Dirty Secrets of Air Travel
You may eat from the tray table on an aeroplane, but would you still do so if you knew the person sat there before had changed their baby’s nappy on it?
And would you even think about just how dirty your luggage is?
Research has discovered that not only so planes harbour bacteria in unexpected places, the source of illnesses on holiday can be traced directly back to our suitcases.
Luggage comes into contact with up to 80 million bacteria before it even reaches the hotel room, according to research conducted by experts on behalf of Aqaint sanitiser.
With an average of four baggage handlers, two taxi drivers, a hotel porter and one member of airline staff handling any one piece of luggage, and the average person carrying over 10 million bacteria on their hands (in comparison to just 33,000 found on public surfaces), luggage alone can come into contact with more germs than travellers would expect.
It’s not just luggage that exposes travellers to high levels of germs and bacteria, but sometimes the flight itself.
During research, an anonymous cabin crew member was interviewed, claiming: ‘Cleaners don’t have time to thoroughly clean planes between journeys, as they are under pressure constantly to provide a quick turn-around.
‘I have seen passengers change their baby’s nappy on the tray table, cut their fingernails on board and even urinate in the seats. The carpets are filthy and the toilet floors are worse.’
They added: ‘I would always encourage passengers to sanitise their tray tables and other surfaces before take off, use a sanitising spray on their hands after using the loo and never walk barefoot around the cabin.’
Bola Lafe, founder of Aquaint, said: ‘Sickness and ill-health can put a dampener or even ruin well-deserved holidays abroad that have been planned for months or even years, and aeroplanes, airports, cruise ships and hotels can all be breeding grounds for bacteria.’
Additionally, research conducted in the US by The Today Show found that bacteria causing cold viruses, influenza, MRSA, E-coli and listeria have all been discovered on planes and in airports.
At an unnamed airport in America, investigators found the boxes used at security to be widely filthy – and in one case, home to small traces of fecal matter, perhaps left by the dirtied sole of a shoe.
The worst offenders when it came to on-board hygiene were discovered to be the fold-down tray tables that travellers use for eating in-flight meals.
These were found to be rife with high levels of bacteria – perhaps the result of airlines failing to wipe the tables properly between flights.
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