Thank you for the pointers to the studies. They're interesting, and they confirm that various surfaces in airports / airplanes have nasty germs of different kinds. I accept that. What I haven't seen more about (beyond anecdotal accounts) is whether any of it matters. Surely there are similar concentrations of germs in coffee shops, subways and trains, conference rooms in busy office buildings, elevators, cafeterias, etc. etc. The question relevant for the context of flying is, is the risk posed by germs in airplanes significantly higher than the risk from similar exposure in our normal workday situations. If yes, maybe it's worth taking additional precautions to wipe down every surface, wear masks, etc. Otherwise, you have to ask, if you can live without wiping down door handles and elevator buttons and stairway handrails at every opportunity, why can't you deal with the similar risk in an airplane without wiping surfaces down. At least, that's the way I think about this - it's relative risk, not about absolute contamination levels. I also accept that people have very different needs and personal situations and for some it may be imperative to be sure that the surfaces around them are wiped down. But on the other hand maybe my comments help explain why some of us don't bother to wipe down everything, or indeed, anything.