Ask the Captain: How can I overcome coronavirus fears so I can travel? How do pilots beat jet lag?
What would you say to someone who is afraid to travel?
– PF, Miami
If it’s coronavirus you are worried about, I’d tell you to research your airline and destination to see what the conditions are like and what precautions are being taken. Evaluate the level of risk vs. the value of the travel. Then determine if that risk is acceptable to you.
Acceptable levels of risk are different for different people and organizations. I am still traveling for business, but with safety mitigations (e.g. mask, hand sanitizer and social distancing). To me, the value of travel is enough to accept the risk with the mitigations in place.
John Cox is a retired airline captain with US Airways and runs his own aviation safety consulting company, Safety Operating Systems.