Airplane Seat Covers
 

Going from L.A. to Oahu next week.
Has anyone heard of or know where to purchase airplane seat covers?
5 hours in a airplane seat is a long time and who knows who was there before me...
gives me the creeps.
Years ago airlines use to (at least) put a paper on the headrest.
Any ideas?
Thanks-Mipsy

hello mipsy, were i not a tad tipsy i might not answer this question at all. first, i can not imagine that anything becomes more contagious after a given length of time. second, people are wearing clothing so it seems no different than furniture in any public place. third i think the air on the plane is more likely to cause problems.
take a towel and cover the seat if you think it will help you feel more comfortable. and check with your pharmacist re: (i believe its called) "airborne". it is supposed to fight off colds/whatever is floating around the cabin...
i feel certain oahu will be worth it!

Bring your own pillow/or bring a plastic shower cap and wear your
coat or a jacket, sweater and you should be fine.
Carry some Purell so you can wash your hands often.
I thought Airborne was only good when you showed signs of getting sick, what about sucking on zinc pills?
If 5 hours gives you the creeps, I guess you won't be flying to Europe or Asia any time soon?
:)

Scarlett!

Plastic shower cap LOL. Patrick posted a very funny flight site and that's why I clicked on this post - looking for it again.

Mipsy: try http://www.thetravelinsider.info/tra...iceflights.htm

happy travels

I say wear the shower curtain with the shower cap and hose everyone down around you with lysol.

Seriously, it is the recycled air that is the problem, not the seat.

Do you have a depressed immune system? I would ask your MD for his advice.

I heard that the recycled air isn't really the problem--they filter the air a lot before it is put back in the cabin and it's clener than what you breathe in more open areas. The real problem is everyone's in close proximity and airplane facilities are not conducive to the handwashing necessary to keep germ-free.

As for mipsy--keep your coat on and use your own pillow/blanket.

But that recycled air is very dry and, on many planes, oxygen is removed and diverted to the jets to make the engines run more efficiently. So that air also has a lower oxygen content than our bodies are used to. It is not healthy, germs or not. I think a portable oxygen mask would be a big seller!

Offtopic sort of: I just used Airborne for the first time. It tastes much better than that awful Cold-Eeze zinc, and it definitely reduced my oncoming cold to practically nothing. The box states that it is to be used when entering crowded places (flights, theatres, etc) or at the first sign of a cold. Highly recommend!

Bring a trash bag and cover the seat.

I have seen those seat covers. This is just me, but I would be embarrassed to carry that on and spend the time getting it on the seat. I can just imagine what my fellow passengers would be thinking? But I think the same of lugging on those little foot rests and other travel doodads the travel catalogs sell. I have enough to carry on as it is!

What do you do with it when your seat cover when you're done? Put it with the rest of your (clean) stuff?

I'd be more worried about bedbugs from your hotel
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7829176/

Plastic and duct tape will work just fine!

And don't forget the sheets for your hotel bed, more advices on the "other" forum.

Gotta chime in here. I agree with TomZ about the plastic trash bags. Have been doing it for years & finally got asked why by a flight attendant (in an inquisitive way not a nasty way).

My daughter got lice from an airplane seat & the pediatrician told me that not only does she use plastic on airplanes, she does so at the movies also!

I looked at that website for the seat covers & it says that they are not that effective for various "critters" because they are made of cotton & not plastic.

Remembering the thread on "doi you bring your own sheets to hotels" wondering if there will now be "do you bring your own seat on a plane"

GoTravel: Thanks for the huge laugh!

Belle

You are more likely to catch something by accepting a drink or snack from the flight attendant who has been handing out drinks and taking dirty cups and trays back from everybody else on the plane without washing hands between people. Hand washing, hand washing and more hand washing is key. Those hand sanitizers are good for bacteria, but virtually ineffective against viruses.

laurie b, good gosh, that's nasty about the lice. Faina Again, I'm not sure you can get duct tape past security. You can try though. You know, at any baby store, they sell those portable changing pads that are heavier and sturdier than a plastic bag that you can put over the seat back by your head. They fold up nice with a velcro strap. Otherwise, I don't know what else to use. Plastic garbage bags sound like a hassle. Fabric airplane seats, while probably grosser than we would like to think about, should'nt pose a danger to anyone who isn't half naked with an open sore touching the seat. That's why I always wonder about people who wear shorts on a plane, Ick. Intact skin is a great protector though.

After the first hour pretty much all the cooties on the seat are yours. The cooties get converted to be yours after the "cootie memory" of the seat dissipates.

I wanna hang out with laurie and her mobile box of trash bags!

I'm very curious to know how one would determine that lice was picked up from an airplane seat as opposed to anywhere else. Just because they were not noticed on the head before the flight doesn't mean they weren't there . . .

mipsy's first-ever question is quite the food for thought. I don't think those paper headrests would have done much regarding head lice, maybe they helped keep some gentleman's hair pomade from being transferred. Scarlett's idea of the plastic shower cap is such a great visual.

