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A commercial airline pilot revealed to a Reddit forum the best place to sit onboard for passengers prone to travel sickness, as well as some other tips and tricks to try and beat a queasy stomach while flying. Motion sickness often occurs onboard flights due to repeated movements, such as during bouts of turbulence.
The NHS explains that this occurs because “the inner ear sends different signals to your brain from those your eyes are seeing. These confusing messages cause you to feel unwell.”
Although airlines tend to put their most luxurious first and business-class seats up front, according to the pilot, if you’re hoping to limit travel sickness you may want to move further back.
Posting under the username Purcerh, the pilot explained: “Try to sit in a seat over the wing.
“This area of the plane doesn’t rotate as much during climbs and descents.”
Speaking to CN Traveler, Dr Quay Snyder, the president of the Aviation Medicine Advisory Service, added that the wings are the more stable part of the plane because they are closer to the centre of mass.
The tail end is part of the plane most susceptible to movement in-flight.
Although the nose and front of the plane, where first and business class seats tend to be, are “fairy stable”, the expert said these regions “can get bumpy in the case of a bad landing when the front wheels hit first.”
However, if you’re hoping to pick your dream seat onboard, many airlines charge an additional seat selection fee.
Speaking previously to Express.co.uk, Kate Brassington, co-founder of The Family Vacation Guide said: “We’ve all been through the process of booking a flight to our dream destination, wherein we’ve chosen a flight date and timing and even entered all our details, only to be asked whether we want to pay to select a seat.
“Some of us may panic and give in, some of us will push the decision to the check-in stage.”
However, you don’t necessarily need to pay extra to select your seats.
May airlines offer free seat selection if you check in online, so if you’re desperate to sit over the wing, be sure to access check-in as soon as it opens.
Nicky Kelvin, an expert from The Points Guy UK also recommends booking your tickets as early as possible.
He added: “This ensures that there are still plenty of seats available together before the plane starts to book up with other passengers.
“If you do happen to end up booking last minute, I would recommend calling the airline directly to see if there are any open seats not visible online.”
If your flight is particularly busy or your airline won’t allow seat selection for free, there are some other ways to combat travel sickness.
In the Reddit forum, the pilot continued: “Tip for those who get motion sickness: try not to move your head around.
“Pilots move their eyes instead of their heads to look at the instruments in the flight deck.”
You can also purchase anti-travel sickness tablets over the counter in most pharmacies, drug stores and supermarkets.
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