“Passengers should not be concerned about getting sick from somebody coughing, for instance, five rows behind them,” said Vicki Stover Hertzberg, first author of the study and a professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing Emory University.

Yes, you can get sick from someone coughing on a plane, but the risk is highly localized rather than a general threat to everyone on the aircraft. Studies show that passengers sitting within two rows (front, back, and sides) of an infected person are at the highest risk of inhaling respiratory droplets or aerosols. While airplane cabins use high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters that cycle the air every 2-3 minutes—effectively making the air quality similar to an operating room—these filters cannot catch a "direct hit" if someone coughs directly toward you. In 2026, the "window seat" is still scientifically considered the safest place to sit, as it minimizes the number of people walking past you and limits your exposure to only one side. To protect yourself, experts suggest using the overhead air vent directed at your face to create a "curtain" of filtered air, wearing a high-quality mask (like an N95 or FFP2) during boarding and deplaning when the filtration system is often off, and practicing strict hand hygiene. Most "plane-related" illnesses actually come from touching contaminated surfaces like tray tables and seatbelt buckles rather than just the air itself.