A passenger shared video sitting on a plane, waiting to depart, as the cabin overheated. Everyone on the aircraft is fanning themselves with whatever they have – magazines, papers, safety briefing cards – because the air conditioning isn’t working. Those onboard claim that the temperature reached 130°F.

A flight attendant addressed passengers saying they’re doing their best, that if they attempt water service or other cooling efforts it would interfere with getting the aircraft into the air. “The sooner we get in the air, the sooner it’ll cool off.”

Then she asks people to stay seated, keep seatbelts fastened, armrests down, and “please meditate and stay calm. Help each other.” There’s audible disbelief, murmurs, and passengers saying “what?!” in reaction to the suggestion that they cool themselves by meditating.

@bybrigg All of us with our little fans #fyp ♬ original sound – bybrigg

On the ground, cabin cooling normally comes from either the APU (auxiliary power unit) or pre‑conditioned air (PCA) hooked up from the gate. If the APU isn’t working, or pre-conditioned air isn’t working well, the cabin heats rapidly. A sun‑baked aluminum tube turns into an oven. Once in the air, the cabin will cool as the aircraft’s own cooling will be restored after engines start.

I highly suspect that “130°F” is an exaggeration. There’s no thermometer showing this. In general you’re not going to find documented cabin temperatures over about 122 °F (according to a Purdue study). More often, 105 – 115 °F cabins have been recorded in desert heat during extended ground delays when cooling wasn’t working. In 2023 in Las Vegas, one Delta flight hit 111.

These temperatures are generally not safe. We don’t know that the “130 degree” cabin actually hit 111 for any prolonged period of time, though.

And getting in the air is the best way to cool down the plane – though in extreme temperatures for an extended period of time the best answer is to return to the gate and take the delay.

The flight attendant here isn’t the decision-maker, and just wants t make the best of the situation she’s been given and calm the cabin. Her best advice is just to meditate, since no one in the passenger cabin can control the situation under normal conditions. Unfortunately, mindfulness doesn’t lower core temperature. At best it reduces motion and stress, which I suppose reduces metabolic hea.

In this situation here’s what I’d do.

• Ask for cooling or to deplane. Cooling didn’t seem like an option but I’d still inquire. I’d ask for the L1 door to be open with PCA hooked up – or to return to the gate. I’d ask the cabin crew to escalate this to the captain. Passenger feedback might influence decision-making.

  Bear in mind that just opening the door or bringinng on jetbridge fan carts isn’t going to help a lot, just blowing hot air.

  Window shades down when the aircraft arrives is something we see requested often at hot stations in the summer, and it does slow the rate of heat rise (but isn’t going to substitute for powered air).Shades can cut some solar heat getting into the cabin and shave a few minutes off of precooling.

• Track the clock. The U.S. Department of Transportation requires water and a snack by 2 hours into a tarmac delay, and the opportunity to deplane by 3 hours (on domestic flights) unless there’s a safety or security reason preventing this.

  The DOT only shows long tarmac delays over three hours this summer through June. Fortunately, none were in Phoenix or Las Vegas! Although there was one each in Tulsa and West Palm Beach and 4 in Corpus Christi (a common diversion airport for Houston). There were 17 in Atlanta.

• Ask for water sooner. The rule is the floor, not the ceiling — crew can hand out water earlier than two hours at the captain’s discretion if conditions warrant.

• Call medics at first sign of illness. If anyone shows heat exhaustion or heat stroke (confusion, fainting, cessation of sweating, very high temperature), ask for medical assistance immediately.

(HT: Paul H)