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Risks may be low, but doctors says cramped air quarters are blood-clot breeding grounds
Ten years ago, Mary-Fran Rieben’s doctor told her never to fly again. She had developed a blood clot in a vein in her leg. Fortunately, it was diagnosed in time. But airplanes are cramped quarters, she was warned, and the extended immobility of long flights created a risk that she may develop another clot—and not be so lucky.
The risk of deep venous thrombosis, or DVT, is not widely known and even less widely considered by travelers during today’s cacophony of preflight procedures. Rieben, 84, of Alpine, knows she is at particular risk. But for other healthy travelers, the perils of DVT aren’t quite so conspicuous.
“Exactly how high the risk is, no one really knows,” says Dr. Timothy Morris, associate professor at UCSD’s Medical Division of Pulmonary & Critical Care Medicine. “It’s not enormous, but it’s not zero.” DVT is condition in which clots can form in the veins of the legs, usually near valves below the knees. If a clot breaks free from the vein walls, it gets pumped up to the heart and then into the lungs, where it can lodge in arteries and form a blockage, or pulmonary embolism.
While the precise risk of developing a pulmonary embolism during travel is unknown, they affect about 500,000 Americans a year, causing 50,000 deaths, according to the American Thoracic Society.
“One problem is there is no pump down in the feet to keep the blood moving along,” says Morris. “If you’re completely immobilized, there’s a possibility the blood will pool. It tends to stagnate around these valves [below the knees].” Long flights, particularly for those in coach with less legroom, can increase such a risk.
Michael Hoffman, 40, is director of marketing for SDSU’s American Language Institute. His job requires nearly 100,000 miles of travel a year, including 17-hour flights to Asia. Hoffman says he is acutely aware of the risks. “About a year ago, a family friend developed DVT on a flight to Florida,” he says. “Luckily, they found it in time, but he’ll be on a blood thinner the rest of his life.”
Morris, a leading researcher in the field, says there are several ways to reduce the risk while traveling. “Your blood is more susceptible to clotting if you’re dehydrated,” he says. He recommends against drinking alcohol while flying. “And get up and walk around as frequently as you can. Get your leg muscles moving. And drink water.”
Anyone with high blood pressure, heart disease or previous leg problems is at a higher risk of DVT. Travelers who experience leg pain, swelling or tenderness should seek immediate medical attention. An embolism can be signaled by shortness of breath, chest pain and, in worst cases, dizziness or shock.
As for Rieben: She didn’t board a plane for two years after her bout with DVT. “Now I fly,” she concedes, while still on a regular dose of blood-thinner. “Hawaii is about five hours. I get up and walk around all the time.”
—D.J. Den Herder
Think Pink
Pink is everywhere lately—not just on Cadillacs, flamingos and pop sirens. This flowery color covers a number of hotels, too.
The classic, pretty-in-pink Don Cesar Resort in St. Petersburg Beach, Florida, famously sports this right-now resort color. The nearby Renaissance Vinoy Resort was the inspiration for a cotton-candy shade of paint DuPont calls “Vinoy Pink.” Pop star Pink herself is known to stay at the pink lady of the West, the Beverly Hills Hotel.
The ultimate pink palace, the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Oahu’s Waikiki Beach, overexemplifies la vie en rose. Everything from satin sheets and table linens to bathrobes and flower arrangements —even pink sunset beer in the Mai Tai Bar—conforms to color code.
If you find yourself blushing this fall, don’t fight it. Book it. Tickled-pink travelers will also love Cobblers Cove in Barbados, the Lapa Palace in Portugal and La Valencia in La Jolla.
—Erin Chambers
How Do You Do, Blue?
You’ve heard about it. Maybe you used to drive up to Long Beach to try it. Now it’s here: JetBlue has landed in San Diego. The three-year-old no-frills carrier, which began service from San Diego to New York (John F. Kennedy Airport) in June, adds a third route September 3.
JetBlue has built a reputation on providing low-cost, nonstop travel and an upgraded level of in-flight service. “They seem to be establishing new standards in an industry burdened by tradition,” says San Diego Travel Group president Tim Smith. “They have the right cost structure, the right equipment and seem to be consumer-centric. They aren’t just another start-up.”
Less than $300 buys a round-trip, nonstop ticket to New York on a new A320 aircraft. Planes have all-leather (and all-coach) seating and personal TVs. You can’t get a meal or an upgrade. But customers don’t seem to mind.
“My ticket was 200 bucks cheaper than with American, and airline food is usually pretty bad anyway,” says Escondido resident Ed Master, arriving from New York.
Since its launch in February 2000, JetBlue has relied on good word-of-mouth marketing. “They’re creating an almost cultlike following,” says Smith. “Satisfied customers are telling others with such enthusiasm, you’d think they were on the payroll.”
Smith speculates JetBlue not only will stimulate traffic but will aid local corporations that have cut back due to a tepid economy and soaring fares: “I suspect that JetBlue will spell R-E-L-I-E-F.”
—Erin Chambers
The Ease of Being Green
The pilots wear Prada.
For every demographic, there must be a caterer. Even the light-my-cigar-with-a-burning-dollar-bill crowd. Über-upscale boutique carrier Green Air—named for its founder, not for the color of money—is distancing it-self from your everyday jet charter.
An attention to detail is what sets his group apart, says New York–based Green Air spokesman Richard Virgilio. “We blow away even the best charter,” he says. “They are all Bloomingdales to our Prada.”
Customers are picked up in Rolls-Royce and Bentley limousines. Onboard a Cessna Citation II or Hawker 600/700, it’s time to enjoy the preselected catering—imagination is your limit—and a customized musical playlist.
Despite looking down its nose at a similar practice by other charters, Green Air can fly to more than 7,000 airports on any type of aircraft. They’ll put their staff on any charter.
Rates? If you have to ask... Green Air insists would-be patrons call with travel plans at 800-399-6685 or register at www.greenaviation.com. After that, don’t call them, they’ll call you (with a quote).
—D.J. Den Herder
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