A flight attendant has gone viral after detailing the “filthiest” parts of an airplane.
“Some of these may expected, and then some of them may be a surprise,” Cher (@cherdallas) said.
The first part was the window shades, which she claims she has “never” seen wiped down throughout her entire career. “You think about how many people are touching those and that they never get wiped off,” she said. “They’re filthy.”
She then went on to describe how she’s seen numerous people vomit in the airplane sink. “So if you drop something in there, I would consider it a loss,” she said. Apart from having never seen the sink be cleaned, Cher said the water has “too much bacteria,” making the water unsafe to drink or wash hands with.
Furthermore, Cher, who went viral after sharing tips about things she wouldn’t do as a flight attendant, added that she had seen the toilet seat get cleaned off “only once” in her career. She then went on to describe vomit, bare feet, and actual sewage on the airplane carpet.
More ‘filthy’ areas
Other “filthy” parts she pointed out include the overhead bins and the actual belt on the seat belt.
“All these reasons are exactly why I will never do my skincare on the plane, [and] why I won’t be rubbing my hands on all these filthy surfaces then touching my face and skin,” she said.
Cher didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok comment and Instagram direct message.
Commenters were shocked by the video, which has amassed 635,600 views.
@cherdallas Replying to @Spencer sorry in advance if this grosses you out the next time you fly but everyone should have the facts #flightattendantlife #flightattendant ♬ som original – 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒆𝒗𝒍’𝒔 – 𝒆𝒅𝒖𝒆𝒗𝒍’𝒔🩴
One said, “I miss the person I was before this video.” Another asked, “Sooo what parts of the plane actually get cleaned then?” And a third suggested, “For the price of a ticket the plane should be cleaned well DAILY!”
How clean are airplanes really?
A 2015 study corroborates Cher’s claims, with scientists discovering that contrary to popular belief, airplane bathrooms aren’t the dirtiest part of the vehicle. For this experiment, a microbiologist gathered samples from four different flights in order to work out the total number of bacteria per square inch.
Unsurprisingly, the airline bathroom flush button had 265 bacteria colony forming units (CFU) per square inch. However, the study found that other parts of the airplane had more. Overhead air vents, for example, had 285 CFU per square inch. But the most disturbing finding was the amount of bacteria setback trays. The study found that these trays inhabit 2,155 CFU.
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