Here's What Will Make You Sick On A Plane Journey

We’ve all heard the tales of how stagnant air circulation rotating around the plane can make you sick, but what is fact and what is false when it comes to plane hygiene?

Coughing passengers and sniffling children are often met with disapproving eyes from desperate travellers trying to keep sickness at bay. After all, no traveller wants their trip to be spoiled by an illness they’ve picked up on an outbound flight.

New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences claims that if a sick passenger is sitting more than one meter (or 3.3 feet) away from you, then you are unlikely to contract an illness on the flight.

However, it could be bad news if you end up sitting directly next to someone who is looking slightly peaky. While the majority of passengers in the study escaped illness, it revealed that anyone sitting within two adjacent seats or directly in front of or behind an infected passenger had an 80% chance of getting sick. Whereas the risk of infection for all other passengers was a mere 3%, and those with window seats (who were least likely to get up) were at less risk of infection.

While being allocated a seat next to someone sick is unavoidable, the best way to prevent illness on flights is to maintain a high level of hygiene by washing your hands frequently or using hand sanitiser and to try to avoid sharing surfaces with an infected passenger.

The soaring study took place on 10 different cross-country flights at close to or full capacity, in order to document the risks of infection. The majority of the flights ranged from three to five hours and researchers tracked this by recording passenger movement with an iPad app, simulating the spread of flu virus from a passenger seated in the middle of the cabin. The way passengers interacted with each other was documented, alongside how frequently they left their seats, as these are the two main factors that contribute towards the spread of infection on flights.

Interestingly, the research showed that if you spot a member of the cabin crew looking under the weather on your flight, you’re more likely to be infected by them than other passengers. The findings of the study revealed that sick flight attendants put passengers at higher risk due to the fact that they move around the cabin and frequently interact with travellers.

In other words, if you want to avoid picking up any kind of illness on your outbound flight, watch out for sneezing cabin crew members and try to bag the window seat to keep your risk of infection to a minimum.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.