Protect Yourself from Germs When You Fly

Airlines increased their sanitation practices during the recent COVID-19 scares. Here’s what you should know.

Airlines have been fine-tuning their sanitation processes to protect their passengers from catching the latest variant of the coronavirus and other infectious disease germs (such as the common cold and the flu).

At the moment, planes get a major overhaul in between flights. A worker opens all the overhead bins, each tray table, and the window shades to maximize their use of disinfectant. Next a worker passes through the airplane with an electrostatic sprayer that releases a fine mist everywhere — from the lavatories to the front.

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Workers wipe down everything with hand-held spray bottles of disinfectant. Sometimes the floors get vacuumed. Any plane that sits for longer than eight hours gets a deeper clean, which includes shampooing the carpet and vacuuming all the seats.

According to one reporter, observing the protocol on a Delta plane: “Every passenger seat, side wall, overhead air vent, and bin were fogged with a fine mist.”

How often this happens varies by airline. But old reports you might see online about scary bacteria counts for tray tables and other areas of an airplane are now out-of-date.

In general, you can expect a plane to be cleanest on early-morning flights.

If you’re nervous, you can:

• Arm yourself with hand sanitizers or wipes.
• Wear a mask on the flight.
• Remove your contact lens before flying to prevent dry eyes and be sure you don’t need to remove them during the flight.
• Get as much sleep as you can, before the flight and during it, as sleep boosts your immune system.
• Stay hydrated. Drink water and avoid coffee or black tea, which are dehydrating and could keep you awake.
• Avoid alcohol both in the airport and on board, since alcohol is also dehydrating and could make you wake up later if it puts you to sleep.
• Look for an empty seat elsewhere if people near you are visibly coughing or sneezing.

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