How Dirty is a Commercial Plane?
Magellan Jets well- respected friend Dr Robert Glatter, an emergency doctor at New York’s Lenox Hill Hospital told the show , sat down with The Today Show today and discussed the shocking truth around how dirty commercial airlines truly are!
If you thought the bathrooms you share on a plane are risky, you’ll be stunned at these latest findings.

This is the first of three reports last week exposing the dirty truth about what germs are lurking on commercial planes and in airports.
Taking three different flights across the country, each on a different major airline, their team gathered samples from various stages of the journey including check-in, armrests and toilets with some concerning results.
First discovery….Security Screening
Tests of two bins used to collect shoes, bags and other personal belongings that go through the x-ray machine revealed the presence of dangerous bacteria. One bin was found to have fecal matter at levels high enough to make people sick.
Dr. Robert Glatter said: “We’re talking about skin or soft-tissue infections, which can potentially lead to overwhelming infections in your bloodstream”.
Ew. And that is just the beginning.
Once on the plane, the germ situation isn’t any more comforting. Crumbs on the aisle floors and mysterious stains on the seats had the team questioning how thorough the cleaners were between flights.
The most shocking find was the levels of bacteria found on the tray tables. Covered in germs, one flight attendant recalled seeing them being used as change tables for babies nappies.
While all the armrests came back negative, tests on the seat belts were filthy including one that showed the presence of “human bactericides”.
“These are bacteria that live in our gut and our intestines. These are dangerous bacteria that cause serious infections”, said Glatter.
Another study conducted by Auburn University found that harmful and potentially deadly bacteria like MRSA and E. coli survive for days on arm rests, toilet flush handles, tray tables, window shades, seats and seat pockets.
So how can you prevent picking up one of these dreaded bugs on a plane?
Carry sanitizer and wipe down your tray table before use, wash your hands frequently, don’t walk barefoot on the carpet and check the back seat pocket before use for any nasty leftovers from the previous flight. Oh yea, one last thing, FLY PRIVATE!