ALL ABOARD

FOLLOW THESE COMMANDMENTS WHEN YOU NEXT JET OFF, FOR YOUR HEALTH (AND YOUR SANITY)

DO Bring hand sanitiser

An investigation showed that, on average, airlines only cleaned their blankets once every 30 days. Unless they’re visibly soiled, the blankets are just reissued in new plastic packaging.**

DON’T Drink the tea

You’ll never see a flight attendant doing this – they know the water comes from an on-board tap, sourced from the plane’s tank, and that (often stagnant) water can be revolting. According to a 2004 study of 158 planes, 13% of them had coliform bacteria in their water.

DO Wipe your tray table down

The most germ-ridden place on a plane? Your tray table, which has more than EIGHT TIMES the amount of germs per square inch than the flush button on the toilet. The toilets get cleaned – but there’s rarely time to wipe the tables.†

DON’T Watch sad movies

Avoid Marley & Me like the plague. Studies have shown that spending time at altitude can increase negative emotions and affect people’s ability to deal with stress. Virgin has even issued ‘emotional health warnings’ before films that might upset its customers.

DON’T Add more salt

The combination of dryness and low pressure on-board reduces the sensitivity of our taste buds to sweet and salty foods by around 30%.†† Many airlines compensate by smothering their dishes in salt. So don’t add more, unless you want to be sweating crystals.