Comfort and health in commercial aircraft: a literature review

Abstract

Air travel is becoming increasingly more accessible to people both through the availability of cheap flights and because the airlines are now able to cater for individuals of all ages and disabilities. The wide bodies of many new aircraft permit the airlines to have very flexible seating options. Airline operators currently have an important role in determining the comfort and spaciousness of the seating in their aircraft. Passengers who remain seated for the bulk of a flight may risk oedema or deep vein thrombosis. This could be particularly important for larger people in certain economy class seats. The absence of smoking on planes has encouraged designers to cut back on the rate of cabin ventilation and hence introduce filtered recirculated air to the aircraft cabin. In new planes the ventilation rate is under pilot control and savings (economies) can be achieved by using decreased ventilation. A lower ventilation rate may lead to 'less comfortable air quality' in some parts of the plane and an increased risk of possible cross-infection from other passengers on the flight. Technological advances in jet engine design has permitted larger passenger planes to fly longer distances and at greater altitudes than ever before. The higher flying altitude is associated with a lower cabin pressure, which has an important physiological effect on oxygen saturation in the blood of both crew and passengers, particularly for the very young, the elderly and those who are less fit.

The effect of high altitude commercial air travel on oxygen saturation

“…This may be due to local hypoxia, which causes vasodilation and increased capillary permeability. The ventilation system of aircraft is determined by the required air quality rather than the oxygen supply, for example to dilute human body odour and CO 2 to an acceptable level [11]. There is a paucity of data, however, on the quality of this air and on the effect of this quality on the S p O 2 of the individual passengers.…”

Transient global amnesia following a transoceanic flight

“…38 Although passenger airplanes maintain a cabin pressure that does not require supplementary oxygen (equivalent to an altitude of 1524-2438 m), healthy individuals still experience a reduction in oxygen saturation level in the hemoglobin. 39 Occlusion of the cerebral veins, presenting with headache and behavioral abnormalities, can occur in travelers on long-distance airplane flights. 40 It has been suggested that prolonged air travel in a cabin pressurized to the equivalent of high altitude might result in compensatory hemoconcentration and increased blood viscosity.…”

Using Lost in Translation to Prepare Students for the Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Realities of International Business

“…Considerable research indicates that long distance air travel can increase the possibility of cross-infection of disease (Spengler & Wilson, 2003). This is particularly the case where there are lower air ventilation rates in the aircraft cabin (Brundrett, 2001). It is advisable for international business travelers to take medical supplies with them during their journey (Deacon & McCulloch, 1990).…”