Breathe Deep To Get High. It’s widely known that the lack of oxygen in aircraft cabins contributes to the majority of air travel

woes, including tiredness, dehydration, rapid drunkenness, and most of all, air rage. However, what

few people also realise is how dramatically this cabin environment can affect their lungs.

In commercial aircraft, air pressure is rarely equal to that at sea

level. At cruising height (generally around 10,000 meters), pressurised

cabins allow comfortable respiration, but the oxygen content is only

the equivalent of the air breathed at an altitude of 2400 meters.

There are some engineering issues behind this, but it is mostly due to

penny-pinching on the part of the airlines. Pilots are routinely

instructed to disengage some of the equipment responsible for

bringing fresh air into the aircraft, meaning that a high-proportion of the air inside the plane is being

re-breathed. Shutting off the equipment means the engines don’t have to work as hard, thus saving fuel

costs.

Beyond 2000