ASIANA AIRLINES

Humidity is maintained at 10-20% because the cold air outside compresses, heats up, and enters the cabin. People feel most comfortable at a 40-60% humidity level. If we consider the fact that humidity levels indoors are 10-20% during the winter season, when rooms are heated, we can surmise that the cabin environment is quite dry.

• Drink water or beverages frequently while in the cabin.
• If your eyes sting or hurt because of contact lenses, use artificial tears or take your contacts out and wear glasses if possible.
• Apply lotion to prevent dry skin.

At higher altitudes, atmospheric pressure is lowered, so special equipment is used to supply compressed air to the aircraft during flight.
Depending on the altitude during the flight, the air pressure varies from 1 atmosphere (ground pressure) to 0.8 atmosphere (at 2000 meters above sea level), and most healthy passengers can travel without any discomfort.
However, passengers who regularly have otitis media or sinusitis symptoms, as well as patients who need treatment due to dental illnesses, may feel uncomfortable.

1. 1. Ear pain
   During take off and landing, and when the air pressure changes, the eustachian tubes in your ears become clogged due to changes in atmospheric pressure. You may not be able to hear well or at times, you may feel pain. Also, if you have sinusitis, the air inside your facial paranasal sinuses may swell and cause facial (usually forehead) pain.
   • During take off or landing, you can chew gum, have candy, swallow, drink water, or yawn, etc., to prevent discomfort. Newborns or infants cannot express or prevent discomfort, so they should be fed milk or given pacifiers.
   • If you have cold symptoms such as nasal congestion, etc., this may make it more likely for ear pain to occur. Prepare nasal decongestants in spray form or antihistamines, etc., according to a doctor’s prescription.
   • If these symptoms should occur, fill your mouth with air, hold your nose with your hand, close your mouth and blow as if you are trying to blow the air in your mouth through your nose to push your eardrums out. However, be careful not to blow too hard.
2. 2. Toothache
   Due to changes in the air pressure, the air in spaces between your teeth may expand or contract and cause pain. If the pain is severe, please administer a pain reliever. If you have other dental illnesses such as cavities, receive treatment before the flight. If you experience toothache during the flight, receive treatment after arrival.
3. 3. Abdominal pain, bloating
   There are 1-2 liters of gas in your stomach, a digestive organ, and you may feel bloating in the low-pressure cabin. If you experience constipation or drink lots of carbonated drinks due to this, you may feel abdominal pain or bloating.
   • Do not wear clothes that are tight around the waist or abdomen.
   • Do not drink a lot of carbonated beverages during the flight.
   • Treat constipation before the flight. Do not hold your bowel movements for a long time during the flight.
   • Do not eat or drink too much.

When the aircraft is passing through unstable air currents, you may experience severe turbulence. Although turbulence generally occurs when the plane is passing through a lot of clouds, it is usually unpredictable because it is a phenomenon that can happen even when there are no clouds at all. Please wear your seat belt when seated, and if there is an announcement stating that there will be turbulence, please return to your seat and fasten your seat belt immediately.

• Air sickness
  You may experience sickness aboard the plane, as you may when traveling by boat or car. You will mainly feel dizziness, accompanied by nausea or vomiting in severe cases.
  Air sickness may occur more easily when there is severe turbulence due to air currents.
  • You are more likely to experience this if you have had too much to eat or drink, or if your stomach is empty. Make sure you eat an appropriate amount of food that is easily digested, starting from before the flight.
  • Do not read newspapers or magazines for too long on the flight.
  • Take slow breaths, in a relaxed position, with your seat back and your clothes loosened. Placing a cool towel on your forehead may also help.
  • Rinse your mouth with cool water.

If you ride a bus for more than 2-3 hours, you may experience dizziness and numbness, or swelling in your legs, once you get off. Similarly, on a long flight, if you do not move frequently and remain in your seat for a long time, you may feel fatigue, muscle tension, swelling in the legs, dizziness, formation of blood clots, etc.

