Stay Healthy While Flying: A Pilot & an ER Doctor Weigh In
- Updated: 01/29/2025
- Janice
Like many travelers, I often wonder how to stay healthy while flying, especially when embarking on a big trip. To find answers, I turned to two experts I know well: a seasoned pilot and an ER doctor. Their advice includes simple, practical tips to protect your well-being, build smart travel habits, and enjoy a safer and healthier trip!
Table Of Contents
The Experts
My pilot is V.K. Badrinath, a good friend with nearly 30 years of international and domestic experience flying a wide range of aircraft ranging from light singles to commercial turboprops and heavy jets. He has traveled domestically and internationally. He was enthusiastic to answer these questions and share what he knows. (Photo: VK taken while flying in 2020, during the height of the pandemic.)
My ER doctor and husband, Jordan Moskoff, M.D., has over 20 years of experience working in Emergency Medicine and at Immediate Care Centers in New York City and Chicago. Although he would prefer to be known for his skill with the smoker than for his medical advice—he loves to travel—and gamely set about answering my questions for the greater good.
Pilot: Air Circulation & Cleaning Practices
Question: V.K., as a pilot, can you help travelers better understand how to stay healthy while flying and what airlines have done to create a clean environment?
While airlines have done many things to make people feel safer, the simple reality is that traveling on an aircraft is much the same as grocery shopping. It requires common sense, good judgment, and respect for the well-being of fellow passengers. Unfortunately, not everyone is blessed with these attributes! So, let’s talk about some of the things airlines have done and things that people think airlines have done.
The simple reality is that traveling on an aircraft is much the same as going to the grocery.
First of all, onboard air circulation has not changed at all since COVID. That’s because the air onboard an airplane follows a fairly complex path and requires several different systems. A process redesign would likely take years to develop, let alone certify, which is why nothing has been changed regarding the circulation of onboard air. (V.K. recommends this article to learn more.)
However, the good news is that the total air volume on a large aircraft is generally replaced about 15-20 times an hour, with most aircraft utilizing HEPA filtration systems similar to those found in hospitals. But unfortunately, this might not be enough if the guy beside you is coughing and sneezing up a storm.
As for cleaning, most airlines have indeed begun cleaning their aircraft more thoroughly and with solutions specifically designed to battle the transmission of viruses. However, since some illnesses are primarily spread through the air, the real question is whether or not these cleaning measures reduce risks in any meaningful way. Boarding procedures for many airlines have changed, with the aircraft being boarded from back to front, reducing exposure and cross-contamination.
Also, if you are concerned about air quality, consider traveling in Business Class if possible. These cabins have fewer passengers, and the seats are spaced with privacy in mind, which means fewer breathers in your vicinity and a potentially safer experience.
ER Doctor: Reducing the Risk of Exposure
Question: Jordan, after a long medical career, you have learned much about virus transmission. Can you help travelers understand how to minimize their exposure risk when flying?
I’m glad to hear airlines are using HEPA filters and circulating air 15-20 times an hour—this will go a long way to minimize risk. That means everyone will be safer, reducing the possibility of exposure significantly.
There are two ways that airplane travelers can contract illnesses: by breathing in airborne particles or touching a contaminated surface and then touching their face, eyes, or nose. To reduce the risk of exposure via airborne particles, filtered air circulation, such as V.K. mentioned, helps tremendously. It removes virus particles like an open window in a small room would do. To understand how this removal works, think of an opened perfume bottle.
Filtered air circulation removes virus particles much the same way an open window in a small room would.
If a person in front of the airplane opened a perfume bottle, the people around it would first smell it and its vapor scent compounds or particles. This is because the perfume particles have the shortest distance to travel to the closest people. Given enough time to travel, the perfume particles would eventually spread throughout the plane, and all passengers and crew, even in the back, would smell it.
The only way to limit the spread of perfume particles is to give them a way to exit the plane or disperse through an open window or a filter. With an exit route, most passengers would never smell them. Whether it is for perfume or a virus, this is how particle dispersion and removal works. This is why a HEPA filter on an airplane and excellent air circulation allow particles, including viral ones, to be removed, significantly reducing exposure risk in small spaces like airplane cabins.
