DES MOINES, Iowa — Businesses and hospitals in the metro have been using a new tool to fight coronavirus with UV light.
It has been proven to kill viruses in places like hotels and hospital rooms.
Now, airlines are giving UV light, the green light.
The airline industry has taken one of the biggest economic hits as travelers scale back plans to travel and states implement restrictions on visitors from hot-spots.
JetBlue is the latest airline to bring UV light into the cabin to kill COVID-19 and build consumer confidence.
"We've got a team from Honeywell here and we've got a JetBlue team, and we'll be looking at the effectiveness of the application whether or not in samples, whether or not the coronavirus has been killed," president & COO of JetBlue, Joanna Geraghty said. "So we do think UV technology has a tremendous application, similar to what's been used in hospitals."
The device made by Honeywell has wings that spread out wide, shining UV light over airline seats, while other lights zero in on the overhead compartment.
The operator stands behind a UV light shield because it can be dangerous to others, so the cabin must be empty as well.
It can be done quickly with a downtime of just 10 minutes for an entire plane.
"This is technology that's been used in hospitals for many years, demonstrated to be over 90% effective on all kinds of pathogens so not just viruses, bacteria, etc," Honeywell Aerospace president & CEO, Mike Madsen said.
While JetBlue doesn't fly directly in or out of Des Moines, you may board one of their planes during a connection to a larger city.
Other carriers like American, Southwest and Delta who've scaled back flights through the fall may look to this as a way to build confidence in travelers who are hesitant to fly.
"UV light is another tool in our toolbox," ABC News medical contributor Dr. Jay Bhatt said. "It's no substitute for proper disinfection and cleaning, but I believe in it. I think it can work. But I think it just needs to be done in a smart way and in a way to keep people safe."
The month of June was rough for Des Moines International Airport.
Comparing June of last year to this year, passenger traffic down 76% and year to date down more than half compared to 2019.
A reminder , if you do plan to fly, make sure you bring your mask as most airlines require them.