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Snoring at 30,000 feet - zonk - 02-27-2012

[parts of this thread were copied from our old forum]

Airlines' new lie-flat seats could lead to a new problem: snoring at 30,000 feet
by Christopher Elliott, Herald columnist
Published: Saturday, September 24, 2011
While everyone else is touting the benefits of new "lie-flat" airline seats in business- and first class, I know I can count on you, dear readers, to find a down side.
And here it is.
As you probably know, a lot of airlines have been adding new seats to their premium cabins that recline into small beds. United Airlines last month announced it would spend $550 million to install these recliners and make other improvements to its fleet.
American Airlines, in an effort to outdo its competitor, even said it would add "turndown" service to its first-class cabin.
So what's wrong with that?
Well, nothing. I'd donate a kidney to have one of those seats on my next trans-Pacific flight instead of being squeezed into sardine class.
Except maybe this: When you sleep lying flat, gravity pulls down on the soft tissues of your pharynx. Your palate, tonsils and tongue are pulled backward, which narrows the airway just enough to cause -- yep, that's right -- snoring.
With some airlines moving toward flat beds in first and business class, what does this mean for people who actually want to sleep and not be bothered by someone who's snoring?" reader Merrill Albert asks. "I have been kept awake numerous times by someone snoring very loudly."
None of the major U.S. airlines address snoring anywhere in their published policies, and I wouldn't expect them to. That's because it's unusual for a passenger to sleep for any extended period of time, let alone get into a position where snoring is possible. Rather, the flight crew handles snoring incidents on a case-by-case basis.
"Yes," Pasquale Goglia admits, "it was me. And I put my CPAP machine on. Don't leave home without it."
(A CPAP, shorthand for continuous positive airway pressure, is a breathing therapy machine used by heavy snorers.)
"I always bring earplugs," reader Joe Reynolds says. "The wax ones that adapt to the ear canal and give a good sound seal."
Earplugs also help block some of the engine noise, allowing you to sleep. I always carry earplugs or noise-canceling headphones and an eye mask on longer flights. It's the only way to rest, and nothing stops a chatty seatmate like earplugs and blinders.
Kevin Morgan, an admitted snorer, tries to stay awake on flights to avoid a confrontation with another passenger.
I try as much as possible to stay awake on flights, but the tedium can get to me, and often I'm traveling with little sleep before I have to hit the airport," he says. "Caffeine only goes so far, especially when the service is often slow and skimpy on flights."
So he tries to warn anyone sitting next to him that he snores. He even brings earplugs to offer his seatmates.
I think Albert has made an astute observation. As the number of lie-flat seats expands, so, too, will the snoring incidents. What if the guy next to you is cutting a few very loud Zs?
"If I did have a snorer, I would jab them awake -- repeatedly if necessary -- and notify a flight attendant," Janine Johnson says. "It's a simple matter of keeping this sufferer awake till they can sleep in private. I sympathize with the person but again, they need to be considerate of others and take meds, get surgery or sleep before they fly."
I agree with Johnson in one respect: If you know you have a snoring problem, and you curl up in lie-flat seat on a 12-hour flight without a CPAP machine, you're being selfish to the rest of your seatmates (or in this case, bedmates). You have no right to keep everyone awake.
In another sense, this is a good problem to have. It means that airlines are offering more passengers the opportunity to have a good night's sleep, and how can you fault them for that?
Bring on the snorers, I say.
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JudgeMental wrote:
interesting article
maybe some day they will have an air pressure outlet in first class, and all you have to do is bring your own mask "byom" and plug in and dial a pressure.
Whenever I fly, my cheap seats are so far in the back it takes me 30minutes to deplane.

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RE: Snoring at 30,000 feet - jscholz - 03-01-2012

I use my cpap on flights because my snoring will shake the plane apart. There have been no comments by anyone about my use of the machine.


RE: Snoring at 30,000 feet - iSnooze - 03-02-2012

(03-01-2012, 10:37 PM)jscholz Wrote: I use my cpap on flights because my snoring will shake the plane apart. There have been no comments by anyone about my use of the machine.

Hi Jscholz!
When you bring your cpap on the flight are you in business or economy? (or sardine class Too-funny) I haven't flown since getting my cpap. Not all planes have electrical outlets in economy. When you fly with your cpap, do you keep it on the floor or on the tray table?


RE: Snoring at 30,000 feet - worthog - 03-03-2012

(03-02-2012, 06:52 PM)iSnooze Wrote:
(03-01-2012, 10:37 PM)jscholz Wrote: I use my cpap on flights because my snoring will shake the plane apart. There have been no comments by anyone about my use of the machine.

Hi Jscholz!
When you bring your cpap on the flight are you in business or economy? (or sardine class Too-funny) I haven't flown since getting my cpap. Not all planes have electrical outlets in economy. When you fly with your cpap, do you keep it on the floor or on the tray table?

When I travelled Australia to LA, on Air NZ, you contact them and ask for a seat with a electrical outlet. Mine was an Amercian outlet, so I needed an adaptor to allow my CPAP machine to plug in. Used it on the tray table with no problems, the air hostess filled the water container too. Had another great sleep and so did everyone around me


RE: Snoring at 30,000 feet - iSnooze - 03-03-2012

(03-03-2012, 04:18 PM)worthog Wrote: When I travelled Australia to LA, on Air NZ, you contact them and ask for a seat with a electrical outlet. Mine was an Amercian outlet, so I needed an adaptor to allow my CPAP machine to plug in. Used it on the tray table with no problems, the air hostess filled the water container too. Had another great sleep and so did everyone around me

Thanks, Worthog. Good advice. I'll call the airline and find out if the plane I'm taking has electrical outlets in economy class.

A few hours after I posted the last message I realized that there are backup batteries for cpap machines. I started looking at those but they are a bit pricey for me right now.




RE: Snoring at 30,000 feet - Queenmum - 12-28-2013

On the Delta Airlines website, under "Travelers with Disabilities" "assistive devices" section they explain that they do not provide electrical outlets for these devices. The passenger is responsible for carrying a battery with enough life to support the trip they are on."Empower" which is available on certain aircraft is for charging laptops only.


RE: Snoring at 30,000 feet - me50 - 12-28-2013

hmmm....lets see.....laptops are more important than CPAP?


RE: Snoring at 30,000 feet - Sleepster - 12-28-2013

They don't want the liability associated with a power outage. It's no big deal if your laptop runs out of juice, but a medical device, not so much.


RE: Snoring at 30,000 feet - zonk - 12-28-2013

My laptop can run few hours without being plugged into power outlet, CPAP manufacturers can come up with something similar so we don,t have to buy special batteries and other connections. Well they make cars to run on batteries ... don.t they


RE: Snoring at 30,000 feet - RonWessels - 12-30-2013

There is one additional issue. The AC power delivered to homes is 50-60 Hz (depending on location). The AC power delivered on airplanes is 200 Hz. Strictly speaking, if your system is not rated for 200 Hz power (and most aren't), your system may or may not work.

Note that this is the frequency of the AC power (the number of times it alternates per second), and not the voltage.

Now, in practice, pretty much any power brick will work with 200 Hz power, unless whatever you are powering has _very_ sensitive power requirements and therefore a non-standard power supply.