However, this does not mean you should not wear a mask if you are concerned about immunity. Wearing a mask provides another layer of protection for those who seek it. A mask functions like another filter, protecting the wearer against particles not caught by the airplane circulation system.
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Additionally, to stay healthy, I strongly recommend that passengers learn to avoid touching their faces, especially while traveling. It is really hard to do this. Given the air pressure change and dry air while flying, you may want to naturally rub your eyes or nose. But this is how you transmit the virus from surfaces to yourself. I have had to train myself for many years not to touch my face, but it works. The virus can only travel from the surface into you if you put it there.
The virus can only travel from the surface into you if you put it there.
For example, if someone came up and licked your tray table and it is now covered in virus—technically, you could put your hands on the tray table, and as long as your skin is intact (no cuts or open wounds) and you don’t take your hand and put it in your mouth, touch your nose, or rub your eyes—you will not get ill.
You keep yourself safe and avoid virus transmission at any time, even in this extreme and gross example, by thoroughly washing your hands or using hand sanitizer (e.g., Purell) immediately before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Also, do this before touching any food or drink you plan to put in your mouth. Additionally, don’t lick the table yourself.
Avoid virus transmission by thoroughly washing your hands or using hand sanitizer immediately before touching your eyes, nose, or mouth.
If you wear a mask while traveling, the optimal type depends on the individual mask wearer’s risk tolerance and comfort level. A surgical or cloth mask offers enough coverage to prevent transmission through respiratory droplets. Plus, it is more comfortable and easier to wear vs. an N95 respirator, especially over a long flight. It is not easy to wear a respirator correctly for a long time. Trust me, I know.
However, if you want extra protection and choose to wear an N95 mask, follow a few guidelines, including ensuring it provides a tight fit to your face. Additionally, avoid getting N95 masks wet (it works by electrostatic charge). Also, do not use one with an exhalation valve. Mask choice is a judgment call personal to each traveler’s risk level. Here are my tips for mask-wearing:
Tips for Safe Mask Wearing
- Regardless of mask type, keep it over your nose.
- Sanitize your hands before putting on, removing, or adjusting your mask.
- Adjust your mask by grabbing the front center fabric and pull into place as needed. Avoid adjusting your mask by touching the edges (especially if you forgot to sanitize your hands) closest to your face.
- To remove or put on a mask, always do this by using the earloops. This helps to avoid contamination, as well.
To manage a mask before eating, the most important thing to remember before touching your mask, food, or drink is to sanitize your hands. Sanitizing your area just before eating with anti-bacterial wipes is also a good idea. While eating or drinking, it is good to minimize your time by not wearing a mask. Consider eating faster than you would normally.
Should Travelers Bring Their Own Cleaning Supplies?
Question: Jordan and V.K., should travelers bring cleaning supplies when flying? What should they expect to clean?
V.K.: In 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic, I used to wipe down my entire seat area quite enthusiastically, sometimes using upwards of 10 anti-bacterial wipes. These days, I am not quite as concerned about surface area germs. But, I think it is a good idea to wipe down armrests, seat belt locking mechanisms, and tray tables just to be safe.
Jordan: I agree with V.K. completely. However, I use one wipe for my entire workstation in the ER. Wipe down the areas you are most likely to touch as good practice. But remember, these areas will not stay perfectly clean throughout the flight. A virus can fall onto a surface or transfer through contact from other interactions normal to being on a plane. I recommend recleaning the area before you eat. To keep yourself and your area clean, I recommend bringing a bottle of hand sanitizer (e.g., Purell) and a package of antibacterial wipes.
More Tips for Safe Flying
Question: V.K. and Jordan, do you have any other tips travelers should remember when trying to stay healthy while flying?
V.K.: Personally, I avoid moving around the cabin, mostly because of other breathers. Sitting in my own seat, I am exposed only to the people immediately surrounding me. If I start walking around, I am exposed to all the people I pass, and at the same time, I’m exposing them to me. My other tips for safe and enjoyable flying include:
Tips for Safe & Enjoyable Flying
- Keep your shoes on until after the aircraft has taken off. This will protect you if you have to evacuate before becoming airborne.
- Keep your seatbelt on.
- Be nice to the crew.
- Look out your window. Flying is magic!
I avoid moving around the cabin, mostly because of other breathers. Sitting in my own seat, I am exposed to the people immediately surrounding me.
