Wearing the wrong thing on a plane could be highly dangerous, a travel expert has revealed.
There’s so much to think about when planning for a trip away. Not only do you need to consider what to pack, but you also need to make sure you’ve given yourself enough time to get to the airport and that you’ve followed security guidelines when it comes to what you can and can’t take in your hand luggage.
But it’s not just the clothes in your suitcase you need to worry about, as one travel advisor has claimed we should all be making better choices about what we wear to travel in.
According to a woman named Mari, there’s one thing you should “never” wear on a plane. In fact, choosing to ditch the specific item could “save your life” if the plane runs into trouble in the air.
Mari, who regularly shares travel advice on her TikTok account, explained that the issue isn’t with one type of clothing, but is instead all about the material that your clothes are made from – as some are more dangerous than others.
In her video, Mari urged people never to wear “synthetic materials” on a plane. If there is an emergency on the plane and a fire breaks out, synthetic fibres could be far more dangerous as they are likely to melt and stick to your skin, causing severe burns.
Mari explained: “You should never wear synthetic materials on an aeroplane because if you’re in an instance where the aeroplane goes down or there’s a fire on the plane, synthetic material actually melts and will melt to your skin.
“That doesn’t mean that natural fibre clothing doesn’t cause burns or catch fire. It just means that synthetic fibre materials do cause burns at a higher rate. Synthetic fibres also ignite much more quickly, so even just the lightest spark will catch your clothing on fire.”
Avoiding synthetic materials means not wearing clothes made from materials such as polyester and nylon when on a plane. If possible, opt for clothing made from linen, cotton, silk, or wool. These natural materials are often more breathable too, making you more comfortable on a stuffy plane even if there’s no emergency.
According to aviation expert Christine Negroni, staying safe in the air also means ditching yoga pants and leggins – no matter how comfortable they might be for a long flight.
The expert previously said: “You might have to escape through a cabin fire or there could be a separate fire on the ground once you leave the aircraft. Everyone is wearing yoga pants on planes now, but I avoid all artificial fibres because they are more likely to burn and stick to you if there is a fire. I’d advise wearing cotton clothes or anything made of natural fibres.”
