currentjer

On aa1122 bog-dfw 9 November right now….and there’s a deadheading crew coughing away in 2L…right behind me. He mentioned that he has been sick and stuck in Bogota for 9 days and is finally returning home.

I’m happy for him that he’s getting back to his family - but even with my vaccine, I’m still feeling a little nervous about flying w an aa employee clearly still showing symptoms.

Boarding door has closed so not sure what can be done. Am I being paranoid?

born sleepy

If he's on the plane he should have tested negative within 72hrs leaving BOG, so he might still be recovering but is no longer contagious.

Unless someone at AA let him on without being tested...

donotblink

Or he submitted a fake test...just saying it's possible.

Tanic

Or after testing negative, became infected within 72 hours of departure.

Repooc17

I sat next to a passenger coughing and sneezing the other day in coach for 6+ hours. Could be Covid, or just regular cold. At this point, having flown well over 100 flights this year already, I have seen it all. Nothing really bother me anymore.

OP, the person you described sat behind you in first class, so I think you are going to be ok. Unless you can stay home forever, this is just another inherent risk we'd have to manage.

GrumpyYoungMan

Yes.

onanisland

There was a woman on my DFW to ILM flight the other night having a terrible time coughing. I don’t think she should have been flying. But I understand that sometimes you just want to get home.

USFlyerUS

I had an awful cough for about three weeks over the summer. Multiple COVID tests came back negative. Doctor said some other virus was going around and just to let it run its course, which it eventually did. Cough does not always mean COVID. However, people looked at me like I was walking around with the plague. That's going to happen until COVID is a distant memory.

beachmouse

I once had a cold, likely picked up on a WN flight, that led to bronchitis and six weeks of coughing, which was far past the point when I still would have been contagious and I felt perfectly fine except when I had to cough

enviroian

Ya know folks there are other illnesses out there other than covid.

fotographer

why is it, that any time, someone sneezes, clears their throat, or coughs... its covid... the weather is changing all over, and winter is upon us..

downinit

And I don't want to catch those illnesses anymore than I want to catch covid. This is why I am a big fan of mask requirements on airplanes, especially for people who are coughing. In fact, anyone actively coughing should be required to wear an N95/FFP2 mask. I have flown numerous times pre-covid with a cough, and each time I am extremely proactive about minimizing/eliminating the cough as much as possible. And I am usually fairly successful, as I load up on lozenges, medicine, and always have a drink at the ready. If that doesn't work, I at least have the decency to go to the restroom to clear myself out. People who just cough uncontrollably and make no concerted effort at trying to minimize it are my biggest pet peeve, both on the ground and especially on a plane. Every time someone starts coughing uncontrollably on a flight, the FA should immediately deliver a mask, a water bottle, and some cough drops. If they refuse, the FA should come back with a hefty bag and some zip ties to go around their neck.

petit_manchot

What is the fact that they were deadheading crew relevant at all? And why the assumption that it was covid? Post viral cough can linger for weeks/months.

Yes, you are being paranoid.

Catbert10

It's going to be a long time before people can cough and sneeze in public and people won't treat them like plague victims. The other day I had a sneezing fit on a flight. I was masked and out of reflex covering my mouth with my arm. Still people were looking at me like leprosy boils were all over my face.

knit-in

I have felt symptoms that mirror covid-19 so many times and am yet to test positive. Doesn't make me complacent, but it is time to understand that the common cold and other minor ailments have existed before the novel coronavirus plagued us.