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Airlines Stir Doubts With ‘Flying Is Safe’ Claim on Covid-19

  • The difficulty in unraveling virus risks during a pandemic
  • Researchers revise military study, lawmakers seek information
Passengers wear protective masks on a flight departing from Los Angeles International Airport.

Passengers wear protective masks on a flight departing from Los Angeles International Airport.

Photographer: Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg
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Airlines have loudly insisted that it’s safe to fly during the coronavirus pandemic, and U.S. travel is surging before the Thanksgiving holiday despite a nationwide spike in virus cases.

Yet top U.S. infectious disease experts say the findings underpinning the carriers’ safety claims aren’t that conclusive.