The Dirtiest Places on an Airplane, Ranked

The dirty truth about airplane cleanliness.

Never—and I do mean never—step into an airplane bathroom in just your socks. Better yet, keep your shoes on for the entire flight. Despite airlines’ best efforts to maintain cleanliness—protocols that ramped up during the pandemic—passengers have an uncanny ability to transform tight quarters into germ-ridden Petri dishes. Flight attendants confirm that the lavatory is one of the filthiest spots on a plane—but it’s far from the only one.

Here’s an anecdotal look at the top five dirtiest, filthiest places on an airplane, as described by flight staff. Watch for every single one of these things, ranked from least offensive (but still gross) to downright disgusting.

5. Call Buttons

“I have never witnessed a call light being cleaned unless a passenger does it themselves,” alleges Tami, an Alaska Airlines flight attendant whose name has been changed to protect her identity. The two-decade airline veteran says that while Alaska contracts a service clean team at every airport where they land, “the extent of the cleaning depends on the time between flights.”

Alaska’s newsroom says, “Each aircraft receives a thorough cleaning of all areas every night through our overnight cleaning program, with specific aircraft rotated through our deep clean program. In addition, aircraft take turns throughout the day to receive cleaning to high-touchpoint areas.”

But passengers can be wildly cavalier with their inflight grooming, and these little “emergency only” buttons (not to mention the reading light buttons) have likely seen their share of germs.

“Passengers can be quite comfortable in a shared space,” says Julie, a United flight attendant who requested anonymity and whose name has been changed. “Lots of nose picking, butt scratching, fingernail clipping, nail painting. I told a girl once to [stop painting her nails] mid-flight, and she left with half a hand-painted. So there can be random residues from those activities.” Your best bet to avoid all of the above? Julie says BYOWW: Bring your own wet wipes to sanitize surfaces before settling in.

4. Tray Tables

“Our aircraft undergo routine cleanings between flights and a more thorough cleaning when parked overnight,” Chris Perry, a Southwest Airlines spokesperson, tells Fodor’s. Likewise, Delta spokesperson Breonna Richardson shared that, “Delta’s cleaning protocols focus on refreshing strategic areas of the aircraft, such as customer seating and lavatories, between each flight. Each aircraft also receives enhanced cleaning overnight.”

And yet, a 2015 study by TravelMath found that tray table surfaces harbor more than eight times the amount of bacteria per square inch than even the lavatory flush buttons.

Alaska Airlines flight attendant Tami reiterates that the process is fast and surface-level: “Typically, they come on, quickly wipe down the tray tables, pick up trash, and try to vacuum the aisles.”

And again, United flight attendant Julie says passengers play a big role in how clean or dirty those trays are. “I’ve had to ask parents not to change poopy diapers on tray tables—we have changing tables in the lavatories for a reason.”

Judy Marsalis, a retired TWA and American Airlines flight attendant who worked in the industry for 40 years, attributes some of the rise in passenger cleanliness complaints to inflight meal cuts.

“When we used to provide a full meal on more flights, people didn’t bring on as much food,” Marsalis says. “Now passengers board and immediately begin to eat. That means the first thing flight attendants must do is collect trash.” With that comes the inevitable tray table spills and crumb accumulation.

Molly McNaughton, a PR executive for Virgin Atlantic, told Fodor’s that the airline follows “rigorous aircraft cleaning protocols to ensure every cabin is spotless and ready for take-off. Our teams use industry-leading cleaning products to clean and sanitize all surfaces, with meticulous attention given to lavatories, tray tables, seats, and galleys before every flight.”

3. The Galley

Speaking of galleys: “This might be the dirtiest,” Julie says. In her experience, “Galleys don’t really get a deep clean in between flights.”

Marsalis says that in her day, overhauls for planes meant that the entire aircraft got a good scrub monthly. Richardson says these strategic decontaminations remain the case for Delta. “Delta aircraft have regularly scheduled deep cleaning in strategic stations, domestically and internationally, focusing on hard-to-reach areas onboard the aircraft using specialized tools.”

Virgin, on the other hand, follows a 14-day cleaning cycle, says McNaughton. “To maintain consistency and compliance, we audit cleans across our network, working closely with trusted suppliers to uphold the highest standards. Delivering the cleanest and best cabins in the sky is just part of the journey at Virgin Atlantic.”

Air Canada, Lufthansa, Turkish Airways, Finnair, British Airways, and American Airlines did not respond to a request for comment.

Still, have you ever seen a mop at 30,000 feet?

“With turbulence and clumsy times, the galley floors have had it all. Leaking carts, overflowing coffee pots, pasta, and, of course, puking passengers,” Julie says. Big deal, you might be thinking. That is unless you’re a certain frequent flyer: “The yoga galley guy/gal,” Julie says. “They come back to stretch out and usually give us a great view of their downward dog or whatever the butt in the air one is called. They pose and bend on our galley floors. It’s really something to see them touch the floor with their bare hands!”

2. Seats

If you think your seat is safe, think again.

In 2023, a passenger complained that they had to sit in vomit on an Air Canada flight from Las Vegas to Montreal, and this isn’t the first, nor likely the last suspect secretion.

“The seatbelts have seen things,” warns Julie. “I mean all liquids. We’ve had to switch out cushions and seat belts due to vomit, pee, spilled drinks—you name it. It’s an easy fix if we’re told about it, but sometimes, a passenger just stumbles across the mess.”

The flight attendants Fodor’s spoke to said they always try to improve a bad situation, but there are limitations.

“A lady the other day had her bag that was stowed under her seat soaked and didn’t know what the liquid was,” Julie says. “I felt so bad.”

“Our cleaning crews work to manage the usual spills and clutter between flights, and we have protocols in place to address issues that require deeper cleaning,” says Charles Hobart, a spokesperson for United. “We also provide our flight attendants with sanitizer and gloves, and all our aircraft undergo regularly scheduled deep cleanings.”

Four-legged friends can also cause cleanliness chaos, especially with their numbers growing in recent years.

“There are more animal incidents that happen,” Julie says, describing what she’s witnessed on United. “Poop, throw up, dander, hairballs, etc. The cleaners use vacuums, but with the limited time, they generally only spot the large pretzel pieces or Goldfish crackers from toddlers.”

1. Lavatories

Unsurprisingly, the filthiest place on an airplane is the bathroom.

“Bodily functions and bare feet should never mix!” Tami reiterates. “I’ve been doing this job for 21 years, and I always warn passengers who enter the lavatory barefoot that there’s no guarantee the dampness on the floor is just water.”

Naturally, flight attendants do their best to minimize the ick, but she says, “We just typically play Rochambeau, and someone sucks it up and cleans up to the best of our ability.”

That means that if accidents occur in the bathroom, sometimes she’s seen crews opting to lock the lav for the remainder of the flight. “If you want more graphic details, I’ve got them. I’ve cleaned up lots of poop and have personally been projectile vomited on in the aisle during the beverage service!”

So, the next time you board a plane, keep your shoes on, wipe down your tray table, and—whatever you do—don’t assume that damp spot on your seat is from a spilled drink. Then, give your flight crew an extra thank you for their brave service.