Flying when you’re feeling under the weather might seem harmless, but a pilot has warned of the potential dangers.
Captain Jaimes García, who boasts over 156,000 followers on TikTok, shared a video explaining why travelling with a cold could have serious repercussions.
The Colombian Avianca airline pilot’s video has since gone viral, racking up nearly 800,000 views. He explained that passengers often risk damaging their ears when flying with a cold due to cabin air pressure.
The Eustachian tubes, which balance pressure between the middle ear and the external environment, can become inflamed if you’re sniffly, leading to severe ear pain.
Captain Garcia warned: “If I have a cold, those Eustachian tubes become inflamed; they can’t equalise those pressures, and that’s when you feel ear pain.
“This causes barotrauma, and if it’s very severe and you’re very congested, your eardrum could even rupture. It’s very serious.”
Ear Barotrauma, which is common during activities like air travel or scuba diving, occurs when there’s unequal pressure between the middle ear and the external environment, putting stress on the eardrum.
This condition can pose several risks, from mild discomfort to more serious complications if left untreated. Changes in pressure can cause a feeling of fullness, discomfort, or pain in the affected ears – usually the earliest and mildest symptom of ear barotrauma.
Additionally, the imbalance in pressure can hinder the movement of the eardrum and middle ear structures, leading to muffled or reduced hearing.
If the pressure difference between the middle ear and the environment is severe, the eardrum may rupture. Symptoms of a ruptured eardrum include sharp pain, sudden hearing loss, tinnitus (ringing in the ear), or discharge from the ear.
Other serious but less common repercussions include middle ear bleeding and chronic ear dysfunction. If you notice persistent ear pain, dizziness or hearing loss, it’s crucial to seek medical at attention immediately.
Captain García continued: “A passenger flying with congestion might experience significant discomfort, but we pilots who makeup to five or six trips daily face greater risk if we’re not in optimal condition.”
Nevertheless, the frequent flyer does have some tips to reduce risk. If you have no choice but to fly, he recommended taking decongestants, chewing gum, and doing exercises to relieve ear pressure.
He added: “Passengers make only one trip but still need to be careful – take something to decongest, chew gum, and do exercises to equalise pressure.”
The pilot also encouraged his colleagues to prioritise their health over work commitments, revealing: “That’s why today is my first flight of the year.”
He confessed, “I was supposed to fly on December 30th, 31st, January 1st and 2nd but couldn’t because I had a cold. It’s better to take leave; otherwise, with barotrauma, we could be incapacitated for almost a month.”