Improving Air Travel Comfort & Experience: Designing for Infection Prevention and Control.

The onset of the Coronavirus Disease of 2019 (COVID-19) caused a shift in the air travel industry as safety and precautionary measures were put in place to mitigate some of the risks associated with infection prevention and control. This research documents and reveals a glimpse of the state of current air travel during the pandemic, through the first-hand experiences of passengers. The study consisted of three methods used to collect real-time and recollective reflections from current passengers, while also evaluating the development, implementation, and use of these methods within the context of remote qualitative research. Our findings suggest that passengers' air travel experiences during pandemic conditions are influenced by factors that span layers of user experience, within the larger umbrella of service design. The findings point to new areas of research and design development, that should be explored to support a more positive travel experience during pandemic conditions.