
Barf bags on airplanes: Are rates of airsickness declining? - prostoalex
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2014/12/barf_bags_on_airplanes_are_rates_of_airsickness_declining.single.html
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Renaud
I don't have proof to back this up, but I strongly suspect that the fact that
all flights are now exclusively non-smoking has had a big influence on that
decline.

I remember as a child how the smell of cigarette, coupled with the decrease
sense of equilibrium that you can experience in a plane, would easily cause
nausea.

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micheljansen
Good point, apparently this is the case [1]. I had horrible car sickness as a
child, on both trains and cars and I always thought I just grew out of it as I
got older. A few weeks ago I was in the passenger seat of a heavy smoker's car
and felt as sick as ever. Never realised the link.

[1]
[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21036110/](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21036110/)

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droidist2
A lot depends on the type of plane. A little DC-9 would have made more people
sick than a 767. As we're flying more we ride more in larger aircraft and on
direct flights so there are less rides in little puddle jumpers.

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liberty53
Much better (more stable) auto pilots and flight management systems?

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raverbashing
Probably both, but autopilot can't "shake off" turbulence

However, it can fly more direct routes and do smoother curves.

I remember the last time I felt really bad was in an AA Super-80, doing a lot
of curves to reach an airport.

Bigger planes (737s/A320) were not so bad

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Yizahi
The only reason I see for declining of actual motion sickness cases is
widespread availability of super effective drugs that block all symptoms. When
you know that you suffer motion sickness you'll just carry some pills in
travel and never even look like a person susceptible to it.

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k-mcgrady
>> "super effective drugs"

Any recommendations? I've 'grown out' of most of my motion sickness over the
years but boats still get me bad. I can just about make 60 mins without being
sick and then I feel awful for the next several hours. I've tried lots of
stuff but most of it doesn't seem to help.

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Scoundreller
This is not a recommendation on my part, just quoting some evidence for
scopolamine patches:

"TTS-S has proved to be significantly superior to placebo in reducing the
incidence and severity of motion sickness by 60-80%. It was more effective
than oral meclizine or cinnarizine, similar to oral scopolamine 0.6 mg or
promethazine plus ephedrine, and the same as or superior to dimenhydrinate."

[http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16719539](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16719539)

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k-mcgrady
Thanks. Pretty sure oral meclizine is what I would normally take so I'll have
to check out scopolamine patches.

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jackcarter
Ha, perfect timing. Yesterday the guy next to me threw up in his hands on
takeoff. He hadn't looked for a bag; I expect he thought he could ride it out.
I handed him mine.

I can't imagine the bags are a significant cost to airlines -- everyone's
heard of the 'American Airline olive,' but those were actually being consumed
every flight. Compare that to the PR from customers smelling vomit for hours
because there was no bag.

~~~
pbhjpbhj
I hadn't heard of the "AA olive" \- [https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-
American-Airlines-save...](https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-American-
Airlines-saved-40-000-in-1987-by-eliminating-one-olive-from-each-salad-served-
in-first-class) gives the gist.

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chiph
Ask me in a couple of days. Going to be taking a small regional jet through
the east coast thunderstorms. Not looking forward to this.

