Journal Calls Economy Class a Health Threat

Long distance airline flights in economy class seats can be dangerous to health, says an article in the British medical journal The Lancet.

“The hazards of such long trips are not appreciated by most travelers and airline companies make no effort to enlighten them,” three doctors wrote in the journal, adding that flights of only three to four hours may also cause harm.

They blamed cramped seating, low cabin humidity and body dehydration from too much liquor, and said passengers risk deep-vein thrombosis (blood clots in the legs) or pulmonary embolism (blockage of a heart artery).

But a British Airways spokesman said: “Air travel is medically as safe as any form of transportation. There is no need for passengers to be alarmed by the Lancet article.”