Why you shouldn’t turn the air vent off on the plane

It can get pretty chilly on the plane and if you’re travelling to a warm and sunny destination, you may not want to fill up valuable suitcase or carry-on real estate with a jumper and scarf. It’s usually not too bad if you turn the plane’s air vent off or away from you so you don’t have the cool air blowing on you directly.

As it turns out, the air vent does a lot more than cool down hot passengers. Germs are everywhere and when you’re in a confined space with hundreds of people, there’s bound to be some viruses and nasty microorganisms around.

Read more: Jet lag could cause this dangerous health risk

It may come as a surprise, but one way to keep them away from you is to have the air vent blowing.

Mark Gendreau, a doctor and vice chair of emergency medicine at Lahey Medical Center-Peabody told Travel + Leisure that ventilation is the next most important step in infectious disease control, after isolating affected people. Very unlikely on a flight.

By having the vent on low to medium, you can actually create a barrier around yourself that blocks particles and forces them away from you.

“The flow pattern of air on an aircraft doesn’t necessarily work front to back, or back to front,” Gendreau said. “It’s actually compartmentalised into various sections on the aircraft.

“As a rule of thumb, the air that you’re typically breathing and exposed to is usually anywhere from two to five rows surrounding your seat.” 

Read more: Study finds air travel spreads serious infectious disease

The air that comes out of these nozzles exits the plane through either a tiny grill near the window or floor. Fresh air from outside the plane enters through a filter to clean it from dust and microbes before coming out in the cabin.

To stay as germ-free as possible, bring along some hand sanitiser, wash your hands often, use antibacterial wipes to clean your tray table and be wary of touching surfaces you don’t have to.