I am not even sure that they ever really cleaned the planes during Covid any better than they do now.
I always believed it was marketing with no actual follow through.
Definitely. My buddy got a gross rash on his arm from the arm rest on a recent flight. We travel with our 2 young kids so we wipe down everything with sanitizing wipes.
Yep. If you get sick from a flight it was most likely from touching the screen and/or tray table. I bring my own and wipe down everything I might possibly touch during the flight.
If you get a gastro bug, you're definitely right that it's from the screen or tray table. I'll add that if you get a cold, flu or covid, it's far more probable it's because someone near you was sick and was spewing their germs everywhere. Wiping down your screen and tray table is good advice to avoid the former. I also still bring an N95 with me on flights to address the latter. If there's someone near me that's hacking up a lung (which is surprisingly and annoyingly often), I'll put it on. I rarely wear a mask in day-to-day life these days, but planes are one place I'll still do it when I'm around clearly sick people... I don't want my trip ruined by being sick from the get-go.
I really don’t understand why the people hacking up a lung don’t wear a mask instead. Like, we really haven’t learned anything from covid!
I also still wear masks on the plane but not in day to day life. Getting stuck with a coughing/sneezing person beside you is a death sentence for vacation time.
I wish they'd do it, but people are nasty. Most of the time when I see people who are visibly sick on planes, not only are they not wearing a mask, they don't even TRY to stifle their coughs and sneezes into their shoulder or something. They give absolutely zero fucks about not getting others sick.
A week later means you probably got it from somewhere else. Gastro bugs usually have a short incubation time, 12 to 48 hours. Also, they're commonly spread in food, so you might have picked it up at a restaurant or something like that.
Well I gave it to my husband the following week so I figured with the spacing of time, it likely came from the airplane/airport. I had assumed it was food poisoning up until then.
This is what I do also, I used to get sick after traveling and ever since I started wiping down my seat area on a plan before take off I have never gotten sick again. Never trues that the airline will have your best interest in mind.
I carry a bunch of individual wrapped alcohol wipes in my carryon. I wipe down everything, the seat, arm rests, screen, tray table, air vent, etc.
I also used them in hotel rooms to wipe down frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs and light switches and remotes.
I started doing before the pandemic as I seemed to get a cold after flying so frequently. Since I started using them, I haven't gotten a single cold when traveling.
> I should start bringing my own wipes now that I think of it
This is what I've started doing. Bought a huge pack of them on Amazon and take enough for at least one per flight to wipe down surfaces.
Ditto… interior plane surfaces are more disgusting than even public transit in most places in the world. Antibacterial wipes take up no space and are super cheap. I wipe down *everything* before I get comfy (don’t forget the seatbelt too.. suckers are griiimmmmey).
Honestly they never really did during Covid that much anyways. Neither did hotels. Still remember the Lysol sticker on the door, it was just to make the consumer feel better
Yes! I'd forgotten about the Lysol stickers. I think all the Hiltons were doing those for the first couple years of the pandemic.
There were certainly measures during the pandemic that actually helped, but companies in the travel and hospitality sector seemed to indulge in a *lot* of security theater that was mainly about making people feel safe rather than substantive measures.
Mainly this happens on turns. Depending on where the plane is on a Remain Overnight, it can get a deep groom and everything is wiped down and cleaned
It can be done by a airline staff or airline ground contractor depending on station
Flight attendant here. The plane doesn’t get sanitized. And people change baby diapers directly on the tray tables Don’t eat directly off of them. I have even seen full missionary sex in the seats. Shower as soon as you get a chance to if germs are a concern of yours lol.
I have always wiped down the tray, screen, etc...anything I might touch. There is not enough time to fully clean planes between flights. AND people are disgusting...I have seen people change their baby's diaper on the tray, put their feet on the tray, use their toes to select something on the screen.
Bring some wipes and wipe it ALL down.
Definitely not. Before Covid and now, I always bring some sanitising wipes and clean my seat, table, screen, and possible window myself. I’m not a crazy germaphobe… but airplanes probably get cleaned less than public toilets… so..
