JUST when you thought the coughing or sneezing passenger next to you is
spreading the flu bug, a recent survey reveals that instead, airports could be
hotbeds for the spread of disease.
The study by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Department of Civil
and Environmental Engineering (CEE) looked at 40 of the largest airports in the
US and tried to figure out which ones would most likely be the biggest
contagions in the event of an outbreak.
They factored in passengers' travel patterns, the airports' geographic
locations, interactions between airports and even passenger travel patterns and
waiting times to come up with the results in the published journal PLoS One
last week.
US's sixth busiest airport, John F. Kennedy Airport in New York, came in at
no. 1 spot. The airport has eight terminals and handled about 47 million
passengers in 2011.
But what was surprising about the survey was that an airport's ranking was
not necessarily tied to its size or busyness.
For example, Honolulu International Airport ranked third even though it
carries only 30 per cent as much traffic as JFK, according to a CNN report.
The researchers attributed that to Honolulu's location within the air
traffic network as it is located in the Pacific Ocean and has many flight
connections to distant, large, and well-connected hubs.
While Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport ranks first in terms of passenger
numbers according to data from Airports Council International (ACI), it was
eighth on the list of potential disease spreaders. US fourth busiest airport,
Dallas-Fort Worth, ranked 10th.
Here are 10 US airports that are most likely to spread disease.
maryanns@sph.com.sg
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10. Miami International Airport
The airport, located in the Texas region, is the fourth busiest and handled
57,744,554 passengers in 2011, according to figures from ACI.
9. Miami International Airport
The Florida airport is the 12th busiest and serviced 38,314,389 passengers
in 2011.
8. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
US's busiest airport handled 92,389,023 passengers in 2011.
7. Washington Dulles International Airport
The airport in the US capital city is 22nd busiest in the country and it
handled 23,056,291 passengers in 2011.
6. O'Hare International Airport
The Chicago airport is the second busiest in the US and it serviced
66,659,709 passengers in 2011.
5. Newark Liberty International Airport
The airport, located in New York, is the 14th busiest in the US and it
handled 33,711,372 passengers in 2011.
4. San Francisco International Airport
The airport is the seventh busiest in the US and it serviced 40,810,141
passengers in 2011.
3. Honolulu International Airport
The Hawaiian airport is the 27th busiest in the US and it serviced
17,947,117 passengers in 2011.
2. Los Angeles International Airport
The Californian airport is the third busiest and handled 61,862,052
passengers in 2011.
