Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal posted about cabin fume events – how problems during a flight can cause real air quality issues for the crew and passengers. Hopefully, these events are rare and that raising the red flag in the press will help the airlines improve things so that they become rarer still.
However, even on flights without specific problems, there are air quality issues and steps one can take to minimize the effects of these.
Why is the air so bad?
While airplane filtration systems are pretty good at eliminating more serious pathogens like Tuberculosis (TB) from cabin air, the proximity of your fellow passengers can increase your risk of getting a respiratory infection–a miserable, business trip-spoiling cold.
Stay well hydrated by drinking lots of fluids (water or fruit juice) and avoiding caffeine and alcohol, which will dehydrate you. In my experience most flight attendants will gladly provide you a bottle of water even during the boarding process.
If you wear contact lenses, take them out before you fly–or have your lens case handy in case you need to take them out in-flight.