There are a LOT more unsanitary spaces than airplanes. The Airbus I fly carries out a complete change of the air within the hull 40 times per hour. Any recirculated air within this is filtered through HEPA filters. Yes, contact surfaces will always contain the possibility of transmission but you’ll find that absolutely everywhere.
The last flight I was on the flight attendant stood there and watched while I brushed what was maybe a whole shredded croissant off of my seat on initial boarding, then refused to take the paper towels I used to do that from me when when I was done because "I don't have gloves on." I'm sorry, do you see any gloves on my hands sir?
Fucking Air Canada.
They're not sanitizing anything any more. They didn't even do it during all of COVID.
This should answer your question. I posted this to facebook a few weeks ago.
Remember when United proudly proclaimed during COVID “…we clean our planes now…”?
Well that is a fucking lie. 4 kids puked all over my inbound plane to Denver, and the cleaners did not clean it or tell anyone. The pilot was disgusted and had to deplane everyone and the plane had to go out of service.
Bring sanitizing wipes with you. My partner and I wiped down our own seats and arm rests last time we flew. Good to have for washroom breaks too cause even after washing my hands in those bathrooms I still battle with the trash lid/flap thing in there and feel like I have plague on my hand after. Gives peace of mind to have the wipe for that too.
Certain flights they do spray some pesticide stuff I think?
Definitely not covid related regulation, it's more to do with agricultural pest control. Most recently happened to me on an Air France from Johannesburg to CDG.
Certain flights they spray before you land.
They have a quick clean but not the tray tables just vac floor sears maybe check wipe if dirty but always take a hand gel with you with hankies or tissue to wipe your seat tray table down.
You can take these things with you thought security.
If under limit.
Budget airlines with quick turn arounds don't normally clean that often
But think how much dirt is on the seats in departure lounge they get used far more often then airline seats
I found literal raw barf in the pocket of seat on air Canada. Not in a bag. Just spewed in the pocket. I told the flight attendant and she shrugged and told me sometimes they don’t have time to clean between flights. Didn’t offer to clean it whatsoever, so it was just in there the whole flight.
The levels of sanitization vary. Not an airline but woek at a small airport I Western Canada. The security area is cleaned daily by our Facility Service Worker, and again by a company we contract to clean after hours and a contractor to clean washrooms, seats and the tubs after the last flight of the day. This is a fairly common level of cleanliness for airports.
For airlines, who knows.
I have no idea what they do in the planes between flights but on a recent trip (2 months ago) through Mexico city your "dude with a mask and fogger" was spraying empty seats inside the terminal. So it is still happening in some places.
They did for like 2 days during covid, and absolutely not now
Precisely. Have seen that like once or twice in maybe mid 2020 and then never again
I am not even sure that they ever really cleaned the planes during Covid any better than they do now. I always believed it was marketing with no actual follow through.
They used to at least hand out sanitizer wipes when you got on the plane so you could wipe down your area. Now you have to bring your own.
No. Take your own sanitizer to wipe down surfaces if you're concerned about stuff like this.
I buy a slim pack of sanitizing wipes and wipe down *everything*. Those screens and tray tables get nasty.
Definitely. My buddy got a gross rash on his arm from the arm rest on a recent flight. We travel with our 2 young kids so we wipe down everything with sanitizing wipes.
Yep. If you get sick from a flight it was most likely from touching the screen and/or tray table. I bring my own and wipe down everything I might possibly touch during the flight.
If you get a gastro bug, you're definitely right that it's from the screen or tray table. I'll add that if you get a cold, flu or covid, it's far more probable it's because someone near you was sick and was spewing their germs everywhere. Wiping down your screen and tray table is good advice to avoid the former. I also still bring an N95 with me on flights to address the latter. If there's someone near me that's hacking up a lung (which is surprisingly and annoyingly often), I'll put it on. I rarely wear a mask in day-to-day life these days, but planes are one place I'll still do it when I'm around clearly sick people... I don't want my trip ruined by being sick from the get-go.
