Why is it (so) cold on airplanes? Here are the reasons

The end of summer vacation is fast approaching and now you have to leave your dream destination to return home. Many vacationers will therefore have to take the plane to return to their homes. While some enjoy the journey in the air and never find anything to complain about, others, on the contrary, suffer martyrdom.

The reason? The cold invades them immediately when they are on board. And the worst thing is that this biting cold is intentional: it is said that it is maintained for the comfort of the passengers… But is it true?

It’s cold on planes to avoid discomfort

It’s well known: taking a plane is harmful to blood circulation. In fact, the low atmospheric pressure due to the altitude reached reduces the concentration of oxygen present in the blood. Less oxygenated blood means blood that will circulate less well. Gold, When blood doesn’t circulate well in our body, we are more likely to faint. Even the temperature of our environment has an impact on this same blood flow: the higher it is, the slower the speed of circulation.

Maintaining a low temperature in the cabin therefore allows blood to circulate better and reduces the risk of discomfort among passengers. A study conducted by researchers from the organization ASTM International has also established a very close link between very high temperatures and loss of consciousness.

Jay Robert, an experienced former cabin crew member, confirms that this premise is indeed true. He, for his part, has already had to face flights where the temperature exceeded 23°C, and it has not always gone well: “I worked on the world’s largest commercial aircraft that can seat over 600 passengers and one of the things I checked regularly was that the temperature did not exceed 23 degrees”he explained to colleagues at HuffPost.

There were times when I had two or three blackouts during a flight and called the “front” to check the temperature: each time it was 24 degrees or more.

HuffPost

Low temperatures relieve dehydration of the body and improve blood circulation

In general, the air circulating in the airplane cabin is dry. However, this dryness of the air contributes to dehydrate our body, to make the blood thicker and more coagulablehas damage blood circulation and then to promote loss of consciousness. Turning on the air conditioning to lower the temperature on the plane helps reduce the negative effects of this dryness on our body:

A cool cabin helps keep dry air from further damaging your body, says expert Jay Robert.

HuffPost

You know what you need to do on your next flight: don’t hesitate to wear several layers of clothing that are easy to remove and/or put back on. This way, you can easily control your body temperature – if not that of the plane!