Q – I will be finally taking retirement from he auto manufacturing field in six months. My wife and I are looking forward to a life of at ;east one or two longer international trips per year, assuming there is no wall that will be built to keep us in the country. My wife has two specific questions: Should we be concerned about deep vein thrombosis and, if so, what should we do about it, and should there be a problem with getting off the aircraft in a hurry, is there a safety factor involved in greater seat pitch? In other words is it safer, in an emergency, to be seated in Business Class?
A – Thank you for such a fun series of questions. We would suggest that you try to run up miles on the best possible airline mileage credit card you can find. You will be happier flying Business Class. Yes, long distance flights increase your chances of thrombosis but the evidence on how this works is still fairly sketchy. You can get deep-vein thrombosis traveling by car, bus, or train. The altitude is not necessarily the causal factor. Wear loose clothing with an elastic waist and really comfortable socks that do not cut off your circulation. We don’t know about Business Class actually being safer than coach but it is nice, as the aircraft is plummeting, to be offered that final choice of orange juice or champagne.
Speak to your physician about deep-vein thrombosis as your specific condition will dictate the advice your receive. Don’t worry about safety in the air. In fact, sitting on a long-distance flight is one of the safest things you can do on this planet. If you want to worry, think about a strategy to get you safely from the house to the airport. Statistically, that is, by a wide margin, the most dangerous part of your journey.