I happen to bring for long flights my own pillowcase for airplane pillows (a tip I picked up here) since I want to snuggle in if I can and I'd prefer to avoid other people's cold residue if possible. I do also use one handwipe to wipe down trays and seat arms, it's not a bacteria issue, but wiping can't hurt. It's always interesting that our own quirks and worries seem perfectly reasonable to ourselves, and other people's worries sound obsessive.

I've already had some bad colds this season and tried that Zicam zinc-based stuff, it tastes so foul to me that I'm not sure it's worth it, though it didn't seem to help anyway. However, on a friend's advice I now keep Airborne at the ready, will take at the next first sign of illness (box says to take either before spending time in crowded places or, at the first sign of illness.)
My MD recently told me that anyone who has recently been ill even with just a cold virus, already has a depressed immune system, making us susceptible to getting sick again. He also mentioned, as above, that frequent hand-washing is key.

Ahhh, mrwunrfl, how coiuldwe forget "cootie memory"?! LOL

elaine, airborne will be in our medicine chest from now on, having heard some really good success stories.
I take a pashmina and use my husband as a pillow lol.
But I have to look into the mask/rubber glove idea..

LOL Scarlett, I can just visualize you on the plane with your showercap, rubber gloves and mask #-o You will start a whole new fashion statement for flying!! Don't forget to wear your Fodors pin. Thanks for the morning laugh.

Little OCD here.

reminds me of Nicholson in "As Good As it Gets"

I bring my own inflatable pillow only because everything else is inconvenient. Am I still qualified to join Ahhnold's OCD club :)

Attach a spray nozzle to the bottle of Purell (get the mega size from Costco) and go to town....

try to stand up for the entire flight. don't touch a thing and hold your breath.

there is a fodor's pin???

To heck with standing, just bring your own seat.....

As George Carlin once said about using your airline seat as a floatation device:

"Great, floating around on the South Pacific on a pillow full of beer farts"

We are all entitled to our own fears and phobias - and they are often not relieved by logic. (I certainly have my share).

But unless one lives in a bubble there are as many bacteria and viruses in the supermarket, subway, office, - there is nothing special about a plane (except maybe the recycled air). Think of where those green beans you bought yesterday might have been - and do you actually think rinsing them off with water gets rid of anything but stray dust. Think about who else has touched the railing on the stairway you just used.

Unless one has some immune system problem, our bodies are amazingly good at dealing with the millions of pathogens we are exposed to. Clothing and skin provide a great barrier. While it may be creepy to think about, what about seats in the movies, in the doctor's waiting room, at the Registry of Motor Vehicles?

I prefer to worry about other things (like will the plane crash - but that is my phobia)

good points, gail
My MD pointed out the other day that one possible explanation for increases in severity of allergic reactions among children and teens to things like peanuts or pets is that they may be over-protected from allergens when they are infants and tots, so there is little chance of building up a tolerance.

"They" should invent a car seat type device for adults....

What would muffin do? Smooch.

I think muffin would wear the shower cap too if she couldn't find a space suit.

Why do'ya think Muffin got leather? Not for HIV huh :*

It must be terrible to live with OCD . .

Mipsy, the next time you go into a public restroom, steal as many of the toilet seat covers as possible. Then before your trip, tape about 2 dozen of them together and make a quilt. With some practice you will soon be able to shape your toilet seat cover quilt like an airplane seat. Once your quilt is finished, fold your quilt carefully and gently place it into your carryon bag. Once you are on the plane, pull out your home made seat cover quilt and place it onto your seat. It's a little embarassing the first time you do this. I still get funny looks when I pull out mine, but after reading OWJ's "Trip from Smell" report, I refuse to fly without my toilet seat cover quilt. [(

Another idea is to wear a suit of armor. We discussed this on another thread 8 months ago. Believe me, it's hell getting through the metal detectors with that suit of armor on. But once you're in, you are sheltered from everyone's cooties but your own.

Have a safe flight, don't let the chair bugs bite. :-)

I would recommend bringing a small travel pillow for the longer flight. They also sell small fleece throws for those drafty airplane rides.
I tend to wipe off the tray and the arm rests with a wet wipe. It makes me feel a little better.
Lice on airplanes..ewww....Bugs in the beds...eww...I wonder why we love to travel so much!!

Hey, no fair making fun of the &quot;toilet seat drape!&quot; I have been draping toilet seats for decades (since I was about 8; prior to that my mother draped them for me: &quot;you <i>never</i> sit on anyone else's seat, dear&quot;). It's now second nature---to the extent that if I didn't drape I'm not sure I could actually, well, enough of that.

Those quasi-fabric seat protectors on the headrest are NEVER changed or cleaned if they are made of the same fabric as the seats. If they are of the white, &quot;fabric-paper&quot; variety, they <i>may</i> be changed <i>yearly!</i> No kidding, this was told to me by a person who cleans planes. (I had to go back for a book after the cleaners had already started their work and asked about the headrest protectors.) Those things are a JOKE---they're not there for <i>your</i> protection, but the protection of the seat from your hair oil, Brylcreme, mousse, hairspray or whatever.

'They' also say that excessive heat kills germs.

Take a blow torch with you and flame throw the seat. The burnt charcoal smell may permeate the cabin and your clothes but at least you will not be sitting on germs.