How Do They Clean Those Airplane Blankets, Really?

25.07.2023 - 17:05 / afar.com

You fought your way through midmorning traffic, waited in the airport security line just long enough to trigger a mild panic attack, and was TSA-splained to about why peanut butter is considered a liquid. All of which makes the thought of boarding your flight, buckling into your assigned seat, hitting (or not hitting) that recline button, and tucking into a Bloody Mary seem like a vacation unto itself. Until you stop to think about how many other passengers have sat in that same seat and hit that very recline button.

In a postpandemic world, cleanliness is the new legroom. Yet when it comes to cleaning the interior of an airplane cabin and its various—and germy—components, there are surprisingly no federal regulations mandating how or how often this should be done. The CDC offers some general guidelines for cabin crew members, but there is no government entity that oversees or enforces any sort of minimum cleaning schedule.

“The FAA does have an Aviation Maintenance Handbook that includes guidance and the importance of cabin cleaning,” says Josh Kennedy, senior vice president of operations for Unifi, an aviation services company that offers everything from baggage handling to cabin cleaning. “But each airline and aircraft have different, unique needs and procedures.” Kennedy knows what he’s talking about: He got his own start in the airline industry working as a cabin cleaner—aka the person who makes sure to get rid of that trail of crumbs from your row to the exit door.

Just because there’s no industry-wide baseline for cleanliness, however, doesn’t mean each airline doesn’t have its own. Nor does the lack of an industry standard mean that no one is watching. Since 1999, U.K.-based airline industry consultancy Skytrax has been interviewing travelers, crunching the numbers, and digging up the literal dirt to unveil an annual list of the World’s Cleanest Airlines (among other World Airline Awards). While no U.S.-based airline managed to crack the latest top 20, according to Skytrax’s criteria, you’re in the best (read: cleanest) hands if you’re flying JetBlue, which was named the Cleanest Airline in North America 2023. The worldwide #1 spot is held by All Nippon Airways (ANA).

A spokesperson for ANA confirmed that an external company handles their cleaning operations for both domestic and international flights and that the cabin is cleaned between every flight, domestic or international. In addition, the flight crew keeps an eye on things during each trip. (You can watch the team in action here.)

As with so many other aspects of air travel, you often get what you pay for. Whereas larger airlines often hire dedicated cabin cleaners to tackle the aircraft between guests, “Generally on low-cost carriers,