Aviation expert explains why you should never wear leggings on a flight
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock
An aviation expert has revealed why wearing leggings on a flight might not be the best idea, while a doctor also shared warnings about wearing the popular piece of clothing when traveling.
Of course people want to be comfortable when traveling, especially if it's a long-haul flight, but leggings are apparently a no-go for a number of reasons.
You might opt to wear a t-shirt to go with your leggings, but that's ill advised as well.
Why? Because it might prove quite painful for you if you end up needing to u the aircraft's emergency slide and your skin comes into contact with it on the way down. Ouch.
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But – going back to leggings – you might wonder why this particular piece of clothing isn't great to wear when flying, and that's also because of a potential emergency situation.
Aviation safety specialist Christine Negroni, told HuffPost: "The issue with leggings is the nature of the material.
"You have a tight garment that is usually made from synthetic fibers, made from petroleum products, which is not something you want to wear on an airplane because the largest risk in a survivable air accident is fire."
"It is going to get very hot, [the synthetic fibers] will either melt on your skin or cause serious burns, and that becomes something that will impact your ability to escape the aircraft," Negroni went on to explain. "In other words, if you’re not damaged beyond an ability to exit, to get out of the airplane, then you might be affected by the fire."
There's also been a health warning issued by Dr. Hugh Pabarue, a physician and vein specialist with Metro Vein Centers, about sporting leggings to travel in.
"The clothing we wear when we fly can significantly impact our circulation," he said.
"For example, tight clothing is not recommended. Wearing leggings and other restrictive garments such as skinny jeans that are too tight reduces blood’s ability to flow into and out of the legs."
Pabarue went on to explain that sitting for extended periods of time (particularly on planes) can cause blood to pool in the legs which increases the risk of developing deep vein thrombosis.
And that's not all.
"Wearing clothes that are too tight can potentially lead to conditions like compartment syndrome or meralgia paresthetica, causing numbness, tingling, and severe leg pain," the healthcare professional further warned.
Long story short: avoid leggings if you plan on flying anywhere anytime soon.