Flight attendants spend their work weeks sealed inside flying petri dishes – recycled air, no one cleaning surfaces, hundreds of strangers coughing in a shared cabin. And somehow, most of them almost never call in sick.
the rest of us? We take a detour to visit the grandkids and come home for a week.
I’ve flown a lot of miles over the past few years, and after losing a few vacations due to viruses in flight, I finally started researching what crew actually does. And when I was done, I got some feedback from a good friend who has been a flight attendant for decades.
Turns out their tricks are mostly cheap, simple, and free.
Getting sick while traveling isn’t just sad. It is expensive. Urgent care visits cost $150 to $200 out of pocket. Hotel extensions, rebooking fees, lost prepaid tours, and missed work quickly pile up. Even one bad cold can spoil a four-figure vacation.
So before your next flight, steal these nine habits from people who fly for a living.
1. Drink water like it’s your job
At an altitude of 35,000 feet the air is desert-dry. According to the UK Civil Aviation Authority, cabin humidity is typically between 10% and 20%, while in most buildings it is between 40% and 50%.
You may become dehydrated due to the lack of moisture combined with pressurized cabin air. Mild dehydration begins after losing only 1.5% of your body’s water.
Dehydration weakens your immune response. Your nasal passages dry out, your mucous membranes stop trapping pathogens, and suddenly every germ on the plane makes a shortcut into your bloodstream.
The solution is ridiculously simple. Aerospace Medical Association recommended You drink 8 ounces of water per hour while flying. Buy a large bottle of water past security, ask to refill during the flight, and leave anything that drains water out of you.
2. Skip the airplane coffee and tea
I was surprised when I heard it for the first time. The water in the onboard tanks is not what you’d call pristine.
A Study A report released in late 2025 by the Center for Food as Medicine and Longevity found that many US carriers were still providing potentially unhealthy water that violated federal safety standards, even though the EPA’s aircraft drinking water rule has been in place since 2011.
The research analyzed more than 35,000 sample locations across 21 airlines and found 949 tested positive for total coliform bacteria – a 2.66% contamination rate – as well as 32 violations of the maximum contaminant level for E. coli.
Coffee and tea are made from the water of the same tank. The temperature does not always reach the level required to kill bacteria. Drink bottled water on the plane, period.
3. Wipe your seat as soon as you sit
You would think that the dirtiest place on a plane would be the bathroom. You would be wrong.
A widely cited TravelMath study, reported by TimeFound that tray tables had an average of about 2,155 colony-forming units of bacteria per square inch – more than overhead air vents, toilet flush buttons and seatbelt buckles. This is eight times more than the bacteria found on a toilet flush button.
The cleaning crews only have a few minutes between flights. Actual cleaning of tray tables occurs on average once a day. Flight attendants will tell you that they’ve seen passengers changing diapers, resting bare feet on them, and clipping nails on them.
Pack a small pack of disinfectant wipes. Hit the tray table, armrest, seatbelt buckle and air vent dials. It takes 30 seconds.
4. Do not eat food directly from the tray table
Don’t trust it even after wiping it. A wipe does not disinfect a surface. It simply reduces the bacteria count for a short while.
Place your food on a napkin, wrapper or paper plate. Your sandwich should not touch that table.
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5. Keep your hands away from your face
Most viruses do not enter through the air you are breathing. They hitch a ride on your fingers and get in through your eyes, nose or mouth.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls hand hygiene one of the most important things you can do to avoid getting sick and spreading germs. We’ve covered this before in “3 Simple Rules to Avoid Getting Sick While Traveling” — and the face-touching rule is one that most people break without even realizing it.
Wash your hands with soap and water when possible, and use sanitizer when you can’t. If you’re not interested in the basics, here are some hand washing mistakes to avoid. Then keep those hands away from your face.
6. Get enough sleep the night before you fly
You can’t deplete vitamins from a bad night’s sleep.
Research from the University of California, San Francisco found that people who slept six hours or less were four times more likely to catch a cold than people who slept more than seven hours.
This is an amazing difference. Sleep is the biggest factor in whether or not your immune system fights off the bug sitting two rows behind you. Go to sleep early the night before the flight, not after hastily packing at 2 am.
7. Wear a mask while boarding and deboarding the plane
I know, no one wants to hear this now. But listen to me.
cdc yellow book Note that the cabin air is refreshed 20 to 30 times per hour – much more than most office buildings – and the HEPA filters capture 99.97% of particles 0.3 microns or larger, including most bacteria and viruses.
In other words, once you’re travelling, the air is surprisingly clean. The riskiest moments are getting on and off the plane, when the ventilation system is not running at full capacity and you are packed shoulder to shoulder with strangers.
The CDC recommends wearing a high-quality, well-fitting mask, especially during boarding and deplaning, when transmission risk is highest.
Wearing a mask for 20 minutes is not a big ask, especially if you have a weak immune system.
8. Eat real food, not airport junk
You can’t strengthen your immune system with Cinnabon and Bloody Marys.
Flight attendants who fly long-haul routes will tell you that they eat clean before a flight – fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains – and they pack their own snacks rather than relying on food served by airport food courts.
Alcohol and caffeine dehydrate you, which immediately brings you to problem number one. Skip the airport bar. Save the celebratory drinks for after landing.
9. Don’t run vigorously immediately after hitting the gym
This is counterintuitive, especially if you are someone who likes flying with a rigorous workout. (Confession: This is definitely not me.)
Experienced cabin crew will tell you that your body needs a few hours to rest, rehydrate and reset before you’re stressed again. Putting the hammer on your system immediately after a long flight, when you’re already dehydrated and on little sleep, is a quick way to a sore throat by morning.
Walk a little. drink more water. Drag. Save the actual workout for tomorrow.
This is what a flight attendant says
My flight attendant friend Audrey read this article. He approved the suggestions we listed and had this to add:
“When I first started working out, I got sick more often than usual. It took that long for my immune system to develop. The primary way to stay healthy I learned: washing my hands with hand sanitizer or soap and water as often as possible.
Personally, I don’t wear a face mask, but I will say this: During two and a half years of COVID-19, when everyone, including me, wore a face mask, I didn’t get sick once.
As far as travelers are concerned, keep your alcohol intake in check, as drinks affect you more at altitude. And don’t walk around barefoot, unless you’d happily do the same in Times Square.”
bottom line
You don’t need to turn into a germaphobe to fly without paying for it later. You just need to do what people who fly for a living do – stay hydrated, stop to drink tank water, wipe your seat, keep your hands away from your face, and go to sleep before departure.
Cold ruins travel. A bad flu can ruin an entire vacation, as well as a week’s work. At the price of a $4 pack of wipes and a $3 bottle of water, you’re buying yourself real insurance against both.
And if you bring something serious before the flight, don’t assume the airline will make it easy for you. They won’t.
Do you want to learn more about staying healthy without spending a lot of money? Take a look at the bad habits that increase your flu risk — many of them apply long after you’ve had the flu.
safe travels. See you on the other side of the jet bridge!