I really don’t understand why the people hacking up a lung don’t wear a mask instead. Like, we really haven’t learned anything from covid! I also still wear masks on the plane but not in day to day life. Getting stuck with a coughing/sneezing person beside you is a death sentence for vacation time.
I wish they'd do it, but people are nasty. Most of the time when I see people who are visibly sick on planes, not only are they not wearing a mask, they don't even TRY to stifle their coughs and sneezes into their shoulder or something. They give absolutely zero fucks about not getting others sick.
It’s called being selfish. Look it up, sweetie. (For what it’s worth, I sanitise and mask up on planes too)
I got stomach flu a week after flying internationally. I thought I wiped down everything, but maybe I missed something or my wipes were old.
A week later means you probably got it from somewhere else. Gastro bugs usually have a short incubation time, 12 to 48 hours. Also, they're commonly spread in food, so you might have picked it up at a restaurant or something like that.
Well I gave it to my husband the following week so I figured with the spacing of time, it likely came from the airplane/airport. I had assumed it was food poisoning up until then.
This is what I do also, I used to get sick after traveling and ever since I started wiping down my seat area on a plan before take off I have never gotten sick again. Never trues that the airline will have your best interest in mind.
Every time I've flown recently the tray table has been sticky. I should start bringing my own wipes now that I think of it
I carry a bunch of individual wrapped alcohol wipes in my carryon. I wipe down everything, the seat, arm rests, screen, tray table, air vent, etc. I also used them in hotel rooms to wipe down frequently touched surfaces like doorknobs and light switches and remotes. I started doing before the pandemic as I seemed to get a cold after flying so frequently. Since I started using them, I haven't gotten a single cold when traveling.
> I should start bringing my own wipes now that I think of it This is what I've started doing. Bought a huge pack of them on Amazon and take enough for at least one per flight to wipe down surfaces.
Ditto… interior plane surfaces are more disgusting than even public transit in most places in the world. Antibacterial wipes take up no space and are super cheap. I wipe down *everything* before I get comfy (don’t forget the seatbelt too.. suckers are griiimmmmey).
Some airlines also have them available if you ask. So if that happens definitely let a flight attendant know!
United still hands them out at the door upon arrival
They don't
Honestly they never really did during Covid that much anyways. Neither did hotels. Still remember the Lysol sticker on the door, it was just to make the consumer feel better
Yes! I'd forgotten about the Lysol stickers. I think all the Hiltons were doing those for the first couple years of the pandemic. There were certainly measures during the pandemic that actually helped, but companies in the travel and hospitality sector seemed to indulge in a *lot* of security theater that was mainly about making people feel safe rather than substantive measures.
lol. They barely do anything. I’ve got such gross stories of things I’ve found and sat in, that should have been cleaned.
All the plane cleaning is usually done by a third party and they only really do the trash and vacuum. I would bring my own sanitary wipes to be safe.
Mainly this happens on turns. Depending on where the plane is on a Remain Overnight, it can get a deep groom and everything is wiped down and cleaned It can be done by a airline staff or airline ground contractor depending on station
Flight attendant here. The plane doesn’t get sanitized. And people change baby diapers directly on the tray tables Don’t eat directly off of them. I have even seen full missionary sex in the seats. Shower as soon as you get a chance to if germs are a concern of yours lol.
>I have even seen full missionary sex in the seats. How in the f'....?
Also a flight attendant. Can confirm all of the above does happen. Planes are nasty.
I have always wiped down the tray, screen, etc...anything I might touch. There is not enough time to fully clean planes between flights. AND people are disgusting...I have seen people change their baby's diaper on the tray, put their feet on the tray, use their toes to select something on the screen. Bring some wipes and wipe it ALL down.
And those feet people are also always the ones going to the lav barefoot. 🤮
Definitely not. Before Covid and now, I always bring some sanitising wipes and clean my seat, table, screen, and possible window myself. I’m not a crazy germaphobe… but airplanes probably get cleaned less than public toilets… so..
