A flight attendant has revealed the gross reason why you should never wear shorts on a plane. You can find out why, along with four more handy flight tips, in the video below:
Even if you’re jetting off somewhere tropical, flight attendant Tommy Ciato (@tommycimato) says you should always stick to full-length trousers.
He’s been busy sharing tips to ensure we all stay happy and healthy on our holidays - so listen up if you have a flight booked in the near future.
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Tommy’s first tip - which should apply to all areas of your life actually - is to make sure you’re drinking enough water.
Tommy explained: “Stay hydrated. You wanna have about 16oz for every flight you go on, so keep that in mind.”
He also advised: “Don't feel afraid to let a flight attendant know if you're feeling sick. So if you need food, water, or an air sickness bag, please feel free to let us know.”
His third bit of advice was to never touch the flush button in the toilet with your bare hands, and the reason why is pretty self-evident - plenty of people have touched it before you with all kinds of germs on their hands.
Tommy said: “Do not ever touch the flush button with your bare hands. It's honestly just super unsanitary and pretty gross, so when you flush, use a napkin or tissue that's in the lavatory.”
But - apologies if you’ve just eaten - the toilet is not actually the dirtiest place in an aeroplane.
A 2015 study actually found there were eight time more bacteria on the seatback trays than on the toilet flush button. That’s a yikes from me.
This is where the advice on shorts comes in. A lot of people pass through a plane, and schedules between flights can be pretty tight, often leaving only enough time for a quick cleanup rather than a deep clean.
With that in mind, it’s probably wise to make sure as little of your bare skin is coming into contact with these germ-infested surfaces as possible.
Tommy said: “Do not fall asleep or lean your head on the window. You are not the only that has done that and you don't know how many people or children have wiped their hands or other things all over the window.
“Don't or try not to wear shorts when you're on an airplane. It's the same thing as the window, you never know how clean it's gonna be, so if you have pants, you're gonna have less germs."
Well there you have it, and if you think leggings sound like a good alternative to shorts, then think again.
An aviation expert has said artificial fibres in leggings and yoga pants are particularly flammable if there’s a fire on the plane - and therefore a safety risk.
Packing just got that little bit harder, didn’t it.
Topics: Health, TikTok, Travel, Plane Etiquette
Simon Fearn