① The Reason Why Gas Increases on an Airplane
Your digestion decreases when you’re on a plane. Sitting in a cramped seat for a long time can cause your stomach to bloat. As the plane ascends to high altitudes, the surrounding air pressure decreases. The pressure inside your body increases, causing the gas in your intestines to inflate about 30% more than usual. This is why your stomach feels bloated.
Since you can’t move around as usual on the plane, your activity level decreases, producing more gas in your intestines. American media Newsfix introduced the scientific reason why gas increases when you’re on a plane. The typical flight altitude of an airplane is between 6,000 and 8,000 feet. As the plane ascends, the air pressure decreases compared to the ground.
When the pressure from the outside decreases, i.e., air pressure, things inside your body tend to inflate.
The gas in your abdomen also expands as the air pressure decreases. Since the only way for gas to escape our body is through the anus, gas increases.
The phenomenon of frequent gas on an airplane is called ‘High Altitude Expulsion.’ Scientists explained it as similar to when you climb a high-altitude mountain, and experience increased gas. This phenomenon also presents a serious problem for pilots. According to the BBC, 60% of pilots suffer from abdominal distension.
To alleviate indigestion on a plane, avoiding oily foods and carbonated drinks and drinking plenty of water is recommended. If passengers experience this phenomenon, it would be the same for flight attendants who spend more time on the plane.
② How Flight Attendants Deal with Indigestion
The method used by flight attendants to deal with indigestion in the past has garnered attention. A post titled “How flight attendants deal with the urge to pass gas on a plane” was shared on an online community.
The author stated that most flight attendants experience digestive problems on the plane. Flight attendants reportedly walk up and down the airplane aisle to release gas when their stomachs are bloated, or they feel the urge to pass gas. While checking if passengers are seated properly, they may also pass gas.
Moreover, the author stated that this is common among flight attendants. The term ‘crop-dusting,’ which refers to this action, was also shared.
Upon the spread of this post, netizens reacted with comments such as, “They must be passing gas in the restroom,” “I can imagine feeling unwell if I’m always on a plane,” and “So the flight attendant passing by me is releasing gas?”
It’s also confirmed that the smell of fart on a plane doesn’t spread far. This is because the airflow on a plane is different from the ground. About half of the air supplied to the cabin through the air conditioning system is filtered cabin air reused. The rest is brought in from the outside, sterilized, and cooled.
The supplied air moves from top to bottom in an air curtain manner. It doesn’t spread around well since it moves vertically, not horizontally. Moreover, airplanes have several HEPA filters that filter out 99.9% of dust and viruses, so the air is frequently ventilated. That’s why even if there’s a smell on the plane, it disappears quickly.
③ Sending an SOS Note Due to the Smell of Gas
There have been passengers who sent SOS requests to flight attendants due to gas on a plane. A photo titled “A note my mom, a flight attendant received from an angry passenger” was shared on an American online community. It was a note sent by a passenger to a flight attendant.
The note read, “I don’t know if you can make an announcement, but if you can, please say, ‘The person fart between seats 10 and 12, please go to a hospital after landing. You might have cancer.'” The passenger was angry because another passenger passed gas around him and tried to request an in-flight announcement from the flight attendant. Unable to openly express anger as the person was unknown, the passenger sent a note. This post garnered attention and recorded 2 million views as soon as it was shared.
Meanwhile, a case where an emergency landing had to be made due to a passenger passing gas on a plane also attracted attention. On a Dutch low-cost airline Transavia flight, a passenger kept passing gas. The smell was quite severe. Passengers complained to the flight attendants about the continuous smell of gas. Even as time passed, the smell of gas did not subside. Then, the passengers found the person passing gas and expressed their anger. The two eventually got into a physical fight. Due to the escalating fight, the plane deviated from its course and made an emergency landing at Vienna Airport in Austria. It’s unbelievable that a serious situation unfolded due to gas passed on a plane.
By. Seo Sung-Min (fv_editor@fastviewkorea.com)
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