When travellers set off to the airport for a flight, they usually don’t spend too much time dwelling on other passengers’ germs.
However, hygiene experts have suggested that the international transport hubs are amongst the grubbiest.
From disgusting tray tables to questionable toilets both in the airport and on board a plane, the list of unhygienic spots you might pass through while travelling is long.
We may all know the basics – wash your hands, take hand sanitizer on board, wear shoes when heading to the toilet on a flight.
But it turns out, planes and airports might be even filthier than you think – with hidden crevices you might not have considered often harbouring serious grime.
Here, the Daily Mail examines why airports and planes are dirtier than you might imagine.
The key reason? There isn’t a standard ‘rule’ all planes must follow to maintain cleanliness.
Elliot ‘Mo’ Kreitenberg, infection prevention specialist and co-inventor of GermFalcon, a UV cabin treatment system, said: ‘Airlines aren’t required to meet any standardised hygiene benchmark.
‘What happens between flights is trash removal and a visual wipe-down – that’s it.
‘Hundreds of different passengers cycle through the same cabin surfaces every day, and there’s no restaurant-style sanitation standard holding anyone accountable for what germs might get left behind.
‘We fly with culture plates (like petri dishes) and our tests show the aisle seat is generally dirtier, which is just a product of contact volume.’
So what else are germ magnets when catching a flight? Here’s a rundown of the worst offenders…
SECURITY TRAYS
It’s one of the first things you’ll do at the airport but security checkpoints are some of the dirtiest areas located there, Dr Darin Detwiler, who previously served as a public health expert for the FDA, told the Daily Mail.
A 2018 study found that the plastic trays used at airport security checkpoints harbored more germs than the airport toilets.
Researchers took eight samples from the trays used at the Helsinki airport over the course of three weeks.
When the results came back, they found that half of the samples carried some kind of respiratory disease, including influenza A, rhinovirus, adenovirus and coronavirus.
In comparison, viruses were not detected in most of the samples collected from toilets.
The scientists said this may be due to people paying particular attention to hand hygiene when in the bathroom.
‘Much like old days when public pay phones were the most handled (and contaminated) surfaces, today those plastic security bins harbor more respiratory viruses than public toilets,’ Darin told the Daily Mail in response to the findings.
To prevent the spread of germs in the security area, he recommends using hand sanitiser immediately after touching security bins, conveyor belts or fingerprint scanners.
AIRPORT BUFFETS
Darin said premium airport lounges may offer a quieter atmosphere, but they’re not immune from contamination, ‘especially when it comes to shared food stations and high-touch surfaces.’
He advises avoiding self-serve buffets and opting for packaged or made-to-order meals instead.
He also recommends disinfecting tables and seating areas before eating.
BAGGAGE CLAIM BELTS
Think you’re safe once you’ve landed? Think again.
Darin revealed the baggage claim area, customs and ground transportation all present new risks.
Baggage claim belts come into contact with thousands of suitcases and hands, making them potential areas for bacteria to gather.
Studies have also shown that suitcases – particularly their wheels and bases – can carry significant amounts of bacteria, sometimes exceeding levels found on surfaces like public toilet seats.
Plus, ‘exhaustion can make you more vulnerable as you are less alert and it is easy to let your guard down’.
To keep your guard up, he recommends sanitising your hands after collecting luggage, as your ‘bag has been tossed around and handled by multiple people, moving along on conveyor belts, trolleys and cargo holds.’
He also suggests keeping your mask on in customs and baggage claim as these areas are still crowded with travelers.
After returning home or arriving at a hotel, shower and change into clean clothes as soon as possible, especially after long-haul flights.
THE AISLE SEAT
Usually, picking a seat for a flight is based on personal preference – do you want to enjoy views from the window? Or are you keen to sit on the aisle in case you need the bathroom?
Beyond convenience and comfort, your choice of seat could have an impact on hygiene.
Infection prevention specialist Elliot said: ‘Every passenger walking to the bathroom, every crew member steadying themselves during turbulence – they grab the aisle seatback.
‘The top of the seatback is consistently, and far and away the most quantitatively contaminated surface in the passenger cabin. The window seat doesn’t get touched by nearly as many strangers.’
As such, the aisle seatback harbours far more germs than the middle or window seat.
SEATS IN GENERAL
Dirty and germ-ridden seats can affect not just your general sense of hygiene, but also your skin.
Annabelle Taurua, beauty expert at the world’s leading beauty and wellness marketplace Fresha, says: ‘It is common for people to sanitise their seat tray when getting on a flight, but what they don’t realise is that that is not enough, and they should in fact be sanitising their whole seat as well.
‘It might look clean, but it can harbour bacteria and residue from previous passengers that will then be in very close contact with your skin.
