Never fly again: Passengers panic as new video reveals airlines’ ‘dirty’ secrets, flights seen shockingly unhygienic

A content creator, @HowDirtyIs, tested the cleanliness of a Southwest Airlines flight. He swabbed areas like the tray table and armrest. Lab results revealed the plane was far dirtier than airport seats, including those at NYC’s La Guardia.

While the airport chairs had minimal “skin bugs”, the flight surfaces were found to be shockingly unhygienic, the New York Post reported.

The investigation revealed alarming levels of bacteria on aeroplane seats and surroundings. The dirtiest spots included armrests, tray tables, window shades and even safety manuals.

The investigator advised wearing long sleeves to protect your skin. A flight attendant also supported the tip. The findings sparked disgust online, with one traveller calling it a “new fear unlocked”.

“And now I’ll never fly again!!!” declared one user.

“The safety manual isn’t very safe!” wrote one user.

Another commented, “This is why I carry sanitiser and sanitiser wipes!! I clean everything!” declared a viewer with a self-proclaimed clean streak.”

Most commercial aircraft use High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters. It helps clean airflow similar to hospital operating rooms, per National Geographic.

Around 40% of cabin air is filtered while 60% comes fresh from outside. Air flows from ceiling to floor and is refreshed every three minutes during flight. This system helps reduce the spread of airborne particles, the publication added.

HEPA filters remove 99.97% of particles, but that only applies to air passing through them. If someone breathes unfiltered air nearby, the filter’s effectiveness doesn’t help. So, filters alone aren’t enough.

How often do airlines clean its seats?

Aircraft cleaning frequency varies by airline but has increased since the pandemic. Delta Air Lines disinfects all planes after every flight, taking around 15 minutes. Larger aircraft require more time and staff, according to an earlier report by the NY Times.

United Airlines uses electrostatic spraying before most flights. Southwest Airlines deep cleans its planes overnight for six to seven hours.

Short-haul planes have quicker turnarounds, like Spirit and Frontier, while long-haul aircraft stay grounded longer. Delta’s regional jets are cleaned during 90-minute ground time, and larger ones during two-hour stops.