Thanks for the holiday reminder. I'm really susceptible to developing respiratory ailments after flying anyway. I need to make a note to myself to add a facemask (weights nothing, takes up no space) to my carry-on.

I'm serious. I don't know what you can do if the flight's full and you can't get moved. Of course the passenger's probably going to say it's non-communicable, but I just can't take the chance.

That's also a good idea about carrying cough suppressants and offering them to the other pax.

Somewhat OT: a couple years ago, I was returning LHR-SEA. We landed, nothing happened, finally the announcement. A young woman in the middle of coach had been vomiting, mentioned to stewardesses she felt really bad. They decided to keep us all there until they could get someone out to make sure whatever her problem was, it wasn't commicable (she was on her way home from four months in Thailand).

Then she told them she was pregnant, alarm was called off and we were allowed to deplane.