Airlines + Airports You Probably Believe This Common Myth About Flying (Video) Don't feel bad — 44 percent of travelers do. By Talia Avakian Talia Avakian Website Talia Avakian is a lifestyle reporter with nearly a decade of experience writing digital and print content for noted national and international travel publications. She began her career in travel reporting at BBC Travel, where she covered news and features of global destinations, later working as a travel reporter at Business Insider and as a digital news reporter for Travel + Leisure. During her time at Travel + Leisure, she has covered airlines, hotels, new product launches for travelers, natural phenomena travelers can witness, new experience launches, and more. Her work has also appeared in The Independent, Time, Food & Wine, Fortune, Essence, and Departures, among others. Talia is currently a freelance lifestyle reporter in Los Angeles, where she covers content ranging from outdoor getaways, hotels, and transportation to food and experiential offerings at destinations across the globe. She has gone behind the scenes with airlines to learn about flight attendant training, scaled remote mountainsides at far-flung hotels, gone inside the inner workers of Air Force jets, shared the history of Frank Sinatra's favorite New York restaurant hideaway, documented what life is like inside the world's largest residential airpark, and more. She loves discovering unknown perks travelers can access and adventures they can take part in no matter where they go, sharing inside looks at offerings from around the world to help every traveler get the best out of each journey. * 9+ years of experience working as a travel reporter * Stories published and syndicated across over 50 national and international publications * Appeared as a travel expert on Cheddar to discuss emerging travel trends * Received a master's degree in multimedia reporting from the Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute at New York University Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on October 27, 2017 Share Tweet Pin Email The world of aviation can be complex, so there are plenty of myths flying around surrounding how air travel actually works. Honeywell, which produces environmental control systems and cabin pressure technology for planes, decided to find out what some of the biggest myths about flying are. The company recently polled 2,346 adults across the U.S. as part of its Air Travel Myths and Misconceptions survey. The results revealed that nearly half of travelers (44 percent) believed recycled germs through a plane’s cabin air system could make you sick when flying. However, planes are outfitted with HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filters that are able to capture many of the microbes and particles associated with the common cold. The filters are effective in capturing 99.9995 percent of microbes and germs found in the air, the International Air Transport Association notes. Additionally, viruses associated with the common cold and upper respiratory track infections are often too large and heavy to hang in the air, according to Dr. Mark Gendreau, director and vice chair of emergency medicine at Lahey Medical Center-Peadbody. Because of this, the viruses fall to the floor, or to other surfaces, rather quickly. Getty Images That's why touching surfaces where these particles may have landed or where plenty of other passengers touch, like the tray table, seatbelt buckle, or restroom door, can increase your chances of getting sick. Related: The Truth Behind Common Jet Lag Myths In a study conducted by TravelMath, tray tables had a bacteria population of 2,155 per square inch, making them the dirtiest place on a plane. Taking preventative measures like using sanitizing wipes and hand sanitizer can help in these instances. Finally, you might also want to steer clear of ordering any hot tea or coffee on your next flight. It turns out that the water that’s used for your in-flight refreshments can also be harboring germs and microbes you might not expect, ranging from coliform to E. coli. Related: What Travelers Hate and What They Like About Flying This can occur because tap water is typically used to make hot refreshments, and can sometimes be refilled at foreign airports that have varying water standards. While there are a variety of other factors that can actually contribute to catching a cold while flying, if you're still feeling unable to breathe easy, turn the little air vent above your head on. The vent works to form an invisible barrier around you, preventing any tiny particles that might be in the air from reaching your mucous membrane. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit