A plane isn’t just a mode of transportation anymore, it’s become part of the travel experience itself. As it turns out, what you wear on board matters more than you might think.
Charity Nelms, a flight attendant with 11 years of experience, says clothing choices during a flight deserve real consideration. According to her, passengers’ legs should ideally be fully covered while on board.
“As a flight attendant, I want to tell you that shorts, skirts, or dresses aren’t recommended during a flight,” she said, as quoted by The Independent UK.
She explained that with this kind of clothing, a passenger’s bare skin ends up making direct contact with the airplane seat. Even if a passenger sprays their own disinfectant beforehand, the overall cleanliness of the seat itself still can’t be guaranteed.
“Wear pants. Trust me, I’ve seen some truly disgusting things,” she said.
Cher Killough, a Dallas, Texas-based flight attendant, echoed a similar warning about wearing shorts while traveling.
“Guess how many diapers got changed on plane seats yesterday, during just one of my flights? Four,” she revealed in a TikTok clip posted back in April.
How Often Are Planes Actually Cleaned?
Most aircraft undergo a quick cleaning between flights after each trip. This light cleaning mainly focuses on the galley area, toilet cleanliness, and removing trash from the cabin and passenger areas, according to John Alford, Vice President at ABM Aviation, a leading provider of airline cleaning and maintenance services, in an interview with How Stuff Works.
Aircraft that have completed a long-haul flight, roughly 8–10 hours, and aren’t scheduled to fly again until the next day, undergo a more thorough overnight cleaning.
“This cleaning is more intensive, with a primary focus on the passenger area around the seats, while still covering the galley and toilet areas,” Alford added.
Some airlines have specialized equipment to support this deep-cleaning process. However, this kind of thorough cleaning is only carried out periodically, with frequency varying by airline.
Singapore Airlines claims to carry out deep cleaning every month; British Airways does so roughly every 500 flight hours, according to a report from Simple Flying. Meanwhile, American Airlines confirmed to One Mile at a Time in 2023 that it performs deep cleaning every 45 days.
