Never wear leggings on a plane – they pose a frightening safety risk

Leggings are generally one of the comfiest forms of trousers, other than just your PJ bottoms, which might not be considered appropriate for a flight – and certainly not stylish. Sports pants are among the most popular choices to fly in, but an expert has mad a stern warning against them.

Christine Negroni is a US aviation expert who has told flyers never to wear leggings when travelling on a plane. Although a comfy choice, leggings could cause injury in the case of a disaster. Christine is an author who has written Deadly Departure and The Crash Detectives: Investigating The World’s Most Mysterious Air Disasters, and runs a blog detailing her travel advice.

She made a major warning to people wearing leggings on flights because clothing could actually impede you if there is a deadly emergency onboard. Christine said: “You might have to escape through a cabin fire or there could be a separate fire on the ground once you leave the aircraft.”

She told The Sun: “Everyone is wearing yoga pants on planes now, but I avoid all artificial fibres because they are more likely to burn and stick to you if there is a fire.”

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These kinds of fabrics can cause serious third-degree burns, which can cause death without treatment. Roughly 180,000 deaths every year are caused by third-degree burns.

Whatsmore, the WHO estimates non-fatal burn injuries are a leading cause of morbidity.

The safest clothes to wear to avoid injury in a fire onboard are cotton clothes or things made from natural fibres.

Additionally, always put your shoes on for landing and keep them on during take-off. This is the time when a crash is more likely, and if you need to escape the aeroplane, shoes will protect your feet.

Christine described the best shoes to wear when flying. She said: “Pick sneakers over high heels, pick natural fibres over synthetic, and take tight-fitting clothes over loose-fitting.”

Various materials are dangerously flammable. The most dangerous is acrylic, the most flammable synthetic fibre. It burns, and the fibres melt and drip, causing deep burns.

The same goes for polyester and polyamide (nylon), which also melt and cause deep burns. When both these fabrics are combined with cotton or wool then they will burn more furiously.

The least flammable clothing is made from wool and modacrylic. These fibres burn slowly and usually go out by themselves.