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Getting Some Fresh Air: These Airlines Have Individual Air Vents

by Brad
Last updated January 28, 2019

There are many rumors about breathing recycled airplane air — here’s an interesting article I found on the topic — but what I want to talk about today is the lack of air vents on planes.

I recently had some short flights within Europe on Lufthansa. I noticed how these flights had vents, but I remembered past trips where none were installed. These short-haul flights were on a combination of Airbus narrow bodies and CRJ-900, and all had air vents above the seats. Thinking about this, I remembered that there aren’t vents on Lufthansa long haul planes.

Side note: Lufthansa is an airline where I’ve had some excellent experiences through the years. Their style is very German and not for everyone, but it works for me, and I don’t speak more than 20 words of German. My favorite experience is the Lufthansa First Class Terminal, but to be honest, I’m more frequently flying short-haul flights in economy.

Air Vents on Lufthansa Short-haul Planes…

Here are some photos showing various views of Lufthansa cabins:

a row of seats in an airplane
Lufthansa A321, with the awful Recaro “park bench” seats.  Photo Credit: Milad A380 (CC BY 3.0)
a group of people sitting in an airplane
Narrow body with air vents on Lufthansa – A321 cabin view. Photo credit: Curimedia (CC BY 2.0)

Having air vents was one of the few positives of the economy seating experience on Lufthansa. That said, business class within Europe isn’t much better, as other than a better meal and a blocked middle seat, there isn’t much difference from economy. Many flights within Europe are short, but the Recaro slimline seats are not comfortable at all.

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What about Air Vents on Lufthansa Long-haul Planes?

I’ve not flown Lufthansa economy long haul, but I’ve flown both first and business class several times, and I remember there being no air vents. The photo below seems to show the same, this one from an A340-600.

no air vents
Lufthansa A346 interior, Photo credit: @felixtriller (CC BY 2.0)

I’ve read multiple reports and experienced warm cabins on my own flights on Lufthansa. I can’t determine why there aren’t air vents on all aircraft. Most US carriers have them but this is less common on foreign carriers. After this trip I decided to attempt to compile lists of carriers separated by having vents or not. See below for my summary.

Carriers with Air Vents at Each Seat

AmericanDeltaUnitedAlaskaJetBlueFrontierSouthwest
Virgin AmericaSun CountryAllegiantSpirit
Air New Zealand (narrow body)AdriaAegeanAir CanadaAir China (narrow body)Air India (787)
All NipponAviancaCopaCroatiaEgyptAirEthiopianLOT
Lufthansa (narrow body)ShenhzenSWISS (narrow body)TAPAir BerlinIberiaLATAM
MalaysiaQantas (A380 in F)QatarRoyal JordanianS7Sri LankanAeromexico
Air EuropaAir FranceAlitaliaChina SouthernCzechGaruda IndonesiaKLM
SaudiaTaromVietnam AirlinesEmirates

Carriers without Air Vents at Each Seat 

HawaiianAsianaAustrianBrusselsEVALufthansa (wide body)SAS
SingaporeSouth AfricaSWISS (wide body)ThaiTurkishBritish Airways
Cathay PacificFinnairJapan Air LinesQantasAeroflotAerolineas Argentinas
China AirlinesChina EasternKenya AirwaysKoreanMEAXiamenEtihad

Final Thoughts on Air Vents: Please Help Me Update/Complete These Lists

After this trip where I was somewhat surprised to have vents, I decided to compile these lists. They aren’t complete, so I’m hoping you can help me fill in gaps and fix and errors I made. I’ve flown on lots of carriers, but nowhere all of those I listed. To make these lists, I primarily used google image searches, which took me longer than I planned. The lists are organized with US carriers first, then other airlines sorted mostly by alliance. There are other carriers I have not listed, but I’m open to updating this information.

Some trends I noticed while doing this research; Most 787s seem to have vents. Many aircraft that are part of the Lufthansa group do not, and it seems to be more common on narrow body planes than larger aircraft. US carriers almost always have them, only Hawaiian does not. I’d  prefer to have the option of fresh air, if nothing else, the comfort of circulating the air is always appreciated.

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About Brad

Brad is a frequent traveler, based in Milwaukee. He typically travels in around 200,000 miles per year, much of it for business, and often in economy. This blog focuses on experiences and tips from the perspective of a frequent business traveler trying to maximize value. In addition to frequent work trips, he uses miles and points for even more travel with his wife and young child.

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