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Flu-Fearful Fliers Get Their Shot At Airport

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 6, 2007

ATLANTA - After taking off their shoes, emptying their pockets and passing through the security checkpoint, travelers at some major U.S. airports now can roll up a sleeve and get a flu shot.

"The convenience is great," Danny Manzon, a busy, 53-year-old restaurant consultant, said after getting vaccinated Tuesday at a kiosk in front of an AirTran gate at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. He said he had wanted to get a flu shot for three months but never had the time.

For years, some airports have been offering flu shots to airline passengers before they cleared security. Many travelers were too afraid of missing their flights to stop, though.

So this year, airports in such cities as Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Newark, N.J., and San Francisco are setting up airside health stations close to the gates, past the security checkpoints.

The shots typically cost $15 to $35. So far, the airports in the five major cities have given out about 15,000 shots this season.

The Associated Press

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