Jordan: Please don’t ask if a doctor is on board—I’m trying to watch a movie.
Jordan and V.K., thank you both for your valuable input. Hopefully, we have answered travelers’ questions and concerns about staying healthy while flying. We appreciate your time and expertise!
Related Reading
Prepping for a trip? Pair this advice with these related articles to help further simplify and streamline the getting-out-the-door stage of your vacation.
- Free Expert Packing List: Great for Any Trip
- Pre-Trip: A Free Checklist to Close the House and Pack
- 25 Expert Packing Tips to Help You Travel Better
- Free Trip Itinerary Templates from an Expert
- Your Best Trip: Free Travel Planning Checklist
- The Top 15 Travel Apps I Use for Better Travel
- Travel Planning: 5 Best Ways to Organize
Additional Trip Planning Resources
To further help you with travel planning, I share my go-to resources for every trip below.
Google Flights. My first research stop for affordable flights for every trip. Learn why here.
Google Hotels. Use its “Where to stay” button to discover the best neighborhoods to base your visit.
Booking.com. For hotel and rental bookings, I appreciate its flexible cancellation, candid user reviews, discounts, loyalty program, and easy-to-use interface.
Viator, Get Your Guide, & Airbnb Experiences. Quickly find and book highly-rated tours and activities on these sites.
Google Travel Things to Do & Google Maps. Find more things to do in your destination on Google Travel, then record where you want to visit on a custom Google Maps list.
AllTrails. Love to hike? Me too. I religiously use AllTrails to discover hiking and biking trails and download its offline maps to manage my hikes.
Guide Along. 5-star self-guided audio tours that are GPS-compatible for US road trips and national parks. We loved the Glacier National Park tour.
Insure My Trip. I never travel internationally without trip insurance. Learn why here. My preferred place to shop and compare policies is InsureMyTrip.com.
Plus, check out the 15 travel apps I use on trips, my preferred guidebooks, and my free customizable travel itinerary template, downloadable in four file formats.
About the author: Janice Moskoff is a travel writer and founder of Gather and Go Travel, where she inspires families, friends, and couples to explore with confidence. A lifelong adventurer, she shares her passion for hiking, outdoor adventures, and beautiful destinations through curated guides and practical tips. With an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, her career spans retail strategy, event management, and textile manufacturing. Learn more about Janice and how to collaborate with her. Subscribe to her monthly Discovery Newsletter for travel tips and destination inspiration. Follow her on social media at @gatherandgotravel.
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Affiliate Disclosure: Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase. I only recommend products and companies I use. And the income goes to keeping the site community-supported and ads minimal.
Welcome to Gather and Go Travel, a blog inspiring families, adult friends, and couples to explore US and international destinations and to get outdoors. I am Janice, a world traveler to 50+ countries, a travel writer/blogger, and a book lover. Learn more about me, read our story, and how to work with me. Get my latest updates, how-tos, and trip ideas in my monthly Discovery Newsletter.
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11 Responses
Thanks for taking the time to read it!
Sanitizing is crucial not to spread a disease. Health is wealth, so thank you for posting this!
How to Stay Healthy While Flying: A Pilot & an ER Doctor Weigh In” is an invaluable article that combines the expertise of a pilot and an ER doctor to provide practical and well-researched advice on maintaining health during air travel. It addresses a topic of universal concern, especially in today’s globalized world.
Thank you!
Great !!
your guide is so much helpful, Go Ahead.
Thank you for reading and taking the time to share a comment.
These are absolutely awesome! Such a fantastic guide, love it.
Iris, thank you for reading.
Thank you for pointing out that a redesign of the procedure would probably take years to create, let alone certify, and that is why the onboard air circulation has not been altered. My son wants to be a pilot. I’ll encourage my son’s desire, locate him a private pilot training course, and send him this article so he can take care of his health.
Hi Charlotte, I hope your trip goes well and you are able to stay safe and healthy before, during, and after your travels. Good luck! And have a great trip!
I loved learning that flights where passengers have to test for COVID-19 are at a lower risk for exposure. My husband and I are flying across the country in a couple of weeks and want to stay safe and helathy. WE’ll have to get tested for COVID-19 before we leave on our trip.