Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

Hot on Facebook
Guy Buys $123 Safe on eBay, Finds $26,000 Inside Seller tries to get half the cash back, fails »

Higher Flying Lowers Comfort

On flights at 8,000 feet, passengers feel the pain; cabin pressure often too low

By Jonas Oransky,  Newser Staff

Posted Jul 6, 2007 10:56 AM CDT

(Newser) – Airline passengers routinely suffer from altitude sickness, and aircraft cabins are insufficiently pressurized to prevent it, a new study concludes. Altitudes of 8,000 feet above sea level result in 4% lower oxygen saturation in the blood, researchers found; cabins are often pressurized at the equivalent of 8,000 feet.

The result can be headaches, nausea, vomiting, and difficulty sleeping, especially on long-haul flights of 3 to 9 hours. Maintaining a cabin altitude of 6,000 feet or lower would reduce discomfort, the study concluded. But the higher level of pressurization would have a cost: decreased fuel efficiency, shorter lifespan of the airplane frame, and the necessity for more structural weight, scientists said.


Passenger awaits flight.
Passenger awaits flight.   (Index Open)
Airplane on tarmac.
Airplane on tarmac.   (Index Open)
Passenger sleeps across airplane row.
Passenger sleeps across airplane row.   (Index Open)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
To report an error on this story, notify our editors.
A snapshot of the day's best news stories.
 
COMMENTS
Be the first to comment on this story.

More Newser Stories

Study Finds Arsenic in Baby Formula, Cereal Bars

Malaria Kills Twice as Many as We Thought: Study

Utah Kids' Plot: Bomb School, Steal Plane

Stradivarius' Powers Just a Musical Myth

Biblical Angels Were Just 'Lucid Dreams'


NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS
Other Sites We Like:   24/7 Wall St.   |   Betty Confidential   |   BuzzFeed   |   Cracked   |   Fark   |   Timelines   |   The Frisky   |   Geek Sugar   |   NewsOne