A typical cabin altitude, such as the Boeing 767's, is maintained at 6,900 feet (2,100 m) when cruising at 39,000 feet (12,000 m). A design goal in newer aircraft is to lower the cabin altitude. For example, the highest internal cabin altitude of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is equivalent of 6,000 feet (1,800 m), while one of the lowest currently flying is the Bombardier Global Express business jet which features 4,500 ft (1,400 m) when cruising at 41,000 feet (12,000 m). However the trend for lower cabin altitude on newer aircraft is not universal: older 747s typically have lower cabin altitude than the newer 777 or A380. The absolute lowest cabin altitude available on an aircraft is found on the Emivest SJ30 business jet which features a sea level cabin altitude when cruising at 41,000 feet (12,000 m).

Keeping the cabin altitude below 8,000 ft (2,400 m) generally avoids significant hypoxia, altitude sickness, decompression sickness, and barotrauma, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations in the U.S. mandate that the cabin altitude may not exceed this at the maximum operating altitude of the aircraft under normal operating conditions. This mandatory maximum cabin altitude does not eliminate all physiological problems: passengers with conditions such as pneumothorax are advised not to fly until fully healed; people suffering from a cold or other infection may still experience pain in the ears and sinuses; scuba divers flying within the "no fly" period after a dive risk decompression sickness, because the accumulated nitrogen in their bodies can form bubbles when exposed to reduced cabin pressure.