How soon before we can choose to fly with airlines that sterilise their aircraft with UV light?

[AussieNeil]

I'd be thrilled if this aircraft sanitising robot comes into common use, then I'd only have to worry about avoiding infections from nearby passengers...

gizmag.com/germfalcon-airli...

[bkoffman CLL CURE Hero]

For what's worth, I wear an N95 mask on the plane, and use a ton of hand sanitizer.

[AussieNeil Partner Administrator in reply to bkoffman]

I've wondered how you stay well with all the travelling you do Brian, so thanks for sharing your strategy. When did you adopt this? Was it after noticing you were more often ill after flying or just a proactive measure knowing that CLL had reduced your immunity?

How do other passengers and the flight crew react?

How do you manage eating and drinking, particularly on long flights?

The use of hand sanitisers and masks is becoming more common in Australia in medical settings, more so in the winter months. Hand sanitisers often appear at the entrance to a GP's rooms and there's either a N95 face mask dispensing unit at the entrance or a sign asking you to request a mask if you are coughing.

My pathology collection centre has a box of masks prominently on display at the check in counter and you are asked to use a hand sanitiser before entering the room for your blood draw. Given ill people often attend to provide pathology samples for analysis, these strike me as obvious places to insist on such preventive measures - just to protect the staff!

Is this normal in the USA and is it a seasonal practice as it tends to be in Australia?

What about other countries? I've heard from one UK member that mask wearing is rare.

Neil