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Plane Truth
Summary of Plane Truth
Anyone who has flown on a commercial airline no
doubt has experienced some physical discomfort
after a long trip. Nausea, headaches, numbness
in limbs, sinus problems - most travelers accept
these symptoms as minor nuisances, a tradeoff
for the convenience of time that jet travel
affords. But according to former flight
attendant and health activist Riki Stevens,
these ailments are not a necessary factor in the
equation of air travel, but rather the result of
conscious decision-making and flagrant
negligence on the part of air carriers. "What
most of the thousands of people who fly daily do
not realize is that the cabins of modern jets
are metal-fatigued capsules full of stale air,
disease, and high concentrations of radiation,
ozone, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide,"
warns Riki Stevens in Plane Truth: Tips for
Combating the Health and Safety Perils of
Flying (New Horizon Press, 1994). "Not
only is the health of flight crews continually
in jeopardy, but air travelers place themselves
at risk as well." Plane Truth is exacting,
well-documented study of these risks and what to
do about them, derived from Riki Stevens's
nearly 24 years of working on flight crews.
Stevens has gathered information from experts in
the fields of aviation and medicine as well as
cockpit crews and flight attendants. Stevens and
her co-authors then provide practical advice on
what air travelers can do to enhance their own
comfort and safety while flying. She offers
hands-on tips for healthier flying through
nutrition, exercise, and stress reduction:
before, during, and after a flight. Special
sections of Plane Truth concentrate on
alleviating jet lag, handling inflight
emergencies, and what is being done (and what is
not) industry-wide to make flying safer and
healthier for passengers and crew members.
Purchase Plane Truth.
Excerpt from Plane Truth
Airlines, especially after deregulation, are
placing their highest priority on the cost of
operations, often to the neglect of the safety
and health of the people most closely involved
in operating their planes. Admittedly, overhead
costs would increase if airlines took the steps
necessary to improve conditions for their
passengers and their employees. In my view, the
most important of these include upgrading their
aircraft, not accepting the cheapest (and
perhaps bogus) spare parts, giving radiation
dose information to flight crews, cleaning up
the cabin air environment, paying an adequate
living wage, and making sure that flight
attendants aren't overstressed... [p. 160]
Reviews of Plane Truth
"An exposé that every airline passenger needs to
read; as disturbing as it is enlightening."
-Kent DeVore, Time magazine
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