1. 1. Passengers who need to be careful when traveling due to deep vein thrombosis (also known as Economy Class syndrome)
   • If you or a family member have experienced deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or a pulmonary embolism in the past
   • If you are receiving estrogen treatment (oral contraceptive, hormone replacement therapy)
   • Pregnant women
   • If you have recently undergone surgery or sustained injury, especially in the abdominal, pelvic, or leg areas
   • Cancer patients
   • Passengers over 60 years of age
   • If you have a family history of blood clotting
2. 2. To prevent leg edema and thrombosis
   • Wear comfortable clothes and do not fall asleep in a position that tightens your body.
   • Drink beverages or water regularly. Avoid coffee, tea, alcohol, etc., as they promote diuretic action which can cause dehydration.
   • Stand up, walk the aisle frequently, and massage your feet and knees.
   • Repeat stretches such as rotating your ankles, etc., for at least 5 minutes per hour while seated and do not cross your legs.
   • If your legs usually tend to swell, prepare pressure stockings and wear them.
     • Please note that Asiana Airlines shows a reference video of simple stretches that can be done on the flight.

• What is cosmic radiation?
  Radiation is particles or electromagnetic waves emitted from an object due to the collapse of an element. It exists in space, including on Earth, and has existed since the beginning of the universe. All life on Earth is constantly exposed to natural radiation emitted from the natural world, such as the sun and land. Of these, radiation emitted from nuclear fusion reactions of cosmic stars, such as the sun, that reaches the Earth from outer space through the atmosphere is called cosmic radiation. The amount of cosmic radiation present in the Earth’s atmosphere depends on altitude, latitude, and the activity of the sun.
  As altitude increases, the amount of radiation exposure also increases, because the atmosphere protecting us from cosmic radiation becomes thinner and, depending on the influence of the Earth’s magnetic field, radiation dosage increases, with more radiation in the Polar or Antarctic region than the equatorial region.
• Radiation in daily life
  Radiation exists in our life in various forms. Trace elements of radiation are present throughout our daily life, from the sun, land, and even in our food. Thus, people living in Korea receive natural radiation of about 3 milli-sieverts per year (world average is 2.4 milli-sieverts). In some areas, such as China and the United States, there are locations that receive 10 times more natural radiation than the world average. We are also exposed to artificial radiation during medical treatment, from radioactive waste, and from nuclear weapons tests. We receive about 0.01 to 0.1 milli-sievert of radiation from normal chest X-ray imaging, a common occurrence, and 5 to 25 milli-sieverts from CT imaging.
  • Milli-sievert, mSv: unit of biological effect of radiation
• Air travel and cosmic radiation
  During air travel, passengers are exposed to a small amount of cosmic radiation but according to research conducted by the US Federal Aviation Administration and research institutions, the effects on travelers of radiation exposure from air travel are insignificant. Flying on the polar route has been confirmed safe through long-term observation of the level of exposure on the polar route.

The estimated amount of cosmic radiation exposure on our polar route is as follows.

(Units: millisieverts, mSv)

• The optimum route is selected after comparing several routes on the day of travel. Thus, depending on the conditions of specific routes on the day of travel, you may not travel the polar route.

• The International Commission on Radiological Protection recommends that additional exposure to radiation, excluding natural radiation, be less than 1 milli-sievert to minimize the effect of radiation on the general public, pregnant women, and unborn children. This is similar to the amount of radiation exposure experienced when traveling on long distance flights for approximately 200 hours (13-15 times between New York and Incheon).
• Although the effect of radiation is said to be minimal, passengers who take a lot of long distance flights due to their work and are likely to be exposed to more cosmic radiation than ordinary passengers, as well as pregnant passengers, should keep a record of their itinerary and flight times for one year, or throughout the length of the pregnancy, and consider their degree of exposure to maintain good health.