Why Tourists Should Avoid Closing The Overhead Air Vent On Planes While Traveling

If you're looking for more comfort when flying, you can book first-class or business-class seats for more space and amenities. There's one agonizing thing that still remains, though: the arctic temperature that is often found in the cabin when flying. Although it can be annoying — and uncomfortable — there is an actual reason why your plane is chilly. There's already less oxygen in a plane, and that, combined with warm air, is a bad combination that can increase the risk of people fainting. While you may think it's a good idea to simply close the overhead air vent to stop that arctic air blasting from above, it's not. It can actually increase your chance of getting sick. 

Your first thought may be that the air vent knob is one of the dirtiest, germiest surfaces on an airplane that you're better off not touching, and yes, that is part of the issue. A study by Travelmath showed that the air vent harbored more bacteria per square inch than the flush button in the airplane bathroom. Another issue is that a closed vent allows viral particles to linger, giving you more of a chance of being exposed to them. If there's someone near you that's sick, you want their germs moving away from you — not taking up permanent residence in your personal space. Dr. Mark Gendreau told Daily Mail, "If there is a viral particle coming your way, theoretically it can push that and move it quickly out of your space."

We're all looking for ways to avoid getting sick during a flight, and keeping your air vent open is one easy option. The air flowing through those vents (though a little frigid) is actually good for you. It's a 50/50 combination of fresh air and HEPA-filtered air, and those filters remove 99.99% of bacteria and viruses. But if you have to keep the vent open, how do you keep from freezing? To start with, you can reposition the direction of the airflow. Dr. Mark Gendreau said, "It doesn't need to be pointed at you. It just needs to be pointed a little bit in front of you and down." Just make sure to douse your hands with hand sanitizer after touching it.

You can also plan ahead by dressing in layers. It's a genius hack that makes flying more comfortable, and it's super easy to do. Just throw a cozy hoodie in your carry-on so that you have it handy, and snuggle up in it once you start shivering. It may be easy to forget — especially when you're packing for that summer beach vacation — but this one thing can make your flight so much more bearable. Pro traveler Samantha Brown also has her own favorite accessory to keep warm: a scarf. She even calls it the Swiss army knife of travel clothing. According to her, a good scarf has multiple uses and comes in handy on chilly flights.