A person that has never boarded an airline flight might be surprised by the number of smells associated with air travel. They will become keenly aware of these smells when they enter the airline terminal and wonder why there are such an abundant number of them in one place. If the traveler had considered how many people come through an airport in a days time, they might gain some understanding about why there are strange odors in every place that they go.



Most travelers choose to unload luggage at the front of the airport before they attempt to find parking. There are a significant number of smells that are emitted from car exhaust fumes and these smells will usually be from diesel engines or those that use gasoline. No traveler has entered an airport terminal without being exposed to these exhausts emissions and its no wonder why some are lightheaded throughout a airline flight.

When they enter the terminal and approach an airline counter to check in for a flight, a traveler might get a whiff of liquor and coffee at the same time. In many airport terminals there is certain to be quite a few smells that are emitted from the various restaurants and it will depend on the time of the day which smells are the strongest to a traveler that has never flown before.

The liquor smells are usually prevalent in many areas of the airport because there are bars in each airline debarkation point. These areas also serve some sort of sandwich and the smells coming from these bars will often be surrounded by the noise from the televisions that passengers view as they wait for the final call to board a flight. Some passengers are sensitive to smells that come from people.

There are many scents that surround a traveler that might seem floral for a moment and then change to musk in a matter of seconds. These aromas are ever-changing because female passengers use a varying assortment of perfumes and colognes. The scents and smells get even more intense when the male population reaches a boarding area because they are emitting scents from colognes and shaving creams.

Some air travelers can get quite nauseated by the smells that they encounter during their travels. They are overcome by the closed in quarters on the aircraft that uses recirculation systems for the air within the cabin. This often causes a stale air smell that will permeate the clothing of an air traveler and be with them for the duration of the trip. Hence, more travelers choose to use more perfumes and colognes to hide the stench that these smells cause.