Air Quality on Flights
 

I've read that the airlines recycle the air in the cabin to save money and that the<BR>air-quality is very poor and full of germs.<BR><BR>Anyone ever wear a mask during the flight?<BR><BR><BR>

No mask, but every time I fly I end up with a sinus infection!

Yes, the air quality is very poor. Air is recirculated and often contains many pathogens as well as odors.<BR><BR>Best to just stay at home if sensitive.

"I've read that the airlines recycle the air in the cabin to save money. . ."<BR>What would you expect them to do, open a window??? Where would you expect them to get fresh air at that altitude???

Seems like I've caught a cold every durn time we fly anymore - does anybody have any solutions outside of the obvious (stay home, wear a mask, don't breathe.....)?

Cindy-Take echinecea, drink lots of gree n tea and water and make sure you get extra vitamin c. Wash your hands religiously and use one of those soap free anti bacterial products if you can't get in the bathroom...

I carry a small tube of neo-sporin. Just before boarding a plane I put some in each nostril. If I'm on a long flight (more than 3 hours) I add another dose of neo sporin. I can't swear that it works, but I haven't had a problem since. Read this in a travel tips column.

For the benefit of xxx above, there is plenty of fresh air available. For an aircraft to fly, it needs air under the wings and thru the engines. The air in the cabin comes from the engine compressors and a percentage of it is recirculated. The percentage is essentially determined by the airline when it buys the airplane. That and the filtration chosen by the airline set the air quality and degree of freshness.

Totally agree with Charles about the airlines ability to control how much is re-used. I have a good friend who is a pilot for an airline--he says,after a long, technical explantion--that the arilines can control how much air is re-used and how much fresh air(or outside air) is filtered into the plane. They use as little outside air as possible to save on filtration and oxygenation.