from fingernails to vomit: can you guess where the most germs hide on an airplane?

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while you might think the bathroom is full of stomach-churning bacteria, it turns out the most disgusting place on an airplane is right in front of you. antibacterial wipes, anyone?

by nick beare

published mar 10, 2022

3 minute read

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3 minute read

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can you guess where the most germs hide on an airplane?

it wouldn't be the worst idea to bring along hand sanitizer for use before and after touching around your seat. getty

with covid-19-related restrictions lifting across the country, we are already seeing an uptick in travel with many canadians eager to jump on a plane again after two long pandemic years.

but along with the obvious risks associated with travelling during covid, there’s also the fact that, well, airplanes aren’t necessarily the cleanest places.

the spread of covid-19

you would think that sitting for a few hours in a metal tube filled with recycled air would be the perfect place for a virus like covid-19 to spread, but there is little evidence to suggest that transmission on planes is common. in fact, what is most commonly shared between passengers are germs — and there are five places that are the most disgusting.

aisle seat headrest

if you sit in an aisle seat, how many times does somebody walk by and touch the back of your headrest? and how often is that person coming directly from the bathroom?

headrests in general are a particularly dirty area since they are one of the areas of the plane where an uncovered body part often touches a common surface. while some people may wear head coverings or hats, there is plenty of bare skin and hair touching the surface of an airplane headrest. whether you recline or not, it’s probably not a great idea to touch that area with your face, or you risk coming into contact with yeast and moulds.

seatbelt buckles

seatbelt buckles are one of the parts of the plane that most frequently come into contact with hands — not to mention dropped food and spilled beverages. in one study, online trip calculator travelmath sent a microbiologist onto four different planes to find the germiest places on board. they measured bacteria levels using “colony-forming units” (cfu) per square inch and found that seatbelt buckles had 230 cfu per square inch — the fourth-dirtiest area of a plane. to put it in context, the average toilet seat at home scores a rating of 127 cfu per square inch.

lavatory flush button

while the bathrooms on an airplane would be a logical choice for one of the dirtiest places, they are usually relatively clean because of the amount of attention they get from airline staff and flight attendants. according to the wall street journal, bathrooms get a thorough cleaning and disinfecting overnight and after long-haul flights. that said, ask a flight attendant whether or not making a trip to the loo in your socks is a good idea, the answer would be a big ‘no.’

however, while bathrooms may not be the worst in terms of germs, the same can’t be said for the little flush button. travelmath found lavatory flush buttons had 265 cfu per square inch — the third dirtiest place on board. in case you are wondering, the locks for the bathroom showed a cfu per square inch of 70.

overhead air vents

like seatbelt buckles, the overhear air vents are fondled quite often by passengers. it’s an area of the plane that is likely to be completely neglected in the cleaning process. and consider how many people adjust their air levels during a multi-hour flight. travelmath found that overhead air vents had a cfu of 285 per square inch — the second dirtiest place on board. it wouldn’t be the worst idea to bring along hand sanitizer for use before and after touching the vents, as well as seatbelt buckles, or any other area of the plane.

tray tables

with a whopping 2,155 cfu per square inch, the tray that attaches to the seat in front of you is the undisputed champion of airplane filth. this area is probably the most-touched part of the plane by passengers — not only used to prop up a book or laptop, but also to rest food, drinks and other waste, like wrappers, and fingernails. flight attendants also report that trays are also sometimes a handy receptacle for (cringe) vomit. these are also sometimes used as a diaper-changing table for a baby. and while the pocket at the back of seat also deserves an honourable mention as being a collection area for gross grime — the tray takes the cake.

clearly, your most important carry-on may be antibacterial wipes to give the tray — and anything else you touch — a thorough cleaning. and perhaps a safe landing is not the only reason to keep those trays in an upright and locked position.

nick beare is a toronto-based writer.

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from fingernails to vomit: can you guess where the most germs hide on an airplane?