It’s no surprise that flying isn’t the most sanitary form of transportation. Passengers have to deal with things like cramped seating and breathing the same air as those who are under the weather for hours at a time. Despite stricter hygiene practices implemented following the pandemic, cleanliness on aircrafts is not usually top of mind for travelers and airlines alike.
One woman is pulling the curtain back (or should we say “seat”) on just that in a viral TikTok. Her video has been viewed 583,000 times.
Kat Shortsleeve (@katshortsleeve) was on a five-hour United Airlines flight traveling to or from New York (that’s what her location was set to in the video) when she looked in the crevice of her seat.
A Disgusting United Airlines Discovery
Shortsleeve appears visibly repulsed in the video. She films inside the crevice of the seat, where there appears to be dark green mystery gunk.
Disgusted, the content creator blasts the airline in the text overlay. “Shouldn’t there be protocols for United to clean their planes?” she questioned.
The unpleasant finding ruined Shortsleeve’s flight, as she expressed in the caption, “Going to be a long 5 hours.”
Viewers Are Horrified
The video racked up over 566,000 views. The sight of the questionable contents in the seat unanimously sickened viewers.
“I have to actively not think about or look in these crevices because I will crash out,” one viewer commented.
“That is not real omg,” a second stated.
“I just threw up inside of my mouth,” a third said.
Viewers shared that they don’t rely on airlines to maintain proper hygiene aboard aircrafts. Instead, they shared that they take extra precautions by bringing their own sanitation supplies.
“People look at me crazy when I bring out the disposable chair cover when I fly but idc bc I know they aren’t cleaned! I always travel with those and toilet seat covers. All from Amazon. Worth it,” one commenter shared.
“I always take a travel pack of sanitizing wipes with me,” another revealed.
@katshortsleeve going to be a long 5 hours
♬ Spooky, quiet, scary atmosphere piano songs – Skittlegirl Sound
How Often Are Airplane Interiors Cleaned?
Typically, most airlines perform a light cleaning after each flight. This usually involves wiping down surface areas and collecting trash, Simple Flying states.
A thorough cleaning and disinfecting may occur when the plane is not in use. How frequently an airplane interior gets deep-cleaned and the cleaning methods vary on the carrier.
According to United Airlines’ website, its basic hygiene protocols include cleaning before boarding and handing passengers sanitary wipes. In 2020, the airline integrated a more extensive form of cleaning. It uses robots to sanitize cabins weekly. The robots reportedly spray an antimicrobial liquid called Zoono Microbe Shield, an antimicrobial liquid.
BroBible reached out to Shortsleeve via email and TikTok comment. BroBible also reached out to United Airlines via press email.