long haul flight i always catch something

Doglover88

well im pretty sure thats why, had a couple of trips recently with 12hour flights, im ok with the duration but i always seem to get the family who cough aloud sitting beside, behind or infront of me. So their germs are flying around me for 12 hours I'm certain its why I usually feel rough for a couple of weeks after I get home, coughing etc.
Is there anything I can do to avoid this other than moving or putting a plastic bag over their heads? :mad: :mad:

I saw a Chinese lad a few seats away on my last trip with a respriratoy mask on, but i thought that a little extreme

paulinespens

Do you normally fly charter airline or a sheduled airline?

Doglover88

errrrrr... whats the difference?

lynzpower

glenbat wrote: »

well im pretty sure thats why, had a couple of trips recently with 12hour flights, im ok with the duration but i always seem to get the family who cough aloud sitting beside, behind or infront of me. So their germs are flying around me for 12 hours I'm certain its why I usually feel rough for a couple of weeks after I get home, coughing etc.
Is there anything I can do to avoid this other than moving or putting a plastic bag over their heads? :mad: :mad:

I saw a Chinese lad a few seats away on my last trip with a respriratoy mask on, but i thought that a little extreme

in japan , loads of people wear those masks- its so They DONT give THEIR coughs to other people :T

Teahfc

In some aircraft, such as Boeing 757s, the air is half fresh and half recycled, and this mix cannot be changed. In other aircraft, such as Boeing 747s, pilots can choose whether to operate the air-conditioning units at "normal" or "reduced" flow (reducing the amount of fresh air by a half to two thirds) or shutting off one of the three ventilation packs completely.
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Airlines can save around one percent of fuel costs, representing millions of dollars for a large airline, by cutting in half the amount of fresh air they bring into the cabin — thereby recirculating 50 percent of cabin air. Turning a pack off not only saves fuel, but also reduces noise in the cabin.
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Whatever class you fly, the quality of the air will be the same — although the cockpit crew gets a separate source of cold fresh air, partly because of the heat generated by instrument panels and electrically heated windows. Pilots get about 150 cubic feet of fresh air a minute per person; first class gets 50 cfm a person, and economy gets less than 7 cfm..

ASK FOR BETTER AIR

Gently, kindly, ask your flight attendant (remember s/he is breathing the same air you are): "When you have time, please ask the pilot for less recirculated air and more fresh air because I'm having trouble breathing."

Wait 15 minutes. You'll know if an air pack has been activated:

-You'll find it easier to breathe.
-You'll hear a louder whoosh from the plane's air-conditioning system.


OXYGEN BOTTLE

You may want to ask for an oxygen bottle. There are about 25 portable bottles on every 747. Sipping from a portable oxygen bottle en route helps me to feel markedly better both en route and after landings.

paulinespens

glenbat wrote: »

errrrrr... whats the difference?

When I fly Ryan Air or Charter airlines I have probs with my ears when the plane starts to land and loose height. I get really bad pains.

When I have flown a proper airline or sheduled airline like Lufthansa and US Airways (both flights to USA)

I never had any problems with this.

Reason why is Ryan Air and Charter airlines keep the air pressure in the cabin to the lowest amount they can get away with. This saves them money on fuel.

On a proper airline this don't happen cause someone paying thousands of pounds for a 1st class seat isn't going to appreciate this.

I was on a charter and after flight ended up in hospital with a bad chest infection and chest pains.

There is issues with recylced air and air pressure.

Hope this makes sense.

Doglover88

Thanks, I'm flying EVA air to Thailand. I try to sleep a lot of the journey but just want to try and avoid an un-necessary couple of days coughing my insides out when I'm there

jinkssick

Yes, the air thats its being circulated is something that your body is nowhere near familiar to. This has to be the only instance in life where you sit with no breathable refreshing air to get rid of coughs, sneezes etc.

Its like a swimming pool but even thats safe compared to the amounts of germs circulating in the air. I hate that the most about flights. I might start acting a little woozy and say I want an oxygen tank.

trets77

colds are generally spread by touching infected surfaces and then touching your nose as well as airborne germs from sneezes. Airplane toilets must crawling with germs if you ask me.

get one each of these to take with you
wash with this before boarding ( getting it on the plane may be difficult). avoid touching any surfaces in the toilet ( put a sheet of toilet paper between you and the surface) and keep your hands away from your nose .

http://www.in-your-hands.co.uk/Protection.aspx


and have this ready if you think you are getting a cold

http://www.auravita.com/products/AURA/PGHB13405.asp

also if someone sneezes on the plane bury your face under your t-shirt for five mins.
it's a bit Howard Hughes i know but better than being sick and have your holiday ruined IMO

Engadine

Teahfc wrote: »

.


OXYGEN BOTTLE

You may want to ask for an oxygen bottle. There are about 25 portable bottles on every 747. Sipping from a portable oxygen bottle en route helps me to feel markedly better both en route and after landings.

The portable oxygen bottles on aircraft are purely for medical situations and not for use just because someone doesn't like the cabin air.

The oxygen masks are thrown away after use and the bottles have to be recharged once they have been used, this costs a lot of money. Cabin crew will not let oxygen bottles be used for anything other than a medical situation.

Heva2015

Start taking berocca and echinacea a couple of weeks before you go. Works for me.