You Can’t Connect Things to My Airplane
I know that people complain about the air quality on airplanes. They run something like this:
- It’s too dry
- It’s stale, and just smells funny
- It’s smells like jet fuel
- All those smoking odors from the smokers onboard
- Sick people spreading all those germs
- Body odors — yuck!
Tell me about it! You’ve got a bunch of people crammed together in a long metal tube, for long periods of time, and despite the best air filtering systems, it can still be uncomfortable. And this is my work environment!
There are lots of things that you can do to help stay healthy while your traveling, and many of them are options for the time you’re on the plane. But one option that I cannot recommend is the airplane air filters that fit onto to overhead air nozzle.
I don’t even have to get to the issue of whether they work, or not. That doesn’t matter. The bigger issue is that I don’t know of any U.S. airlines that allow them to be used. My airline does not, and I’ve talked to friends flying for other carriers, and they all report the same information. If your airline does allow them to be used, I’d appreciate the info in a comment.
Why would the airlines ban the use of such a product when it obviously does good thing? An easy question, with a far more complicated answer.
Aviation is a regulated industry. That means that nearly every single thing about it is governed by some regulation. Each airline has minor differences in its interpretation and implentation of regulations, but it’s all done with an eye toward safety. One of those regulations at my airline deals with what can be attached to the airplane itself, and that covers these individual air filtering units. They cannot be attached to the plane without violating one of our safety regulations.
What will a flight attendant do if you are using this unit? They will ask you to discontinue use, assuming that you will comply. It would be good to do.
Some day, you may be able to use these units onboard. But first, there will need to be lots of testing to determine that they are safe. (There have been reports of the unit being a fire hazard.) Until then, however, don’t expect to be using them on your next flight.
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Tags: airlines, b5media, flight attendants, Flyaway Cafe, travel, travel blogs, travel tips, vacation
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POSTED IN: Air Travel
4 opinions for You Can’t Connect Things to My Airplane
gary
Oct 17, 2007 at 7:10 pm
can i smoke on your airplane
Mary Jo Manzanares
Oct 18, 2007 at 10:02 am
While I’ll assume that your comment is in jest — just in case. . . .
Nope. There’s no smoking on any US carrier.
Leslie Danelian
Nov 2, 2007 at 10:45 pm
Wrong again, Mary Jo. I have seen many people use these devices on airplanes and the flight attendants having NO problem with them. I met the man who developed this product, Neal Avery. at the Travel Goods Trade Show. He is an engineer and a wonderful, hardworking and highly intelligent man. I have no doubt that he did his research before launching his air filters.
Mary Jo Manzanares
Nov 3, 2007 at 4:59 am
First of all, I am sure that Mr. Avery is a lovely man, and this is not personally direted at him or his efforts.
It is also not a matter of whether Flight Attendants like them or not.
What is the issue, is that you cannot attached things to the airplane. The product that I have seen attached to the air vent. My airline, and others that I know of, have prohibited these devices.
Sorry — I know that you are a fan of these products, but you have incomplete information.
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