months we have seen much
change around the world at a pace
faster than we have ever seen before.
Perhaps our industry is changing too.
I hope this clears the air. 

RODDY BOGGUS
Roddy is the Buildings Service Group Leader for
the Aviation Practice at RS&H. A 30-year aviation
professional, he is an architect with a Bachelors'
of Design from Texas Tech University. Roddy is
the 2017 Board Chair of the Airport Consultants
Council (ACC) and sits on the Board of Directors
for the International Partnering Institute (IPI) as
well as the International Association of Airport
Executives (IAAE).

AUGUST | SEPTEMBER 2020 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 35
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Airport Business

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