Planes can be disgusting flying petri dishes. Those blankets Jetblue thinks are worth $7? Stay away from them. When not sold as collectibles, they’re cleaned only when “they are visibly dirty, or only when they appear to have been used.” Inside, how to breathe fresh air and avoid drinking storage tank water. Mmmm!
- Ask About Air Packs: Surprise flight attendants by asking how many air packs are currently working. Most planes run two to mix cabin air with fresh air, but if you ask, who knows, “the crew might make sure that all three of the packs are working for your flight, which can make a big difference.” And they thought you’d ask for a pillow…
- Use Nasal Spray: Plane air has as little as 10% humidity, an affront to your delicate nose. Stock up on saline nasal spray to grease your body’s front line of defense.
- Watch Out For Water: “Airlines often don’t stock enough bottled water on flights, and flight attendants have been known to refill empty bottles with the water from airplane’s holding tanks (it’s called Tappian!). To make matters worse, in 2004, the EPA tested the water from 327 randomly chosen airplanes, and it found that 13 percent of the planes had water that contained total coliform bacteria; two planes tested positive for E. coli in the water.”
Bring an empty water bottle to fill up once you’ve cleared TSA screening.
And stay away from those icky blankets. Blech!
Catching a Plane Without Catching a Cold [Peter Greenberg]
(Photo: Getty)
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@scoosdad: You’re right, I believe they’re handed out in sealed packaging the customer has to open. The story should be modified as it’s false and misleading.
As for other airlines…well.. bring your own blanket and pillow.
Seriously you don’t need to be scared fricking germs. That’s what’s your immune system is for.
@scoosdad:
Holy Greenwashing Batman!!! Health-conscious yes, but FAIL on all three R’s:
Reduce: FAIL
Reuse: FAIL
Recycle: FAIL
@NotATool: It depends on which has a higher environmental impact — manufacturing and disposing of the blankets, or hauling them to a laundry service and washing them. I have no idea which is better for the environment. I seem to recall that disposable diapers vs. washable diapers is essentially a tossup, though.
@Orv: Good point, but considering they don’t wash the blankets unless they’re visibly dirty…
@bohemian: this isn’t always the case for flights originating abroad. in asia you typically go through security screening right outside the gate, and you’re lucky if there is even a restroom available once you’ve passed security. beverages available for purchase are extremely rare in my experience. on a recent flight, even my empty bottle for refill in the gate area was confiscated on “no liquid” grounds – obviously a flawed interpretation, but that doesn’t change the fact that i was forced to spend the next 22 hours coveting the half-full glasses that the flight attendants were serving in an obvious attempt to conserve what water they had on board.
Keep these tips coming. I’m flying for the first time since 2000 on Sunday. Thanks!
The A-1, top notch, BEST EVER health advice I’ve ever gotten while flying (30-40 times a year) is:
Don’t. Rub. Your. Eyes.
Since applying this simple rule, I have not gotten ONE sniffle from flying.
@Orv – or sparkling/carbonated water. Then you know it’s not from the tank.