Cheap travel, cheap vacation packages, and really cheap discount hotel rooms do nothing to offset the dread that many travelers have that when they deplane after spending hours packed line sardines next to fellow passengers, some of whom appear to be suffering from a cold or the flu. The outbreak of swine flu has heightened travelers anxiety.
Recent studies have revealed that when it comes to spreading contagious symptoms, airplanes are healthier than previously thought.
While germs which cause colds and flu can be passed between people through coughs and sneezes, research indicates that you have to be sitting very close (within two rows) to a sick person for longer than eight hours to appreciably increase your chances of catching a bug.
Although there is increased risk of infection when you enter a confined space such as an aircraft, subway, or elevator, a plane is a much safer place because of its ventilation system.
Cabin air is totally refreshed an average of 20 times per hour compared with just 12 times per hour in an office building. Most aircraft circulate air through hospital grade HEPA filters, removing 99.97 percent of bacteria, in addition to airborne particles that viruses use for transport. Unfortunately, many regional jets do not have such filters.
Cabins are typically divided into separate ventilation sections about every seven rows of seats. Circulation in a cabin is usually greatly reduced when a plane is on the ground.
The most common way to contract an illness when flying, according to experts, is from touching a contaminated surface such as a tray table, a lavatory door, and a latch on an overhead bin. Wiping such surfaces down with an alcohol based hand sanitizer may be your best protection.