Flight Attendants Always Pack This Handy Item In Their Carry-On

Whether you're a packing planner with a laminated list of the essentials or you throw things in a bag in a mad dash to the airport, there are certain items that belong in your carry-on bag, no matter what. You need your wallet, your phone, your ID and boarding pass, and one thing that flight attendants always pack: disinfectant wipes. Getting sick on vacation, or while you're trying to readjust to a normal schedule after a trip, is awful, and the simple act of wiping things down before your flight can make a big difference. Flight attendants on social media have spoken out, and this is one essential that they don't skip. 

There is a good reason for this. Planes take people from city to city and country to country, and according to the Federal Aviation Administration, in fiscal year 2024, there were over 9.8 million scheduled passenger flights. That's a lot of fingers touching the same plane surfaces. Some of those fingers grab the bottom of carry-on bags after the wheels have rolled along the ground. In other cases, travelers are sick and have been coughing into their hands. Then there are the people who put their dirty feet in the seat pockets and across rows if there is room. Those hands and feet have likely been in bathrooms and other unsanitary places. (Friends, I once saw a man on a flight blow his nose into his hand and wipe it on the tray table. I really wish I was making that up.) Flight attendants are smart to carry disinfectant wipes, and you should, too.

According to a 2023 report in The Washington Post, the dirtiest spot on an airplane is the lavatory sink handle, followed by the tray table, but other germy spots include the arm rest (which is important if you're using the flight attendant trick of lifting the aisle arm rest to lean on for a nap), the seat pocket, the head rest, and the window shade. Wiping them down with disinfectant wipes can help keep you from getting ill. TikTok flight attendant @nicoleandrade016 posts about wiping everything down with Lysol wipes, even while "deadheading" a flight (which is when a flight attendant isn't working but is instead flying to relocate for another shift). Cabin crew member @leannacoy posted a TikTok video about seeing many people change diapers right on tray tables, and flight attendant @tashainflight reminds people to wipe down the seatbelt as well — that's a spot hands are guaranteed to touch.

Additionally, sanitizing wipes are mentioned numerous times in a post on Reddit's r/flightattendants, and the Facebook page A Fly Guy's Cabin Crew Lounge posted a pic of a puppy sitting on the tray table. Cute, but also unsanitary. Flight attendants clock far more hours in the air than even the most frequent fliers, so following their lead and taking their advice on things like the worst seats to book on an airplane (near the germy bathroom), what to pack, and the best ways to avoid getting sick in the air is absolutely worth it. Finally, while you're taking tips from flight attendants, here is our take on whether or not to adopt the same position they do during takeoff and landing.