‘Touching any of the unsanitised surfaces in your seating area, whether it be the tray, your seat, the arm rests and then touching your face will very quickly undo all the effort you put into your skincare routine, potentially leading to breakouts.
‘Cabin air is very dry, and this can weaken your skin barrier, making it much more prone to irritation and sensitive to bacteria.
‘So sanitising the whole area is really important and will help your skincare actually work as opposed to having to fight against new impurities every time you touch your face.’
TOILETS
This one’s hardly a surprise.
A former flight attendant who spent years working for a major airline said: ‘The aeroplane loo is essentially a cupboard, with no clean air. There is no window and the air ventilation is poor.
‘This means that every time you go to the loo, not only are you breathing in the air of many others who have “done their business” before you (especially if it’s a long-haul flight) but you could also be breathing in potential faeces particles, circulating the air after a toilet flush.’
She added: ‘It sounds dramatic but I highly recommend you avoid direct contact with as many surfaces as possible, in the aeroplane loo cubicle.’
That starts from opening the door. Instead they advise using your foot or wearing plastic, disposable gloves to touch the handle.
In addition, most plane loos have wipes next to the sink, which are there to be used.
According to the former air steward: ‘The worst time to use the aeroplane loo is right before take-off and at the very end of a flight, especially if it’s long-haul.’
They explain that the on-flight bathrooms are equally bad after a bumpy spot of turbulence during which time the seat belt signs would have to be turned on.
As soon as the signs are turned off an influx people needing the loo, as well as those who feel they may be sick will rush to the bathroom.
SEATBELT BUCKLES
On every flight, passengers will repeatedly fasten and unfasten their seatbelt, touching the buckle each time.
Touched over the years by thousands of hands, the seatbelts are rarely cleaned or replaced.
Previously, researchers uncovered the presence of human ‘bacteroides’ – germs which can cause real damage to health – here.
SAFETY INSTRUCTION CARDS
It’s designed to help save your life in case of an emergency – but the instruction card in your seat pocket could be ridden with germs.
Josephine Remo, a travel blogger who has worked as a flight attendant, told Travel + Leisure: ‘The dirtiest spot on a plane is the safety instruction card in the seat pocket.’
These cards are not usually cleaned by cabin crew. As such, using wipes to clean them before giving yours a read could be a good idea.
OVERHEAD LOCKER HANDLES
Josephine also recommended wiping down the overhead lockers, because they are ‘rarely cleaned’ and get ‘touched by a lot of people’.
If you think about it, they are opened and closed every flight – and no one cleans there hands right before doing so.
Alternatively, you could use gloves or hold a wipe while opening the compartments to avoid contact.
SEATBACK POCKETS
While airplane toilets have a bad reputation for having urine-stained floors, the dirtiest parts of the plane are in fact the seatback pockets.
Brenda Orelus, from Miami, has been a flight attendant for nine years and previously said this is the filthiest part of a plane.
These, she says, are ‘dirtier than the lavatories, they’re dirtier than the seat cushions and they’re dirtier than the tray tables.’
According to the globetrotter, who has visited more than 90 countries during her career, the seatback pockets are ‘never cleaned unless somebody vomits or there’s something ooey… coming out of there’.
She concludes: ‘All the cleaners do is go in and take out the trash so all of those germs have accumulated and there’s no real regular maintenance or cleaning of those surfaces whereas lavatories are regularly wiped down and sanitized.’
FOLD AWAY TABLES
Research in 2015 revealed that fold-down tables are the dirtiest surfaces on a plane – with more germs found on tray tables than toilets and seatbelt buckles combined.
The study, which was created by Travelmath, found tray tables have 2,155 colony-forming units (CFU) per square inch, far more than the lavatory flush button (265 CFU), overhead air vent (285 CFU) and seatbelt buckle (230 CFU).
Plus, there have been many reports of passengers flying with their feet up on the tray table – so you’ll definitely want to give it a wipe down in case!
TV SCREENS
According to Travel + Leisure, TV screens can be filthy.
After all, think of how many people before you will have touched the screen. How many will have had perfectly clean hands?
Even though it may be disinfected from time to time, it’s still worth giving it a wipe down.
HOW TO STAY PROTECTED?
Elliot says: ‘Seat choice is a pretty minor variable. What you actually do when you sit down matters more. Wipe your zone – tray table top and bottom, armrests, touchscreen, seatbelt buckle, overhead controls, your seatback and the one in front of you.
‘But make sure you follow the instructions on your disinfectant. Most people don’t check the dwell time on their wipes, which is where they fail: the surface must stay visibly wet for 30+ seconds to actually disinfect.
‘Wiping and it immediately air-drying doesn’t get you there.
‘Also, bring hand sanitizer. Hand sanitizer and surface disinfectant are different products and do different jobs.
‘Until aviation is held to real hygiene standards, personal prep is the most reliable layer of protection you have!’
