Originally Posted by
pptp
1. I didn't know it was possible to catch something via the seat of your pants.
It's not, but then again it must be awfully uncomfortable sitting in an airline seat with only the seat of your pants touching the seat. Remember, your neck (and arms if you're wearing short sleeves or a dress) will also touch the seat.
2. Do it all the time in theaters, malls, restaurants, airports etc. Pretty easy to avoid contagions if you use common sense (the old paper-towel-on-the-door-handle trick).
Of course. Then again, how do you open the door to the lav? How do you reach for the t.p.? How do you turn on the water in the faucet? What if the person right before you in the lav had a vector-borne illness and coughed into their hands right before touching the door knob or the faucet on the sink?
3. Modern aircraft air is some of the cleanest you can breath in a public place. It's HEPA filtered and flows from the top of the cabin to the bottom. What other public places use HEPA filters?)
No question. Then again, if you're going to spend over 16 hours in a metal tube with up to 284 other people and one of more of them is seriously ill, all that HEPA filtering may not be nearly enough to keep you from getting sick.
Personally, I'm not that paranoid about it. This is one of the risks associated with being a traveler and an active person.
I'm just not sure that getting rid of pillows (and certainly blankets) really makes any significant difference in the likelihood of pathogens being transfered on a plane.