[Travel Trivia]The dirtiest thing on a plane you never knew about!

By: Xiao Lühai

Planes come and go every day, and as soon as they land, the passengers disembark and the flight attendants and cleaning staff scramble to clean up. In such a rush, hygiene standards on the plane have never been very high—out of sight, out of mind. I always thought the most filthy spot would be the restroom, which sees the most foot traffic, but I was wrong.

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I recently came across a study by Travelmath.com that was surprising. Results from collecting bacterial samples from high-risk areas in airplane cabins showed that the tray table used for food (2,155 CFU/sq. in.) is actually dirtier than the restroom. Due to the tight turnaround between flights, tray tables are rarely opened for cleaning.

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In comparison, the air vent (285 CFU/sq. in.), toilet flush button (265 CFU/sq. in.), and seatbelt buckle (230 CFU/sq. in.) are all dirtier than a household toilet seat (172 CFU/sq. in.), but I bet the first thing you’ll do next time you board a plane is disinfect the tray table—just in case you absentmindedly place your phone on it and then press it against your face when you land, transferring all those germs!

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Image source:Travelmath.com