How to Stay Warm on a Cold Airplane

Airplanes are not the coziest places in the world. In fact, you've probably felt like a popsicle stuffed in the back of the freezer on a few too many flights.

And there’s not always an extra blanket or a spare sweater available to keep the cold cabin air from chilling your bones, and warming up with a cup of airplane coffee or tea is questionable at best.

Related: Why You Should Think Twice Before Turning Off the Air Vent Above You on Your Next Flight

However, there is a trick to keeping yourself warm when the plane is making you unbearably cold.

Nicholas Carlson from INSIDER discovered this trick while flying from New York to Los Angeles.

“I actually started shivering. My teeth were clattering. I felt like I had the chills, like what you get when you're really sick,” he wrote.

Related: Why You Should Never Sleep Through Takeoff or Landing

There were no blankets, so Carlson started layering on clothing from his carry-on bag. When the flight attendant saw how uncomfortable he was, she showed him one trick that the cabin crew swears by.

“She said: 'Here, use this. It's what we do.' She handed me a liter-sized water bottle — the kind you buy from the store. It looked normal, but it felt different — hot.”

Not that carrying around a hot water bottle is the easiest task for most passengers, but perhaps it could be a simple request to make next time you’re on a sub-zero flight and can’t get any relief.

If that doesn’t work, perhaps finding some hand warmers at the terminal news stand before your flight will do the trick.