Flying has come a long way since the Wright Brothers first took flight, and 122 years after Orville Wright lifted off the ground, the aviation industry is one of the most lucrative around.
With the number of people who flew on planes in 2024 projected to have been 9.5 billion (up 10% from 2023), more of us than ever are taking to the skies in these metal birds.
There's been a concerning number of plane crash stories in 2025, and while American Airlines 1006 catching fire and Delta Connection Flight 4819 landing upside down led to no casualties, 67 people lost their lives when American Airlines Flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter, and there was just one survivor from Air India 171.
Although one flight attendant has put our fears at risk and revealed the 'real' likelihood that you'd survive a plane crash, there's apparently a very different concern we should be looking out for.
Advert
While one survivor of American Airlines Flight 965 was saved by an argument over the window seat, you might want to think twice about booking a view of the skies next time.
Posting on TikTok, Canadian flight attendant Aislinn Swain urged passengers to 'protect their skin' if they've booked or are assigned a window seat.
In the text, Swain claimed, "When you find out just 60 minutes in the window seat on a flight has as much radiation as 20 minutes in a tanning bed."
She goes on to allege that cabin crew and pilots are twice as likely to get skin cancer, imploring people to wear sunscreen while flying.
The Daily Mail has dived deeper into Swain's claims, stating that while she might not be entirely correct, her viral TikTok is founded in science.
It's said that UV radiation levels are much higher at a cruising altitude of 35,000 feet than they are on the ground.
Although the Skin Cancer Foundation says standard plane windows filter out the UVB rays responsible for sunburn, they have far less protection from UVA rays. As UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and can cause premature aging as well as skin cancer, the fact that they can be three times higher at altitude than on the ground should have frequent fliers taking note.
A report from The University of Manchester suggested that pilots can be blasted with as many UVA rays in an hour as you'd get from 20 minutes on a sunbed. It's true that cockpit windows are larger than window seats, but if you're travelling on frequent long-haul flights in the day, it's something to think about.
The Skin Cancer Foundation advises applying sunscreen of SPF 30 or higher before boarding a plane, as well as reapplying on longer flights.
Passengers are also encouraged to wear long sleeves, pull down shades, and sit in aisle seats where possible.
Even though some airlines have looked into adding the likes of Solaron Blue Protection to windows in an attempt to block 99% of UVA and UVB rays, it's an idea that hasn't caught on for most fleets.