The Best Face Mask for Air Travel Out of California in 2022

Planning a trip from California to another country or state? While COVID-19 has taken away some of the spontaneity of daily life, air travel is back on and enjoyable as ever with the right gear and the proper planning ahead. Here is everything you need to know to make your trip both safe and fun.

Throughout the pandemic, recommendations and mandates have been adjusted as per the situation. However, 3 safe practices have been consistent. These are frequent hand cleaning, physical distancing and wearing face masks. While all three practices have proven themselves, hand sanitizing and physical distancing are not always possible, especially in airports and airplanes, which makes our selection of an effective face mask that much more critical.

Airplane passenger cabins are confined spaces shared by strangers. This increases your risk of catching COVID-19 and other diseases. So, what should we look for in a mask for flights and what are the makings of the best face mask for air travel? There are 5 main points to consider when looking for the best travel mask for you:

1. Other passengers’ behavior: Mask requirements on flights now vary based on the airline and destination. Even on flights with mask requirements in place, not everyone on the plane will be wearing masks consistently or well or even at all. Incorrect mask positioning, poor mask selection, overusing disposable masks and mask removal could all put you at risk of catching COVID-19 from other passengers.

2. Air quality:  ir quality in the passenger cabin is comprised of 3 components: the number of people with COVID-19 on the plane and how crowded the passenger cabin is, the fresh air introduced from the outside of the plane into the passenger cabin and the filtered air coming from the planes’ filtration system.

Bear in mind that even the best aircraft HEPA filtration systems require several minutes to cover the entire volume of air on the plane, meaning there is always air that is unfiltered at any given moment. Also, these filtration systems are not working at full capacity before takeoff and after landing. With the prevalent SARS-CoV-2 variants more contagious than ever, it is taking less and less exposure time to become infected. This shifts the responsibility for your protection to you, through your mask selection. 

3. Comfort: When we use masks for a short amount of time, we can put up with some degree of discomfort. However, selecting a mask for a long flight requires different standards. Keeping your mask on in the passenger cabin is important. Choosing a mask that is comfortable enough to keep on is key. Look for a mask that is breathable, comfortable and provides a good, snug fit.

The CDC recommends fabric masks that include at least 2 layers of tightly woven, breathable fabric. The mask should provide proper fit, so no air leaks out. The mask should also have an adjustable nose wire so that you can adjust the mask to your face. A mask like the SonoMask™ Pro covers all these requirements and goes way beyond the acceptable level with its award-winning hybrid model. The SonoMask™ Pro offers 3 layers of protection: an inner and outer layer made from soft, breathable poly/cotton blend as well a middle layer of non-woven filter.

It has an adjustable nose wire to improve the seal and prevent your glasses from fogging up so you can read or use your phone (on airplane mode) throughout your flight. It also comes with an ergonomic chin guard and 4 sizes ranging from kids to adults’ XL so that everyone has access to Sonovia’s high protection mask. 

4. Exceptional Filtration: The SonoMask™ Pro was developed with top-notch protection in mind, offering you a mask that offers outstanding filtration. The SonoMask™ Pro provides extremely high filtration performance, offering an impressive 97% efficacy against 3-micron particles with the testing to back up these numbers.

5. The Stay-Clean Mask: The Pro™ was made to include built-in antimicrobial properties to protect the mask from microbial growth. The fabric in the SonoMask™ Pro is embedded with an antimicrobial agent to protect the mask from the growth of microorganisms, keeping it clean and hygienic, even in the most infectious surroundings.

These properties also reduce the growth of odor-causing bacteria, keeping the mask smelling fresh even after long-haul flights. And because your mask stays clean, you only really need to wash it as needed if it becomes dirty or stained. With the SonoMask™ Pro you get high-protection and low-maintenance!

You may have heard of maskne by now – the pimples, skin breakouts and other skin irritations caused by long hours of mask-wearing, even among individuals who have never met a zit in their lives prior to the pandemic. Sitting on an airplane for many hours with your rough plastic disposable mask constantly creating friction against your skin can get you to your destination with less-than-ideal skin. But acne caused by masks, or maskne, doesn’t have to be a given. In fact, the fabric in the SonoMask Pro is so soft that even after a long flight your skin will not hold a grudge.

During long hours of wear, food and dirt may remain on the inside of our mask. All the hours on the airplane with less-than-ideal conditions for proper hygiene are wonderful news for bacteria that thrive on food particles and muck left behind inside our masks. This growth opportunity for bacteria can cause bad odor inside our mask which we would pretty much be stuck with for the full duration of our trip. But our trip doesn’t need to stink. The built-in antimicrobial properties in the SonoMask™ Pro prevent the growth of odor-causing bacteria on the mask, leaving your mask smelling fresh and your trip filled with good memories, not bad odors.

The FDA-approved COVID-19 vaccines and boosters have dramatically turned things around for us in 2021, taking us from isolation to near-normalcy. However, no vaccine protects 100% of the people 100% of the time, so you still run a risk of catching COVID-19 despite being vaccinated. In addition, new and more contagious SARS-CoV-2 variants are constantly being identified. While the vaccines have been doing a good job of protecting us from serious illness and death thus far, breakthrough infections are more common than ever.  We have no way of knowing who is sharing the cabin space with us. Masks are the first line of protection we have inside the plane to keep us safe.

Catching a breather with a trip out of LAX or SFO this year may seem like a challenge but making smart decisions about our protection during air travel can make all the difference in keeping us safe. With the right air travel mask like the SonoMask™ Pro, offering a combination of high filtration, innovative antimicrobial properties to protect the mask from microbial growth and impressive breathability and comfort, we have everything we need to have a good trip. The SonoMask™ Pro goes the extra mile to keep you safe in the air and after landing for a fun and memorable travel experience.