Cabin Temperatures

[KKvampire]

Why cant airlines sort out a standard temperature in the cabin, ? i know everyone has different comfort levels but I find cabins are cooler now and make sure I have enough sweaters and a jacket . Anyone have any bad experiences on flights with temperature?

[1weatherman]

Always too cold for me. Jacket and jeans. Maybe that's why I stay in Thailand.

[happynthailand]

they keep the temp. down so the germs don't last long after a cough or what ever comes out of your mouth

[Ricardo]

Since they have to heat the air from its' way-below-freezing external air-temperature, before they bleed it into the pressurised cabin, the cooler the cabin-temperature the less fuel they burn. Every little helps !

Changing the air slightly less-frequently also helps keep the self-loading-freight less-active, and therefore less of a nuisance to cabin-crew, during the flight.

[Sam Drucker]

Well, the reasons are not as simple as some of you think.

First of all, a plane is not like your house, so it's not about saving fuel if they keep the cabin temperature down. THere is an abundance of heat generated by the jet engines, more than enough to make a cabin toasty. Any excess heat is bled off, so they're not saving anything by keeping the cabin cooler.

Secondly, it can depend on where you are seated. My feet used to get cold on many aircraft when seated near exit doors. Did not feel any air movememnt there, just cold, especially near the floor.

Some of the more recent airliners have computer-controlled cabin heating. I read several years ago about one such system. Somebody had actually determined that on long-haul flight, the human body tended to feel colder as the flight progressed. So the program was set to increase cabin temperature 1° each hour for an unknown period. At the time, the article was saying that the system was over-compensating, and cabins were getting too hot later in the flights.

Another possibilitiy is that it is you. As we age, we tend to be more sensitive to cold. After living years in Minnesota, my last few there I found my feet constantly cold during winter in that house, although I was okay about the rest of my body.

One of the best "equalizers" for different people's needs is to have the personal air jets at the overheads for each seat. Then if the cabin is too warm, a little breeze of cool air can help those that need it. Unfortunately, air jets are apparently an extra-cost "option", and most Asian airlines seem to skip them when ordering aircraft from the manufacturer.

Otherwise, a slightly cool cabin is usually best for keeping most people comfortable. Usually easier to cover up a little more if too cool, than to try to cool off if too warm.

[RabC]

I fly Thai long haul very often and always find the cabin too hot. I am usually at the front and not sure if that makes a difference?

[tw25rw]

I find I can't decide if I'm too hot or too cold.. It's like the strong draft combined with the thin dry air means I can't get comfortable whatever I wear. Hopefully, the new 787 with the raised internal pressure and humidity will remedy that.

[Payboy]

I thought it was to discourage the mile-high wannabes.

[organic]

Flew with a Mid East airline a couple of years ago and on 3 of the 4 legs of the journey the temperature was just fine, on the 4th it was utterly freezing. A lot of passengers that joined at Dubai were heavily clad Nepalis, they were fine, but I had to huddle under a blanket the entire flight. Did ask the stewardess if she could check if the cabin termperature had been set too low and she offered to look into it. Nothing happened.

[JemJem]

Sometimes, it really gets cold on a flight. There are times I wear flip flops while travelling; and so, I make sure there is a pair of socks in my carry-on bag, to wear on the flight if I feel cold. Also, even when I leave Europe in summer, I make sure there is a thin jacket in my bag too, often just for use on the flight(s); and also it proves to be useful at some hotels too