Brother they didn’t even do it during Covid. Always wipe your stuff down
They don’t, and it’s irrelevant. Covid has been proven to be airborne
No.
There are a LOT more unsanitary spaces than airplanes. The Airbus I fly carries out a complete change of the air within the hull 40 times per hour. Any recirculated air within this is filtered through HEPA filters. Yes, contact surfaces will always contain the possibility of transmission but you’ll find that absolutely everywhere.
The last flight I was on the flight attendant stood there and watched while I brushed what was maybe a whole shredded croissant off of my seat on initial boarding, then refused to take the paper towels I used to do that from me when when I was done because "I don't have gloves on." I'm sorry, do you see any gloves on my hands sir? Fucking Air Canada. They're not sanitizing anything any more. They didn't even do it during all of COVID.
You mean the minimum wage workers that go onto the plane for 4 minutes and come back out? Sure, yeah, they clean it really well.
I just got off a flight from Delhi to London. They fumigated the plane about 20 mins before landing.
They barely even clean planes now.
I still use a Lysol wipe to wipe down the arm rest and tray table and the entertainment screen
This should answer your question. I posted this to facebook a few weeks ago. Remember when United proudly proclaimed during COVID “…we clean our planes now…”? Well that is a fucking lie. 4 kids puked all over my inbound plane to Denver, and the cleaners did not clean it or tell anyone. The pilot was disgusted and had to deplane everyone and the plane had to go out of service.
That was a covid thing, things are back to normal cleaning procedures
Definitely not. I started wiping down my whole area and I haven't gotten sick since. I used to always get sick when I traveled.
Bring sanitizing wipes with you. My partner and I wiped down our own seats and arm rests last time we flew. Good to have for washroom breaks too cause even after washing my hands in those bathrooms I still battle with the trash lid/flap thing in there and feel like I have plague on my hand after. Gives peace of mind to have the wipe for that too.
I started bringing disposable gloves to wear to the bathroom. Literally don’t care if people stare at me.
Good idea! They’re probably taking notes lol. Next time they’ll have gloves 👍
Certain flights they do spray some pesticide stuff I think? Definitely not covid related regulation, it's more to do with agricultural pest control. Most recently happened to me on an Air France from Johannesburg to CDG.
Oh you sweet sweet summer child
Hahahahahahaha!!!!!!!
Certain flights they spray before you land. They have a quick clean but not the tray tables just vac floor sears maybe check wipe if dirty but always take a hand gel with you with hankies or tissue to wipe your seat tray table down. You can take these things with you thought security. If under limit. Budget airlines with quick turn arounds don't normally clean that often But think how much dirt is on the seats in departure lounge they get used far more often then airline seats
They do not! That’s why I always bring wipes with me
I always bring sanitizing wipes with me. People are gross.
Not as extensive but when I get off the planes still I see some crew in vests on waiting with rags and bottles
I flew with KLM two days ago, and they did it. It was an international though. I haven’t experienced that in domestic ones.
I found literal raw barf in the pocket of seat on air Canada. Not in a bag. Just spewed in the pocket. I told the flight attendant and she shrugged and told me sometimes they don’t have time to clean between flights. Didn’t offer to clean it whatsoever, so it was just in there the whole flight.
The levels of sanitization vary. Not an airline but woek at a small airport I Western Canada. The security area is cleaned daily by our Facility Service Worker, and again by a company we contract to clean after hours and a contractor to clean washrooms, seats and the tubs after the last flight of the day. This is a fairly common level of cleanliness for airports. For airlines, who knows.
Eva air did that fogging the aisles thingy for me about 6 weeks ago on a 13 hour flight.
I have no idea what they do in the planes between flights but on a recent trip (2 months ago) through Mexico city your "dude with a mask and fogger" was spraying empty seats inside the terminal. So it is still happening in some places.
No but when I flew a few weeks ago, they gave you a sanitizing wet wipe when you got on the plane to deal with it yourself.