A flight passenger called out a fellow flyer for his “nasty cologne,” sparking a debate about smells in “cramped spaces.”
On the Reddit forum “r/delta,” a post was titled, “Dudes and their nasty cologne,” where a user recounted their experience on a flight from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Atlanta, Georgia.
“GUYS … You do not need to wear buckets of cologne before boarding a plane. The preferred amount would be zero. People are allergic,” wrote the user.
The person continued, “Honestly, it’s wholly inconsiderate to wear anything super strong in cramped spaces.”
Reddit users took to the comments section to share their thoughts about various smells on planes.
“Perfume and cologne are NOT meant to be announced, they are to be discovered,” wrote one user.
Another user commented, “I have to bring my inhaler with me for every flight because of this.”
Another contributor noted that “many airports have cologne shops where people douse themselves in samples before boarding their flights, which doesn’t help the situation.”
One user wrote, “In my experience, it’s mostly middle-aged women with their sickly sweet perfume that I notice. But I agree with the sentiment.”
Said another person, “I’ve given up a FC [first class] seat and moved to coach because a woman’s perfume gave me an asthma attack.”
A user advised, “I always travel with peppermint oil to put in/around my nose to combat the noxious cologne/perfume /body spray /BO.”
One user humorously suggested, “There should be a smell detector everyone walks through before boarding a plane. If the scent is too overpowering, they should go home and shower.”
Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog “View From the Wing,” told Fox News Digital that passengers should be mindful of others.
“Passengers have a zone of personal space on the plane that roughly corresponds to the area of their seat,” said Leff.
“Within that space, there are all [types] of behavior that might come under criticism (usually in the realm of personal hygiene and grooming), but it really comes down to the discretion of the individual,” he added.
Leff said that with airflow and filtration, smells, sprays, or perfumes can be spread throughout the cabin.
“To broaden the lesson a bit, don’t bring stinky foods on the plane, either!” Leff said.
“Some airports sell barbecue, but saucy ribs aren’t a great idea,” he also said.
“Neither is Chinese food to go.”
