Ever wonder why you seem to get sick every time you jump on a plane? Here’s a little hint. A 747 pilot friend of mine told me the scoop, or lack there of. In the recent past, airplanes used to scoop up some air from the outside and work it into the ventilation system. This would keep the air from constantly recycling itself. Since gas prices have come to such ridiculous highs, airlines have had to cut corners in every place they can. One of these places is in fuel efficiency. Cutting out the fresh air intake causes less drag and saves a few bucks per flight. Unfortunately, this forces the plane to recycle air and germs throughout the aircraft. Your chances of catching a cold from the 5-15% of the plane that’s probably sick have just gone up exponentially. Will this ever change? That’s a good question.
You might wanna think twice the next time you turn your little air vent on. On second thought, you’re probably gonna get sick anyway.
