There are a number of good practices for staying healthy when traveling in an airplane. The spread of the COVID-19 virus is worthy of concern and has heightened awareness. Good airplane germ warfare is worthy of review and reinforcement. I am not an expert, but there are some commonsense things that can be done.

COVID-19 is part of the family of coronavirus that includes the more common flu. Like the common flu, this type of virus germ is very contagious, but it is easy to kill with some diligence. Let’s look at some guidance on how to stay healthy when traveling by air.

Germs are everywhere, and more prevalent in some places. Germs can survive 24 hours on hard surfaces, and for weeks inside the pocket on the back of each seat. We are lucky that most of the time we do not get sick, even when exposed to the germs.

Prevention

As you might expect, the bathroom has one of the highest concentrations of germs, as does the food tray. Washing your hands well and using Purell (or equivalent) helps tremendously. Avoid touching eyes, nose, and mouth after touching common surfaces. Some people use gloves.

Carrying sterilizing clothes (Purell or Clorox type) to clean trays, air vents and switches is a good preventative step. Avoid the pocket on the back of the seat in front of you. An option is to use disposable covers or bags for protection.

Keep the air vent open and directly on your face. The circulated air is highly filtered and pushes away other air that may contain germs. More people are wearing face masks these days, which helps if they use the N95 quality and properly fitted to the face. Note that the strong filter makes it harder to breath if it is fitted properly.

Don’t Panic

It is good to be appropriately concerned about COVID-19. However, for perspective, 200,000 people (less than one percent of those who have the flu) are hospitalized in the USA each year for the flu and about 0.1% of those hospitalized die – usually of complications. The number should be far lower if everyone had a flu shot each year. Even with those facts, we don’t need to panic.