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By JO TWEEDY Published: 10:27 BST, 17 April 2025 | Updated: 14:59 BST, 17 April 2025
Ahead of a flight being called, airport chairs are the first port of call for many passengers – offering a spot to rest travel-weary legs and even a makeshift bed for a few hours. However, tourists might not be so keen to take a seat – or a nap – after watching a TikTok video that shows just what’s lurking on the surface of many of them. With dozens of passengers taking seats at gates 24 hours a day, it’s little surprise that they harbour some serious germ potential – despite the best efforts of cleaning staff at airport hubs around the globe. TikToker @howdirtyis shared a clip on the social media platform taking a swab to seats at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, before heading to a lab to test the results. The clip shows the social media user dragging a swab stick across the synthetic surface of a black and red chair in an airport gate at the NYC travel hub.After also taking samples from the arm rests and the back of the chair, the TikTok cuts to a petri dish where the sample is deposited.It’s then seen being placed in a fridge to cool until the results become clear. When the fridge door is re-opened, streaks of the sample are much clearer to see to the naked eye. Fancy a kip? TikToker @howdirtyis’s findings might make your reconsider; a clip shared on the social media platform tested bacteria levels on a seat at New York’s LaGuardia AirportAnd the results make for fairly grim viewing. The TikToker reveals that the petri dish is showing up samples of skin bacteria from the travellers who’ve sat on them, with the caption explaining: ‘Pretty rough, but looks like mainly skin bugs’. The clip ends with the warning: ‘Just something to bear in mind if you’re taking a quick nap.’ Unsurprisingly, those tuning into the clip, which has had more than 56,000 likes were horrified at the reality of the germs that might sit on passenger seats. One unnerved traveller wrote: ‘The airport never fails to make me feel gross’. Elsewhere, another added: ‘This is why I change immediately when I get home’. After a measles outbreak at US airports last month, Dr. Darin Detwiler, who previously served as a public health expert for the FDA, advised on how to keep the risk of germs low when transiting through an airport. Your exposure to germs begins long before you step into the terminal, Dr. Detwiler told MailOnline.’Rideshares, taxis, and airport shuttles can be incubators for illness, often lacking proper sanitation and ventilation between passengers,’ he explained.To maximize safety, the doctor recommended disinfecting high-touch surfaces – such as seatbelt buckles and door handles – with a hand sanitier or wipes. Swabbed: The sample taken by @Howdirtyis – it was then placed in a cool environment before the results were delivered And, he reveals, paying for a more upscale experience makes little difference to how exposed you are to bacteria. Dr. Detwiler says premium airport lounges may offer a quieter atmosphere, but they’re not immune from contamination, ‘especially when it comes to shared food stations and high-touch surfaces.’He advises avoiding self-serve buffets and opting for packaged or made-to-order meals instead, and he also recommends disinfecting tables and seating areas before eating.The bathrooms and shower facilities in airport lounges are also riddled with germs, so he always uses a napkin or paper towel to open bathroom doors and touch water faucets.
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Swab test reveals just how filthy airport seats are – and people can’t believe it
