SansStatus

Flew business from LAX to VIE on June 20. Cabin was warm when I boarded. Asked purser to cool it off. Yes, yes, no problem, once we get going it will cool off. After dinner went to bed....woke up half way through the flight sweating (was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and not using the provided blanket). Rang the bell....asked what the temp was set to....learned it was 24. 24 is ridiculous. Everyone on the flight can wear a sweater and cover up with the blankets provided. There's nothing I can do to cool off if i'm already stripped down to shorts and a t-shirt. Austrian does not have individual air vents.

Ideal sleeping temperature is between 15.6 and 19.4 degrees according to www.sleepfoundation.org.

After arguing with the purser for over 10 minutes she agreed to lower it to 22. I argued this was not enough and argued there was no way I could sleep in such a hot cabin. She then grabbed my arm and said, 'do you feel how cold I am? i'm freezing'. So because the purser is a tiny little frail woman with bad circulation the whole cabin has to suffer in a sauna-like environment on a 10 hour flight.

I've written letters to the standard customer service team, and have forwarded comment to the head of operations asking what the official policy is for cabin temperature, so I at least know what the policy is for the 12-hour flight home. 4 weeks later no response.

My conclusion: even though I think the products and service are generally better on international airlines, I simply can't trust foreign carriers to have a reasonable cabin temperature, and will therefore will resort to flying US carriers that don't bake the passengers.

(same thing happened a couple years ago on Asiana....temp might have even been more than 24. Never been so hot on a plane. FA's kept nodding and saying they would fix it and then when I finally challenged them directly they admitted that they were afraid other passengers would complain so they wouldn't adjust the temp. Also J class. Haven't flown them since.)

oliver2002

Are all LH flights so warm?

curt

US carriers are known as flying fridges. If you require temps below 20C you should stick with them.

hugolover

24 is too hot.

OS have clapped out planes, the most climate criminal of fleets, maybe the temp regulator is broken?

chris63

It’s an idea but pax ought not to suffer an overnight flight at 24 deg

SansStatus

actually tried this once and was told it wasn't allowed. Can't remember which airline....think it might have been Qatar. Good suggestion though!

59Impala

We heat our house to 24C. Hence we prefer LX over US carriers.

gojko88

As a European, am genuinely shocked that anyone can be sweating while asleep at 24 degrees in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts. I'd probably need a cover.

JD3313

I'm definitely European but if I'm to fall asleep in a place that is over 20 degrees (so basically on any non-US carrier) I need a significant amount of my sleep meds (aka whisky ).

Duck1981

+1

cfischer

24 is too warm, agreed. Common problem though and it really depends on the crew as well

Rabaja

This is by far my biggest issue with flying LH Group. The cabin is almost always too bloody hot. A problem on day-time flight and a nightmare overnight (since humans sleep better at lower temperatures). My German friend heats his house to 24 degrees and keep it at that level over night. He thinks its fine and tells me his Austrian in-laws keep it much warmer. No wonder they’re dependent on Putin’s gas … Kidding aside: turn it down. If you’re cold put on a blanket. But if it is too hot there is nothing I can do. I normally fly F and the FAs tend to turn it down a notch if you ask nicely. But after a while they turn it right back up since they want to keep it toasty while they’re chatting away in the galley … It’s maddening. I’m in my undies, no PJs (too warm), no duvet (too warm) and it is still … too warm to sleep (no worries, I fly LX F and close the doors so no one has to see my undies …).

mikew99

I agree, but niusca is right. You can't always control every situation, and in situations where you have limited control over your environment, you need to help yourself. That is why, as someone who is always hot on planes, I travel with a portable USB-powered fan. It's come in handy in many situations (both in the air and on the ground) that I couldn't have predicted ahead of time. If I were on OP's flight, I'd be sleeping soundly while the OP is still arguing with the purser.

Centurion

So my theory ok why this happens is the flight crew seems to think warm cabins make passengers sleep and less active. I have been on multiple non USA carriers that have led me to this conclusion. Also the fact I attended a famous live TV talk show and David Letteman always demanded the audience temp be 64 deg F so they would be active during broadcast

UAPremierGuy

The lack of air vents and hot temperatures on foreign carriers are simply ridiculous. Even though US carriers service and soft-product are often otherwise uncompetitive, there is a reason I generally sleep so much better when flying on a non-US carrier. Even with the cooler cabin temperatures on US carriers, I often still sleep with the air vents wide open...if only they were like the air vents on the movie Airplane....