Flying The Unsanitary Skies

If you felt as though you needed a shower after your last commercial airline flight... well, you're not alone. What's worse, you probably weren't overreacting. A report in the New York Times says it's probably best you don't know what grimy dangers lurk in the seats, carpets, and... ugh... lavatories on commercial jetliners.

As with nearly any public space, commercial airliners have never been the most sanitary of environments... but the littering has gotten worse in recent years, as more passengers are bringing their own food aboard. It hasn't helped that most jets only receive cursory cleanings at best between flights.

"You put your hand in the seatback pocket and there’s an open McDonald’s ketchup container in there," said Joe Brancatelli, a frequent flier who runs an advice Web site for business travelers.

The duty of cleaning up planes is often contracted out to the lowest bidder by the airlines, as well. The Times says the airlines are getting what they pay for as a result.

There is hope, though, at least at one airline. After noticing their recently revamped planes were already filthy just two months after entering service, Delta Air Lines fired two of its cleaning companies... and mandated that once a month, all its planes go in for a deep cleaning.

That's significantly better than Delta's previous schedule of 15-18 months between cleanings... which allowed many Delta planes to take on the appearance of inner city subway cars.

Oh, and in case you were wondering... the FAA sets no guidelines for dirty airplanes.

"There’s still a long ways they have to go," said Linda Hirneise, who heads the travel practice at J. D. Power & Associates. The research firm surveys passengers on airline cleanliness; this year's top-rated airline on the survey, JetBlue, earned an 8.49 on a 10-point scale.

Sounds good, right? Not necessarily. In her opinion, Hirneise said, "anything below a nine is flunking." Which makes you wonder what the bottom-rated carriers -- Northwest, and US Airways -- earned.

"All carriers have room for improvement," Hirneise said. "Sometimes you pull those trays down and you just want to walk off the plane."

FMI: www.jdpower.com