What airlines are doing to clean planes

CNN Travel spoke to airlines, airplane companies and medical experts to find out what's been done to ensure you're flying in as hygienic an environment as possible, and what passengers can do for extra reassurance. Christian Rooney is the manager of JetWash Aero, a specialist aviation cleaning company based in the UK that's tasked with turning around aircraft between flights. Rooney said that the cleaning process varies depending on the schedule of the aircraft in question. When aircraft downtime is very limited, some of what Rooney calls the "very straightforward cleaning," such as removing old newspapers and passenger trash, will be done by the cabin crew at the end of the previous flight. "A basic but more thorough cabin clean is usually carried out at night -- or when there is more downtime -- and it includes the cleaning of toilets, wiping down and disinfecting of trays, cleaning galleys, [overhead bins], seats etc. This may take up to an hour or longer," explains Rooney. "An airline will also always schedule a 'deep interior clean' every month or six weeks. This clean takes several hours and is extremely thorough." Cleaning products and disinfectants are approved by aircraft manufacturers, says Rooney. "Some of the disinfectants we use are effective against a wide range of pathogens and are known to inactivate complex viruses with similar properties to SARS, E. coli, avian flu, MRSA etc," he adds.<br/>These offer antimicrobial protection for up to 10 days, he says.<br/>