Posted: Mar 10, 2021 / 06:06 AM EST / Updated: Mar 10, 2021 / 06:06 AM EST

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE)- The number of air travelers returning to the skies seems to be on an upward trend, but does everyone who’s flying feel good about the steps to stop the spread of COVID at airports or on airplanes?

With a record-breaking number of passengers taking to the skies in the face of a worldwide pandemic, airlines, airports, and researchers have had the better part of a year to figure out the best way to keep everyone safe.

“The airline and your fellow travelers are doing what they need to do to keep themselves safe. Everyone wants to stay safe,” one passenger told FOX 46.

Passengers are taking notice.

“I feel like the safety measures that are put into place in the airport and general public have done some to mitigate the spread,” said another.

The recent implementation of a contact-tracing program by American, Delta and Southwest as well as other smaller airlines adds another layer of protection and prevention against the spread of COVID-19.

Passengers’ names, phone numbers, email addresses and a physical address in the U.S. are all collected and passed along to local health officials if it’s needed.

The new cooperation between airlines and the CDC came about when COVID-19 variants became a new unknown in the fight against the virus.

“You kind of wonder if someone next to you is sick or not, but everybody is wearing their masks and no one had any problem with it,” another passenger told FOX 46. “Now there are studies saying flying is the safest way to travel.”

It’s a welcome relief for many people ready to start planning vacations and cross-country business trips again.