You’ve finally made it to the plane — and even managed to remember your seat number without digging out your phone to check again. You settle in for a hopefully uneventful flight with your destination on your mind.
For most people, this is the point when they sit back, relax and enjoy their flight, as the saying goes. But for emergency medicine physician Dr. Anita Patel, there are a few nonnegotiables to take care of before takeoff.
Here’s what an ER doctor would never do on a plane ― and hopes you don’t either:
Use The Tray Table Without Sanitizing It
All day long they go up and down with many hands eating, reading, drinking and ― if you’re Patel’s young kids ― even trying to lick those grimy tray tables (because, well, kids). But Patel says she’d never go a single flight without sanitizing the tray tables before using them.
“We all see it in airplanes that the cleaners come in as we are leaving, and only have a limited amount of time, so wiping every tray table is just not within those time limitations,” she said. “Literally the second I sit down in an airplane … I immediately wipe down the tray tables with antibacterial wipes.”
What’s potentially living on those trays? Bacteria, viruses and especially gastrointestinal bugs, Patel noted.
“Vomiting and diarrhea are not how anyone wants to start a trip,” she said, adding that a lot of viruses can live on surfaces “a really long time,” and some types of bacteria can live on tray tables for hours or much longer. Cleveland Clinic reports that cold germs can live on surfaces up to one week, and the flu can live up to 48 hours. COVID-19 can live from a few hours to a few days.
Without any federal mandates or regulations determining how often airplane companies have to clean these surfaces, the onus moves back to the flyer. One small study by Travelmath found tray tables to be the germiest place on a plane or in an airport, with almost double the bacteria of the next germiest spot: the airport drinking fountain.
“The first few minutes when you sit down are key moments when if you don’t wipe down that tray table, it’s a missed opportunity, particularly for really young kids who have hands in their mouth,” Patel said.
And she doesn’t stop there — she also said she will wipe down any surface that is wipeable around her and her family, too. Don’t forget the little clip that everyone touches to open and close the tray table as well.
wera Rodsawang via Getty Images
Don’t forget to wear sunscreen for your flight.
Skip Sunscreen
In addition to wiping down the areas you’ll be touching, Patel emphasized the importance of sunscreen, noting that many people don’t realize how strong UV rays are when you are that much higher in the sky.
“That sunlight that is really nice when you are up in the sky is also more harmful than when we are on the ground,” Patel explained, noting that she recommends putting on sunscreen before each flight.
“You can control your seat somewhat but not the seats around you,” she said, pointing to the fact that the sun shades do provide some protection against sunburn, but not really against UVB rays that account for skin cancer and aging concerns. She noted that if she were “more organized,” she’d also add protective clothing to her travel plans too.
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Beyond these tips, Patel underscored the importance of seat belts, and said you’ll find her and her children buckled anytime they are sitting on the plane — even when they don’t have to be. She pointed to the “cumulative effect” of all these small safety measures in protecting you and your family.
These extra measures shouldn’t be about extra stress ― especially when you’re heading out on a trip that is supposed to help you relax. “It’s not about perfection; it’s about doing the best you can,” Patel said.
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