Maria Balys of Orchard Park was flying from Buffalo to California on Wednesday to visit her son and his fiance for their wedding shower.
After 34 years as a nurse, she has no worries about being in the airport or getting on a plane despite growing concerns across the country about the coronavirus.
"I think it's fine to travel as long as you continue to wash your hands and use precautions and be smart," Balys said.
The Buffalo Niagara International Airport is taking a few steps to help passengers and employees avoid spreading the illness.
Aviation Director William Vanecek says while cleanliness is always a top priority, they're upping the efforts to keep germs grounded.
"We know it's a little bit of a different world these days," Vanecek said. "We've asked our custodial staff as they're going through their normal routines to actually increase the frequencies of wiping down some of their common areas, particularly restrooms."
Custodians are using a sanitizing solution along with bleach and water spray to disinfect surfaces. Typically, they clean restrooms every 1 to 1.5 hours, but now will go in and wipe down surfaces more often. Employees can wear gloves or masks if they choose, although Vanecek says he's had no requests for masks.
The airport is also supplying sanitizer and supplies to TSA workers.
"They don't have the ability to say, 'I have to stand six feet away from you,' that's not the case," Vanecek said. "They have to still check tickets. They have to make sure they're identifying people that are coming through that match their credentials."
Right now, there are no plans to add extra hand sanitizer stations in the airport, but passengers can bring their own disinfecting wipes through security and onto their fights.
The airlines themselves are responsible for cleaning the planes. Many say they've added extra measures for sanitizing beyond the time they normally spend cleaning before and after flights.
"Right now, there's not a sense of panic. I want to stress that. It's still safe to fly in the planes," Vanecek said.
The airport is actually seeing an increase for bookings from March to April with spring break on the way as some airlines cut ticket prices. He is keeping an eye on airlines as they discuss the possibility of decreasing the number of domestic flights.
"I would at this point say people are still comfortable enough that they don't see a huge issue with it today," Vanecek said. "Again, all bets are off if we see coronavirus have an impact on Western New York."
While some people might avoid traveling, Maria Balys says the simple solutions give her peace of mind.
"I don't think we should stop doing things that we want to do," she said. "Don't miss events because it's going to come and go and everything's going to be fine."